Ant War Review

"Ant Wars". It has a nice ring to it, don't you think? To me, it oozes creative potential; there are an infinite number of possibilities a designer could go with Ant Wars. You could go with a Colony style game, where players try and succeed in the development of a colony. Or perhaps you could go with a simple war style game where colonies battle for dominance?

"Ant Wars" is a game that attempts to combine the two. What at first seems like a uniquely creative game with good potential quickly turns into a mediocre stab at "Rise of Nations" or "Civilization". The targeted audience is apparent from the start of the game, or from just reading the title. Because the game is suited for children, I can't provide insight from a childs perspective. I have to settle for my own personal experiences with a game meant for kids. Regardless, my own 'experiences' with the game have been less than desireable.

The game as a whole is so awfully average that it's difficult to play. It becomes repetitive very quickly. The player is required to constantly shift through boring statistics, shop, and generally take care of ungrateful ants. While there are a lot of opportunities to choose how to raise your colony, the game itself oozes mediocrity. Even the sound is generic woodland/daytime sounds of chirping and insects. No music. Just an infinite abyss of ongoing nothing.

It would seem that the only shining lights in the game other than the ending would be the suprisingly good animation and artwork. "Ant Wars". It has a nice ring to it, don't you think? To me, it oozes creative potential; there are an infinite number of possibilities a designer could go with Ant Wars. You could go with a Colony style game, where players try and succeed in the development of a colony. Or perhaps you could go with a simple war style game where colonies battle for dominance?

"Ant Wars" is a game that attempts to combine the two. What at first seems like a uniquely creative game with good potential quickly turns into a mediocre stab at "Rise of Nations" or "Civilization". The targeted audience is apparent from the start of the game, or from just reading the title. Because the game is suited for children, I can't provide insight from a childs perspective. I have to settle for my own personal experiences with a game meant for kids. Regardless, my own 'experiences' with the game have been less than desireable.

The game as a whole is so awfully average that it's difficult to play. It becomes repetitive very quickly. The player is required to constantly shift through boring statistics, shop, and generally take care of ungrateful ants. While there are a lot of opportunities to choose how to raise your colony, the game itself oozes mediocrity. Even the sound is generic woodland/daytime sounds of chirping and insects. No music. Just an infinite abyss of ongoing nothing.

It would seem that the only shining lights in the game other than the ending would be the suprisingly good animation and artwork. The games artwork is done very nicely as is the animation. This isn't supposed to be mind blowingly amazing artwork designed for a museum in Washington, DC. This is a simple kid game with simple graphics and animation. It's suited for the target audience.

Similarly, the sheer variety of events that can occur in the game is difficult to fathom. There are over 60 different enemies, coupled with different locations and ant types to toy around with. It is unfortunate that most people wont stay entertained long enough to enjoy them.