Promoting itself on real-time combat, kingdom building and historical accuracy, Ancestors Legacy offers an odd mix of RTS and empire management. With a multitude of factions to control from the Saxons to the Slavs, it seemed set to offer a variant of the genre bereft of the elements which usually drives away casual fans. Unfortunately, the result was extremely hit and miss.
Easily the strongest point in the game’s favour is its artistic direction. There is a distinct balance here in terms of realism and colourful visuals which makes units easy to track, and many buildings are brilliantly detailed. Furthermore, the ability to fully control the camera over having a fixed position benefits both your view of any captured towns and the combat itself.
Every country has at least one unique troop of soldiers to its name. From German heavy infantry to English longbowmen, you have enough elements to give some distinction to the various factions. The mechanics themselves also offer more than mere unit spamming, as combat has a variety of various factors to influence how battles play out, from flanking debuffs to charging modifiers. This is further benefitted by an aggressive AI which can prove challenging in any mode, and a variety of missions which crop up as you expand outward.
However, while it does have its strengths, Ancestors Legacy nevertheless suffers from some notable shortcomings. The greatest among these is the extremely limited roster of units, offering only five options to build up your army no matter which faction you pick. This is further hurt by the fact that the population cap of ten units, so you will often find yourself fighting skirmishes over full-scale battles. With a different approach, this could have benefitted the release, but Ancestors Legacy promotes the idea from the start of running a vast kingdom.
Building said kingdom itself has a drawback for every positive point, and there are times where its more obtuse elements overwhelm its brilliance. Chief among these is how you can only designate certain areas for buildings over truly controlling where they go. Even controlling and ordering about towns is relatively lacklustre, with few sure-fire ways to secure them against sieges and very simple commands. It becomes “hands off” in all the wrong ways, still requiring your full attention but offering little of the usual base building joy.
The experience of playing Ancestors Legacy is decidedly mixed, and it’s set to divide many opinions of gamers. Some might be able to appreciate its strengths enough to ignore the game’s shortcomings, but RTS enthusiasts and kingdom building veterans will likely be disappointed at what’s offered here. Give it a look, but be sure to temper your expectations.
ANCESTORS LEGACY / DEVELOPER: DESTRUCTIVE CREATIONS / PUBLISHER: 1C COMPANY / PLATFORM: PC / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
