Ancestors Legacy

Providing an evocative look back at some of history's most visceral pre-modern battles and conflicts, Ancestors Legacy is a superb PS4 RTS that fans of the genre shouldn't miss out on.

73%Game Brain Score

gameplay, story

grinding, stability

77% User Score Based on 3,978 reviews

Critic Score 68%Based on 19 reviews

Platforms

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About

Ancestors Legacy is a historically-based real-time strategy game set in the Middle Ages. Players can choose from four different factions, each with unique strengths, weaknesses, and units. The game features large-scale battles, a deep crafting and resource management system, and a historical campaign mode that brings the brutal era of the Vikings, Anglo-Saxons, Germans, and Slavs to life.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

77%

Audience ScoreBased on 3,997 reviews

gameplay284 positive mentions

grinding46 negative mentions

Engaging and immersive campaigns with historical narratives.
Impressive graphics and animations, especially during combat.
Unique mechanics such as a day/night cycle and unit morale system.

Limited unit variety and a maximum cap of 10 squads can make gameplay feel repetitive.
AI can be unbalanced, often overwhelming players with endless waves of units.
Lack of control over units once engaged in combat can lead to frustrating experiences.

gameplay
920 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
61%
8%
The gameplay of "Ancestors Legacy" has received mixed reviews, with many players noting its similarities to "Company of Heroes" in terms of mechanics and squad-based tactics. While some appreciate the engaging combat and strategic elements like flanking and morale, others criticize the gameplay for being repetitive, simplistic, and lacking depth, particularly due to limited unit variety and slow resource generation. Overall, the game offers a visually appealing experience with solid mechanics, but it struggles with pacing and can become tedious over time.
- “The gameplay captures the grittiness of medieval warfare.”
- “The gameplay is very enjoyable and the graphics are great, which really appealed to my tastes.”
- “Great game with a good gameplay and nice strategy aspect.”
- “Amazing presentation followed by some of the most bland gameplay I have ever experienced.”
- “The gameplay is fairly tedious, with your units gaining experience as they fight, but if they all die, you lose the experience.”
- “With only six units per faction, all practically identical with minor stat changes, and the same buildings for every faction, gameplay quickly becomes repetitive and uninspiring.”
story
867 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
64%
9%
The story aspect of "Ancestor's Legacy" has received mixed reviews, with some players praising its engaging narratives and historical depth across multiple campaigns, while others criticize the repetitiveness of missions and lackluster voice acting. Many appreciate the unique storytelling through cutscenes and mission design, but some find the overall execution tedious and frustrating, particularly in stealth missions and poorly balanced challenges. Overall, while the game offers a rich setting and potential for immersive storytelling, it struggles with pacing and mission variety, leading to a somewhat uneven experience.
- “Loved the storytelling and the narration plus the combat; it all meshed together so well and I think it's honestly what I'm missing in life is more like this.”
- “The fact that the story is divided allows it to reach different types of players, which consequently makes it more engaging.”
- “Great story line, very good mechanics and hours of gameplay!”
- “The graphics are mediocre, the story is boring and the voice acting is atrocious.”
- “Playability is non-existing, historical accuracy is disastrous, campaign is annoying and boring, story is tedious, factions feel the same, all with only a few kinds of troops to train.”
- “The mission is simply unbeatable, no matter what difficulty or strategy you choose.”
graphics
619 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
62%
36%
2%
The graphics of the game have received widespread praise for their impressive quality and attention to detail, often described as beautiful and immersive, particularly in combat scenarios. Many reviewers noted that the visuals enhance the overall atmosphere and storytelling, making it a standout feature despite some criticisms regarding gameplay depth and occasional graphical glitches. Overall, the game's graphics are considered a significant strength, contributing to a visually appealing experience that holds up well over time.
- “The graphics are impressive, and the narrative campaigns are engaging, offering a rich blend of historical lore and intense combat.”
- “The graphics are excellent, and the atmosphere at the beginning really draws you in.”
- “The graphics are beautiful to look at and the tactics are surprisingly interesting.”
- “The graphics are mediocre, the story is boring and the voice acting is atrocious.”
- “Despite the screenshots and videos, the game's graphics remain several years behind what is currently capable.”
- “Horrid graphics.”
music
415 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
63%
36%
1%
The music in the game has received overwhelmingly positive feedback, with many reviewers praising its epic quality and ability to enhance the overall atmosphere. Composed by notable artists, the soundtrack is described as captivating, fitting well with the game's medieval setting and providing a memorable experience that lingers long after gameplay. While some critiques mention issues with voice acting and gameplay, the soundtrack consistently stands out as a highlight, often compared favorably to the music from other acclaimed titles like The Witcher series.
- “The OST is superb and represents each civilization in its entirety; it is amazing to feel that sense of empowerment when listening to it.”
- “The music is really hugging the whole atmosphere of the game and presents it as an epic tale of grim battles.”
- “Honestly, the best thing about this game is the music.”
- “Murky image, annoying music, weak uninteresting gameplay; I had to play the original Dune 2 browser game port to clear my eyes and soul of this junk.”
- “Looking for some traps and burning them, hiding from units in bushes and avoiding battle, very poor unit roster, ugly units with ugly weapons, infantry has some clubs and not even swords, terrible music and so on... there are older games that are far better than this.”
- “Music is also virtually non-existent.”
atmosphere
104 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
79%
18%
3%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive environments, captivating music, and impressive graphics that effectively evoke a dark, gritty medieval setting. Many players appreciate the attention to detail in the visuals and sound design, which contribute to a cinematic experience, despite some criticisms regarding gameplay depth. Overall, the atmosphere is considered a standout feature, making the game appealing to fans of historical and atmospheric titles.
- “The game provides detailed and immersive environments, which contribute to the overall historical atmosphere.”
- “Ancestors Legacy, a historical squad-based real-time strategy (RTS) game, lures you in with its captivating music, impressive graphics, and immersive atmosphere.”
- “The music and graphics are evolving, very well worked out, and successfully create a unique atmosphere.”
- “An extremely simplified and generally poorly done RTS game that tries to bribe you with a 'grimdark' atmosphere and violence.”
- “This rips the player out of the atmosphere.”
- “Graphics, animations, sound, and overall atmosphere are brutal.”
optimization
56 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
46%
43%
11%
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players praising its performance and graphics as smooth and well-optimized, while others report significant issues, including poor frame rates and unresponsive AI. Many users noted that while certain aspects of the game are optimized, there are still areas that require improvement, particularly in unit behavior and campaign map performance. Overall, the game's optimization appears to be a point of contention, with experiences varying widely among players.
- “The mechanics of the game are simple but optimized, and combat can be unforgiving if you are not paying attention.”
- “Graphics: beautiful & extremely optimized.”
- “My CPU isn't the best, but the game is very well optimized.”
- “Poor optimization”
- “Also, the game is badly optimized; my Vega 64 and i7 4790 are almost idle and frames are dropping to the 50s most of the time.”
- “Again, this feature is not really optimized if I have to keep ordering troops to hack at a dude that's two inches away from the dude they just killed.”
grinding
54 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
4%
11%
85%
The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for being tedious and monotonous, with players often feeling trapped in repetitive cycles of resource farming and skirmishes that lack excitement. Many reviews highlight the slow progression, frustrating mechanics, and a campaign that becomes increasingly boring, leading to a consensus that the gameplay requires excessive time investment without rewarding engagement. Overall, players express a strong desire for a more dynamic and less grind-heavy experience.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “A bit grindy... sometimes.”
- “Forget epic battles and adrenaline rushes; here, it's a leisurely stroll through an eternal loop of cap control points, engage in a minor skirmish or two, retreat to replenish, and repeat until you start contemplating whether medieval farming might be a more exciting career choice.”
- “The gameplay is fairly tedious, with your units gaining experience as they fight, but if they all die, you lose the experience.”
- “Its a decent looking game and ok in main part but it takes far too long to complete the campaign, it starts off enjoyable and then just becomes tedious very quickly.”
stability
47 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
4%
83%
The stability of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players reporting significant bugs and glitches that hinder gameplay, while others have experienced minimal issues and smooth performance. Notably, multiplayer modes seem to be particularly problematic, with frequent bugs reported. Overall, while some users enjoy a stable experience, many others find the game's stability lacking, making it difficult to fully enjoy.
- “I ran into no glitches my entire playtime, and though I am far from finishing it all, it was a blast and I will definitely return to complete it at some point.”
- “Pretty bug-free.”
- “They did a good job with the detail; the game runs great.”
- “The game is full of bugs, glitches, and balance issues that make it impossible to enjoy.”
- “I bought and downloaded it, and I can get to the end of the beginning cutscene, but then it freezes and I have to restart my entire computer.”
- “Game mechanics are buggy and broken.”
replayability
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
55%
30%
The game's replayability is a mixed bag, with some players finding value in experimenting with different squad compositions and tactics, while others criticize its linear missions and lack of multiplayer activity, leading to limited replay value. Although the singleplayer campaign offers around 20-30 hours of enjoyment, many reviewers feel that the overall depth is insufficient for extended play. Ultimately, opinions vary, with some recommending it for its simplicity and immersive graphics, while others find it lacking in replayability.
- “It has outstanding graphics (for an RTS game), good gameplay mechanics, very satisfying battle animations (I feel immersed every single time when watching a battle using the zoom-in cinematic mode), and it surprisingly has an amazing singleplayer historical campaign that has very good replay value.”
- “To me, this game has a lot of replayability with trying different compositions of squads, and trying different tactics, and trying the different factions.”
- “I understand a lot of the negative reviews here, but overall, I would recommend it due to its simplicity and replayability.”
- “The game also has no replay value, as the missions are linear and scripted, and the multiplayer mode is dead.”
- “Overall, I still just can't recommend the game because the replayability value just isn't there and there isn't enough depth in the game to play it for hours on end.”
- “Practically no replay value.”
monetization
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
13%
75%
The game is free from microtransactions and loot boxes, which is a positive aspect for players. However, some users feel it may be considered abandonware, as the developer is promoting a new game on its page, leading to confusion about the game's current status and support.
- “No microtransactions, loot boxes, etc.”
- “Oh and I guess this is abandonware now because the developer is advertising for their new game on this game's page.”
- “I guess I misunderstood the advertising; I thought it was an actual combat game, not an RTS.”
- “I think they need to make advertisements.”
humor
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is described as both fun and funny, with specific moments, such as the second Rurik mission, standing out as particularly hilarious. However, the comedic elements are often intertwined with a critique of the game's historical inaccuracies and its Hollywood-like portrayal of events, which adds a layer of irony to the humor. Overall, players find the game entertaining despite its flaws.
- “The second Rurik mission is just hilarious.”
- “Fun and funny game.”
- “Which... was kinda funny, since technically, gameplay in [b]coh[/b] was not the next big thing.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The character development in the campaign is praised for its theatricality and depth, complemented by strong voice-over performances that enhance the storytelling experience.
- “The campaign is theatrically captivating in storyline and character development, with excellent voice-over acting.”