Empires of the Undergrowth

About

You’re running an ant colony. Literally. Dig tunnels, build chambers, and micromanage food and brood while fending off spiders and rival nests above ground. The real-time strategy loops here are tight and twitchy, you’ll constantly juggle expansion, defense, and resource gathering. Your ants scavenge, farm, and fight in a loop that feels both chaotic and methodical. The camera stays low, keeping the action grounded in the dirt and debris of the undergrowth. What pops is the narrator, a faux documentary host who deadpans observations about your colony’s antics. It adds a layer of dry humor to the carnage. The main mode, Formicarium, lets you breed and upgrade your ants using DNA from conquered foes. Missions vary: sometimes you play as your home base, other times as wild species with different tools. Early access feels polished, with Linux/Mac/PC support and a June 2024 release date. It’s ants doing all the busywork you love in colony sims, but with the urgency of an RTS.