The Ancients

About

The Ancients is a single player open world turn-based strategy game with a historical theme. It was developed by GorillaSoftWorks and was released on June 5, 2024. It received neutral reviews from players.

The Ancients challenges you to lead a prehistoric tribe through harsh climates, shifting continents, and dangerous wildlife to ensure survival. Manage resources, hunt ancient creatures, and defend your clan on strategic hex-based maps. Advance your society by researching primitive technologies and crafting tools to thrive across ages.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

41%

Audience ScoreBased on 17 reviews

gameplay4 positive mentions

graphics3 negative mentions

The game has a unique concept and atmosphere, offering a different experience compared to other strategy and management games.
Gameplay mechanics are interesting and provide intense decision-making and survival pressures, making it engaging despite its current issues.
The developers are responsive to feedback and have shown potential for improvement, indicating that the game could evolve positively over time.

The game is in a very alpha state with frequent crashes, bugs, and a non-working save system, making it largely unplayable.
There is a lack of substantial updates or a clear development roadmap from the developers, leading to frustration among players.
The user interface is confusing and poorly designed, with many players finding the gameplay difficult to understand and manage.

gameplay
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
42%
25%
The gameplay features a solid tech tree and interesting mechanics that become intuitive over time, though some players find it confusing and poorly explained. While there is potential for improvement, the overall experience is unique and worth exploring, despite some imbalances.
- “The gameplay is solid.”
- “But after some quality time with the game, you start to navigate the mechanics like it's second nature.”
- “The idea is interesting, the gameplay definitely has potential.”
- “The gameplay is confusing and poorly explained and managed.”
- “Notice how I only have an hour of gameplay time?”
- “Also, I streamed my gameplay and after some time my video camera froze.”
graphics
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
17%
50%
The graphics of the game have been widely criticized, with users noting that even high-end systems struggle to run it properly, often requiring lower settings for acceptable performance. Many reviewers agree that the visuals do not meet AAA standards, describing them as poor and lacking detail, although the soundtrack is praised for enhancing the overall atmosphere.
- “Graphics/design:”
- “This is not a AAA game, so don't expect the graphics to promise you great things, but the soundtrack of the game can definitely put you in the atmosphere.”
- “I played on an i9, 32GB, 4070 graphics and still had to lower the specs to run properly.”
- “The graphics are poor.”
- “To experience the game, I played it in a few different graphics modes.”
music
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
The game's soundtrack has received high praise from users, with many expressing a deep appreciation for its ability to enhance the overall atmosphere, despite the game's non-AAA status and less impressive graphics.
- “I fell in love with the soundtracks of the game.”
- “This is not a AAA game, so don't expect the graphics to promise you great things, but the soundtrack of the game can definitely put you in the atmosphere.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
34%
33%
The atmosphere in "The Ancients" sets it apart from other 4X games, providing a unique experience despite its non-AAA graphics. The game's soundtrack significantly enhances the immersive quality, effectively drawing players into its world.
- “The Ancients definitely differentiates itself from other 4X games with its atmosphere by offering a unique experience in this regard.”
- “This is not a AAA game, so don't expect the graphics to promise you great things, but the soundtrack of the game can definitely immerse you in the atmosphere.”
story
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
33%
The game features a campaign mode, but players note that the story is not particularly expansive or deep, suggesting a more simplistic narrative experience.
- “The game has a campaign mode that offers a surprisingly rich narrative experience.”
- “The story is engaging and keeps you invested in the characters and their journeys.”
- “The depth of the storyline adds layers to the gameplay, making every decision feel impactful.”
- “The game has a campaign mode, but it would be ridiculous to expect such a big story.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game currently suffers from significant stability issues, with users reporting frequent bugs and problems with saving and reloading progress. Overall, performance improvements are necessary to enhance the gaming experience.
- “Very buggy still, and performance needs more work.”
- “The game is buggy and won't reload saves.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's optimization is criticized for being very buggy and requiring further performance improvements.
- “Very buggy still and performance needs more work.”