Ant Queen
- June 15, 2016
- inVantage Technologies
- 17h median play time
Get on SteamIn "Ant Queen," become the Queen of an ant colony and breed various ant types to conquer your surroundings. This simulation game focuses on a realistic representation of an ant colony, with random events shaping the outcome. Control your units and build your empire through each level, with all progress saved for a natural progression.
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Reviews
- The game has a great concept and is enjoyable for ant lovers, providing a fun experience in building and managing an ant colony.
- The graphics are decent for an indie game, with beautiful 2D art that makes it easy to distinguish between different ant types.
- The game offers a casual gameplay experience that can be entertaining for a few hours, especially in endless mode.
- The game is riddled with bugs and glitches, causing issues with ant behavior and overall gameplay, making it frustrating at times.
- There is a lack of depth and content, with many players feeling that the game is too simplistic and not as engaging as other ant simulation games.
- The controls can be unresponsive and confusing, leading to difficulties in managing the colony effectively and completing missions.
- story27 mentions
- 11 % positive mentions
- 78 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The story mode is primarily viewed as a lengthy tutorial that lacks depth and freedom, with many players finding it overly linear and tedious. While it offers a structured progression through missions, the gameplay is often hindered by bugs and unresponsive controls, leading to frustration. Overall, the narrative aspect is considered underdeveloped, leaving players wanting more autonomy and a richer experience in managing their ant colonies.
“The story mode is a glorified tutorial of building a colony, and I got stuck on building the cocoon segment because of the spawn rate of caterpillars just destroying my colony.”
“Instead, there are missions that go through the development of a colony at a relaxed pace.”
“It looked good; however, it appears all I can do are missions. The only controls over the queen are to make larva and maybe move every now and then.”
“If you play through the 'story' mode, you'll get a little bit of explanation, but even in this campaign-style version of play, too many things are left unexplained.”
“The story mode is a glorified tutorial for building a colony, and I got stuck on the building the cocoon segment because of the spawn rate of caterpillars just destroying my colony.”
“Fun game to pass some time, but filled with too many bugs, making story mode unplayable. Gameplay is unresponsive at times, and your own units feel like they want to do their own thing, regardless of what you tell them.”
- graphics16 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the beautiful artwork and decent visuals for a non-AAA title, while others criticize the simplistic and inconsistent quality, describing them as "childish" or "meh." Many users express a desire for smoother animations and more detail, indicating that while the graphics are generally acceptable, they fall short of expectations set by similar games. Overall, the graphics are seen as a mixed bag, with some appreciating the aesthetic and others finding them lacking.
“Beautiful artwork.”
“It has nice graphics and good gameplay.”
“Graphics are decent.”
“The graphics and mechanics of the game are pretty 'meh' at best, but it is still ultimately your decision to buy this half-designed game.”
“It's hard for me to write a detailed report on what's wrong with the game - but the short version is 'everything you thought might be wrong with it when you decided to check out some reviews before you purchased it yourself.' The graphics are so simple as to be childish, but set in a realistic design that prevents them from being cute.”
“Awesome concept was exciting to play, but from the start, there were inconsistent levels of graphics—some pixelated, some not. The UI was buggy, controls were difficult, and mechanics were not working correctly. The part that made it unplayable was when you are attacked; a high-pitched noise is played constantly and drove me crazy.”
- stability13 mentions
- 15 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 85 % negative mentions
The game is plagued by numerous bugs and glitches, leading many users to describe it as unfinished and frustrating to play. While some find it enjoyable for its low price, the overall consensus is that it lacks stability, with inconsistent graphics, unresponsive controls, and various gameplay issues making it feel more like a work-in-progress than a polished product.
“I love this game! For the price, it's good. I have an older computer, and it runs great!”
“I would say $18 is a little steep for a game like this, but it is relatively bug-free so far.”
“Quick answer: no, there's lots of bugs/glitches and settings that need to be established. The game feels like it's about 78% finished; I would say the game is worth around $1.50 at most.”
“Though of course I was wrong, the game is now abandoned by its designer and I am left with a buggy and hardly finished game.”
“Awesome concept; I was excited to play, but from the start, there were inconsistent levels of graphics—some pixelated, some not. The UI was buggy, controls were difficult, and mechanics were not working correctly. The part that made it unplayable was when you are attacked, a high-pitched noise plays constantly, which drove me crazy.”
- gameplay11 mentions
- 45 % positive mentions
- 18 % neutral mentions
- 36 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some players finding it enjoyable and others criticizing it as poorly designed and inconsistent. While the concept and mechanics show potential, many feel the game is not fully realized, with vague decision-making and technical issues detracting from the overall experience. Overall, the gameplay is seen as lacking polish, with several users suggesting it feels more like a beta version than a finished product.
“Enjoyable gameplay.”
“It has nice graphics and good gameplay.”
“Not bad gameplay.”
“Colony management mechanics are not hard-edged enough to make you feel in control; instead, you make vague decisions that conflate with other vague factors, leading to a vague sort of direction towards either success or failure.”
“The design of the gameplay mechanics wasn't good enough; the graphics aren't good enough, and the sound is equally lackluster - and so it goes.”
“Awesome concept; I was excited to play, but from the start, there were inconsistent levels of graphics—some pixelated, some not. The UI was buggy, controls were difficult, and mechanics were not working correctly. For example, the fast ants did not seem any faster. The part that made it unplayable was when you are attacked, a high-pitched noise is played constantly, and it drove me crazy.”
- music2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Users report issues with the music feature, noting that it often fails to play automatically upon opening the game, requiring manual interaction to start. Additionally, some describe the sound quality as subpar, detracting from the overall experience.
“It opened, I pressed play and the tab opened, but nothing happened. I was still on my desktop, and I clicked on the tab and the music started playing, but nothing happened.”
“Bad sound and music.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players express a strong emotional connection to the game, highlighting how it immerses them in the experience of being part of a community, specifically feeling like an ant fighting for survival alongside others. Despite its age and flaws, the game successfully evokes a sense of camaraderie and struggle.
“I only ever owned the SNES version of that, and while it is old and has many flaws, it still made me feel like I was one of the ants fighting with my fellow ants to survive and win.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the story mode to be tedious and overly drawn out, making it feel more like a prolonged tutorial than an engaging experience.
“The grinding in this game feels endless and repetitive, making it hard to stay engaged.”
“I found the grinding mechanics to be frustratingly tedious, taking away from the overall enjoyment of the game.”
“The amount of time required for grinding is excessive, leading to burnout rather than a sense of achievement.”
