Ancestors Legacy is a tough but mostly satisfying RTS cookie

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. Sure, it may not be the most popular genre right now, but that doesn't mean the concepts don't have a place in our hearts (and our gaming library, for that matter).

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 at this point, this Dark Ages-inspired RTS title from Destructive Creations has aged rather gracefully, even if it is pretty much still a baby compared to stuff like the aforementioned C&C. Nevertheless, its portrayal of a traditional RTS packs a lot of punch on the Nintendo Switch (which is where we're reviewing it), and I'm pretty sure the experience on other platforms aren't any different. So, with that said, let's get right into it.

It's not love at first sight

First impressions always matter, but like most RTS games, you only start to appreciate Ancestors Legacy as you go deeper. It's not that it didn't make an impact from the start, but I have to admit I wasn't blown away at first boot, and you shouldn't expect to fall head over heels for it at that point either. Still, what I did like from the get-go was the gritty and foreboding aesthetic package they went for; music, visuals and all, which ties in well with the game's chronological setting. 

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 Germans, each with a fully fleshed-out and historically-inspired narrative to enjoy. Of course, there's also the staple Skirmish mode for you to dabble in if such "bedtime stories" aren't your thing. There's a lot of ground to cover and they're all pretty different in terms of the cultural "feel". Plus, I quite like this short, multi-pronged approach over having one or two factions and a long, drawn-out story. 

So, having recently gotten hands-on with Assassin's Creed Valhalla, I decided to go for the Viking campaign first. 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. Sometimes it's just your usual base-building scenario like you'd see in Dawn of War, and other times it feels a little more like Metal Gear Solid, where you have to make use of stealth tactics and surprise attacks to get stuff done using a small squad of soldiers. It's all done from the conventional top-down perspective we've come to associate from the genre, and when coupled with the "point-and-click" nature of commands, makes for a very traditional RTS experience gameplay-wise. 

The special sauce

But what sets it apart from other RTS titles? Well, that'd have to be the way the game approaches tactical detail and improvisation, so to speak. 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. Spoiler alert, but there's one in which you're given a measly three soldiers to use, and no, you can't respawn them if they die. TL; DR: You really need to pick your fights and seize the appropriate opportunities, 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, which is already good practice, but what makes it even better is that they give you the appropriate tools and features to carry said tactics out. 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. Plus, it's way more realistic for units to actually rest and regain their energy by setting up camp, rather than just standing by some building and watching their health regenerate like magic. 

However, for all of its well-thought-out intricacies, the game is lacking in one or two facets which I hinted at earlier, and that's its poor "welcoming committee" and its somewhat-lacking long-term playability.

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, which is where it shines the brightest. Accordingly, this lack of "obvious impact" at the start means that you can quickly get bored of it, especially if you're new to the genre as a whole. On top of this, as you get into larger and larger conflicts, switching between the 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. Long story short, you'll need to have a great deal of patience to get the most out of this game, and as such it's certainly not going to be everyone's cup of tea.

Second, despite the fact that the campaign does require 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 using a stealth approach - there's no other way to pull out a win. This effectively means that the game's Campaign mode, while not lacking in quantity of its storylines, is only good for one, or at most two playthroughs (perhaps on a different difficulty), which hampers its long-term playability somewhat. Granted, this is partially alleviated by the fact that there are so many storylines to clear, as well as the presence of a dedicated Skirmish mode, so perhaps that'll keep you busy for a good long while. 

You just need to warm up to it

Nevertheless, as it stands the game still has a lot more plus points than potholes, and much of the game's shine can be brought out by simply investing a little time into it. Which 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. Yes, it may not be the best thing since sliced bread, but I think it's still a pretty fun game in its own right, especially when you have an entire medieval-era army under your thumb - RTS aficionados will probably have a field day with it. 

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