Highly ant-icipated

Even as Nic spent this morningwriting lovingly about frogs, I was watching trailers of frogs disintegrating beneath an unstoppable ant tsunami. The game in question isEmpires Of The Undergrowth, anRTSfrom developers Slug Disco andManor Lordspublisher Hooded Horse. The 1.0 version launches on June 7th, after almost eight years in early access during which Empires Of The Undergrowth has accumulated positive user reviews with truly antlike meticulousness. Here’s the release date trailer, which you should not watch if you dislike seeing various larger insects and small animals getting eaten alive by ants.

Speaking of frogs, this game puts me in mind of Bullfrog’s creations and especiallyDungeon Keeper, if only because ant nests, much like dungeons, tend to be constructed underground (a more obvious precedent is Maxis’sSimAnt). You’ll start by digging out hexagons of earth to create a network of store rooms and nurseries surrounding your Queen, the Dungeon Heart, who must naturally be protected at all costs.

From there, you’ll scour the world above for various food sources, using pheromones to group and direct your ickle all-devouring ant squads, and dealing with predators and competitor species who come and go at the behest of a day-night cycle. You can birth a bunch of evolving ant species, from hit-and-run trap-jaw ants through tanky leafcutters that draw aggro and wood ants who can be upgraded to shoot formic acid.

If you’ve already been playing, here’s what the 1.0 version adds, direct from theSteam announcement:

  • The Matabele ants, termite-eating specialists, feature in 3 brand new fully voice-acted campaign levels in their own environment of the sub-Saharan African savannah!

  • Harvest food from the towering spires of the cathedral-like termite mounds, carefully managing this precious resource

  • Matabeles have a special medic class, allowing them to revive injured colony members!

  • The scorching savannah is rich in biodiversity, and rife with danger

  • Encounter marching lines of driver ants & solo-hunting African stink ants

  • New huge titans, deadly scorpions, spiders, earwigs, beetles and more!

  • New Game Plus mode will activate upon completing the campaign, unlocking new units and new options for further playthroughs

  • Once you’re done in the savannah, return to the lab and add the Matabeles to your home colony for one final climactic formicarium challenge - the REAL final experiment!

  • Sweeping changes to custom game modes

  • Many quality-of-life tweaks and improvements