The Ancients

The Ancients is a 4X-type turn-based strategy in which we take control of a prehistoric tribe. Our task is to ensure that it can survive the ice age and develop. The game was created by the independent Turkish studio Gorilla SoftWorks, and its release was made possible, among other things, thanks to a successful crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter.

Mechanics

In The Ancients we see the action from a bird's eye view. The game takes place on a map covered with hexagonal fields. Everything related to the survival of a prehistoric tribe rests on our shoulders. During the game we send members of our community on expeditions to discover new territories, we order them to gather resources and food, and we also provide them with makeshift shelters.

Dangers lurk here almost at every step. It comes from both the seasons and the characteristic weather conditions (led by cold or droughts), as well as predators prowling around the area. Due to the fact that animals can also be a source of food, our people should also regularly hunt.

We discover new regions as we progress along with their characteristic fauna and flora, as well as their inhabitants (with whom we can establish relationships). We also engage in technological development and make the first, quite primitive discoveries. Although we start modestly, over time our tribe can develop, gaining access to an increasingly wide range of weapons and tools, as well as creating improved shelters.

It doesn't end there, because we also have cultural issues to deal with. The game allows us to decide on three primary values of our tribe (such as peace, freedom and equality or brutality, authoritarianism and social hierarchy), as well as the direction we choose in matters related to leadership, religion, community and morality. Thanks to these latest developments, our community can develop its own language and common identity, or even develop its own ideas, beliefs and religious system, as well as create a specific type of culture (matriarchal, patriarchal, monogamous or polygamous).

Both technological research and cultural development are presented here in the form of clear diagrams.

Technical aspects

The graphic design of The Ancients is maintained in a cartoonish, slightly caricatured style.