Ant Force

In Brief

Ant Force is a decent 2D artillery game with three modes of play; featuring ants versus ants and ants versus ants and flying wasps.

Introduction

The explosive ammo used in Ant Force is capable of destroying the environment, so you need to be careful when working out the trajectory of your attack because you can destroy the local environment around yourself that will leave you more exposed to enemy fire. Aim at flying crates to pick up power ups that create protective shields or be able to heal yourself if you've taken a hit. Your ant also carries a jet pack enabling it to move to more favourable positions over rough terrain quickly. There are two single player modes and a local multiplayer (player vs. player) mode.

The Game

Ant force is another artillery game not dissimilar to the one we got last week called Tank Impact, but is a superior version, with decent graphics and better game play. There are various levels that randomly appear with a variety of backgrounds and environments that appear in different sequences, making it look like there are many different level types. Each level is totally destructible. It reminds me a little of the early worms games with respect to the graphics. Anyone who has played the original Q Basic Gorillas from DOS 3.1 (way back in the early 90's) or the 2D version of Scorched Earth will recognize this game. If you enjoyed any of those, you'll be in for a treat with this one. I thoroughly enjoyed playing it and will be returning to it occasionally.

If you want a 3D artillery version, get Scorched 3D, which was being updated for years by the developer until around 2016 and is available as freeware. I first came across Scorched Earth 3D well before my accident, so it has to be well over 15 years old. I've been playing it on and off ever since and only a few weeks before Tank Impact was given away booted it up for a good hour of artillery blasting fun, using a multitude of different rockets and bombs; with excellent graphics. Personally I think it's one of the best artillery games ever made. You can find the original download page for the 3D version HERE and for the original which also requires DOS Box installed you'll find HERE. There's a good tutorial on how to use DOS Box originally posted by a former moderator Wizzard of Oz over in the giveaway forums HERE

We were given a similar 3D version way back in 2007 called 'Scorch an Island', which you can check out HERE. The developer of that game is still selling it, but from my memory Scorched 3D is far superior and free.

Ant Force has three modes of play, Mission, Game and Multiplayer. The Mission mode is a single player mode where you face off against enemy ants, The game mode is similar to the mission mode except it also includes enemy wasps that fly. The game mode also includes indicators along the bottom of the game field that tell you how many enemy ants and/or wasps are pitted against you. The local multiplayer is similar to the mission game with no indicators or wasps included, plus you face off against only one combatant. You'll randomly see balloons with crates attached flying over the battlefield from both directions. These are power-ups that give you one of three things, better ammo, a temporary force field that protects you from at least one direct hit or a health buff that brings your health back to 100% if you've taken a previous hit. It only takes two direct hits to kill your ant or enemy ants. To gain one of these power-ups you have to hit the balloon or box with one of your shells.

When starting a level you may face various numbers of enemy ant combatants and as you progress you'll face more numbers including flying wasps. The AI is very good; I lost more times than I won over 20 plus levels, though most levels involved more than one enemy to my single ant. The trick is to move around a lot. An additional plus with today's artillery game is that there is a local multiplayer mode included. With both of you playing from the same keyboard.

Ant Force is much simpler to play than Scorched Earth 3D that I've linked to above, and is ideally suited to coffee breaks or moments where you may have several minutes of spare time to fill; though I did play for a lot longer and never got bored. Controls are simple; move your Ant left or right using the A & D keys, adjust the insects barrel using the W & S key and use the E key to adjust the power of your shot. The longer you press the power key the more powerful the shot and the further it will travel.. Use the Q key to change ammo types and to fly upwards using the jet pack use the space bar. When you use the jet pack you can see the fuel indicator reduce quickly. when exhausted you will start to descend. Letting go of the space bar will fill the jet pack immediately and can be reused multiple times, in short jumps. The second player uses the arrow keys to move left or right (or the number pad keys 4 & 6) and the up and down arrow keys (or the number pad keys 8 & 2) to change the angle of the barrel. To fire your weapon use the enter key, to fly using the jet-pack use the left mouse button and to change the ammo use the right mouse button. Located in the top left and right corners of the screen are your ammo indicators for both combatants (when in two player mode). These indicators show the ammo type your Ant or Wasp are using. There are two types of ammo, single rockets and multiple rockets that split up as they get nearer the target and blanket the area where they land. This is useful when you are firing at multiple targets that are close together. When the multiple rocket type is active the ammo indicator shows five ammo cartridges. There is a flashing indicator in the shape of a cartridge directly above your ant that when ready for firing disappears. If you try to fire while it is flashing you can't, and it may even give you a weak powered shot when ready to fire. You can check the game controls by clicking your LMB on the question mark located in the top left hand side of the screen; this shows the keys for both players. The in game music is okay in small doses and can be switch off via the main menu. There are two language options English and Russian.

'Occasionally' there did seem to be an issue with the health indicator blocking shots, but this seemed intermittent and for me, did not spoil my enjoyment of the game.

You can see a video of game play via the Steam store page HERE. Unfortunately there are no user reviews yet because the game hasn't been released on Steam yet. It is due for release August 7th 2020.

Useful Information not related to today's game giveaway

Don't forget to check out the giveaway forums. Delenn has usually posted the latest freebies. The latest offering from Epic Games is Torchlight II HERE. Next week we get Tacoma and Next Up Hero. Just pop over to the game discussion threads HERE and HERE for links to most of the free games available at the moment.

The Indie Gala freebies are available HERE (latest additions) and HERE (81 games in the Showcase, most full versions). Recent additions include Snow White Solitaire Charmed Kingdom, Adam Wolfe (Complete Edition), Spirit of Xanadu and a nice Real Time Strategy (RTS) game called Real Warfare 1242, plus a couple I've previously missed in the showcase section called Temper Tantrum and Last Man Standing).

Please Stay Safe everyone