Last modified April 9, 2026 by Jarjar

Overview
Ants is a game for experienced players, in which they control ant colonies engaged in a struggle for garden domination: they develop their anthill, explore the terrain, deposit pheromones, collect food and leaves, and fight enemies. The core of the design lies in a balance between two play areas: the interior, where the anthill is developed and organized, and the exterior, where players explore, fight for resources, and interact with opponents. Players lay eggs and raise larvae to obtain specialized worker ants. Simone Luciani (co-author of Wistar Rats, Barrage,...) was involved as the game developer.

My first impressions
Ants is a generous game that offers varied choices in each playthrough, a nice progression, deep actions, and very little randomness. More than 150 cards allow you to unlock unique abilities as the game unfolds. The game was recently awarded a Golden Diamonds 2026 prize, taking third place in the advanced games category. A few drawbacks: dense and somewhat unintuitive iconography, a very slow pace at the beginning of the game (which accelerates dramatically in the later rounds), and an experience that I doubt would be as enjoyable with four players.

A good piece of advice: to get off to a good start, you need to set up an efficient production system to feed your larvae and also increase the production of your ant colony without too much delay.

Be careful, it's easy to forget to draw your cards after one of the three main actions! You draw a lot of cards, and you end up with a significant pile by the end of the game. This overload can make it feel a bit confusing.

In terms of gameplay, it's reminiscent of Terraforming Mars and Arnak, with its collection of cards and symbols, and its battles with enemies in the garden. The absence of certain icons in the appendix meant we had to consult the rulebook more than once.

The game seems to offer some flexibility, since it is possible to recover even after a less successful start, which is a positive point.

The game uses the same art style and calligraphy as Rats of Wistar, creating a visual impression of continuity between the two games. However, Ants is mechanically very different from Rats of Wistar, despite similar visual appearances.

SOLO

There are actually two unofficial solo variants created by the community on BGG, since the game does not include an official solo mode:

1. « The Attini Tribe (published in December 2025)
   This seems to be the most polished variant. The only one I've tried. This solo mode uses a simple 12-card AI deck to determine the bot's actions each turn. Overall, the rules follow those of human players with a few exceptions. Quite easy to play once you've grasped the rules. Available in English et French.
2. « Atomic Ant (published in October 2025)
   This solo variant uses 16 action cards. The bot's actions are simple and similar to those of the players, and it is quick and easy to operate.
   Available English

RULES POINTS
>> The question mark tile can only replace resource icons, not combat icons.
>> When a card requires turning over a burrow tile, the exact number must be respected.

TECHNICAL SHEET
Number of games played: 3 (solo and two players)
Best player configuration: 3
Price paid: CAD 99
Level: experienced player (BGG complexity: 3.67/5)
My best score: 89

MY FIRST IMPRESSIONS
I loved :
>> The mechanisms of the growth and specialization cycle
>> The enemy fights with bonus selection (which reminds me of Arnak's)
>> Several ways to score points
>> Satisfactory crescendo effect

I liked less :
>> Only 20 green cubes (leaves) in the box! We need more.
>> It would have been cute to have ant-shaped meeples.
>> Asymmetrical powers not very pronounced.
>> The explanation of some icons is missing from the appendix.

A robust and well-crafted game where the immersive theme integrates perfectly with the mechanics, a gradual increase in power, and good interaction.

FUN FACTOR: : ): )🙂🙂