Ancestors Legacy
From ancient fossils like Herzog Zwei and Command & Conquer to more recent entries like Iron Harvest, there’s no doubt that real-time strategy games have made their mark on gaming history. Especially the ones that really stick to the good old-fashioned ways of doing things, like Ancestors Legacy.
Despite it being about two years old, this Dark Ages-inspired RTS title from Destructive Creations has aged rather gracefully, packing a lot of punch on a device like the Nintendo Switch.
First impressions always matter, but like most RTS games, you only start to appreciate Ancestors Legacy as you go deeper. The main campaign lets you play through four different storylines set during the Dark Ages, so you’ve got everything from Vikings and Anglo-Saxons to Slavs (Polish) and even Ger-mans, each with a fully fleshed-out and historically-inspired narrative to enjoy. There’s the staple Skirmish mode for you to dabble in if such “bedtime stories” aren’t your thing. I quite like this short, multipronged approach over having one or two factions and a long, drawn-out story.
I decided to go for the Viking campaign first, but gameplay is pretty much the same across the different campaigns - you control each squad separately and are assigned different objectives to complete using whatever you have at your disposal. It’s all done from the conventional top-down perspective we’ve come to associate from the genre.
What sets it apart from other RTS titles is the way the game approaches tactical detail and improvisation. For example, early on in the Viking campaign you’re already forced to accept that you can’t just steamroll every mission with sheer numbers. There was one mission that I was given a measly three soldiers to use, and no, they can’t respawn if they die. You really need to pick your fights because the game punishes you severely for being too...enthusiastic.
Apart from teaching you to be resourceful and crafty, I also quite liked that it wasn’t just a “press A and be done with it” kind of game. Building on the above point about having to pick your fights, Ancestors Legacy does a great job of encouraging you to apply different tactics for different scenarios. For instance, instead of having to purchase a healer unit or return to base all the time, you can actually opt to let your squads set up camp wherever they are to rest. This is especially crucial during missions where you’re given few units to use, and it helps facilitate the “divide and conquer”-style strategies which are tactically favoured when you’re low on manpower.
However, for all of its well-thought-out intricacies, the game has flaws. First of all, Ancestors Legacy is not actually an easy game to get hooked on, and if you’re not really thinking through your strategies, chances are you won’t really enjoy the game’s little subtleties.
On top of this, as you get into larger and larger conflicts, switch-ing between squads effectively can start to get confusing, especially when the entire army is moving out and engaging enemies at the same time. It’s not made any easier by the near-bewildering number of possible commands you can give out via the Switch’s triggers - believe me, those can really take a while to get used to.
Secondly, despite the campaign requiring you to use different strategies from mission to mission, it’s also the case that they can only be accomplished using that limited set of approaches. I mean, if you’re only given three soldiers to use (and can’t produce more), it necessitates a stealth approach - there’s no other way to pull out a win. This effectively means that the campaign is only good for one, or at most two playthroughs. This is partially alleviated by the fact that there are many storylines to clear, and the presence of a dedicated Skirmish mode will keep you busy for a good long while.
All this means that Ancestors Legacy isn’t that great a pick for gamers looking to jump into the action straight away, but should provide a good deal of fun for those who are willing to learn and put in a few hours.
AT A GLANCE
Destructive Creations
1C Company
Real-time strategy
Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, Xbox one
For an RTS game, there’s a wealth of Dark Ages story to go through in the campaign.
Setting up camp is an option to heal up your units while they’re in the field.
PICTURES DESTRUCTIVE CREATIONS
