Ant Nation Explained

Ant Nation
Developer:Konami
Kou You Sha
Art Co., Ltd
Publisher:Konami
Released:WiiWare
Nintendo DS
Genre:Real time strategy
Modes:Single-player
Platforms:Wii (WiiWare), Nintendo DS

Ant Nation is a real time strategy video game from Konami for WiiWare and Nintendo DS. The WiiWare version was released on July 13, 2009, in North America and the Nintendo DS version was released on September 8, 2009.[1]

Gameplay

In both versions of the game players train a colony of ants to become tough enough to survive various challenges. In the Nintendo DS version, the ants are a genetically engineered species bred to defeat a colony of invading alien ants.[2] The WiiWare version is a sandbox game while the DS version features an expanding mission structure.

Players subject their ants to various dangers such as lightning, fire and heat rays from a magnifying glass to build up their resistance before sending them off on missions to collect food and defeat other insects.[3] While in the WiiWare version the player controlled a swarm of up to hundreds of ants, the DS version is based around a rock-paper-scissors unit mechanic that sees players creating groups of ants with specific resistance to certain dangers.[4]

The WiiWare version contains a bonus mode that involves trying to kill all ants in the level using items such as hammers, lasers and bug spray.[5]

Reception

Nintendo World Report called it "a slow-paced, disturbing affair with little variety",[6] and IGN called the campaign mode shallow and mundane and that game could only briefly entertain "the desperately bored or the blind", while Nintendo Power gave this game one of the lowest rating ever; 2.0.[7]

Notes and References

  1. News: Bit Boy's Incoming Secret Pulse Commands Pose a Brain Challenge for the Ant Nation. Nintendo of America. 2009-07-14. 2009-07-14.
  2. http://gonintendo.com/viewstory.php?id=89133 Konami Announces Release of Ant Nation For Nintendo WiiWare - official PR
  3. https://web.archive.org/web/20090416060730/http://wii.ign.com/articles/971/971896p1.html IGN Hand-On: Ant Nation
  4. http://kotaku.com/5210723/ant-nation-ds-preview-babys-first-strategy-game Ant Nation DS Preview: Baby’s First Strategy Game
  5. http://wiiware.nintendolife.com/reviews/2009/07/ant_nation Nintendo Life review
  6. http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/reviewArt.cfm?artid=19524 NWR review
  7. https://web.archive.org/web/20090801125716/http://wii.ign.com/articles/100/1008367p1.html IGN review