Chris InglisMicrotopia is a unique blend of ant colony management and complex automation, developed by Cordyceps Collective and published by Goblinz Publishing, and launched on February 18. This game can be described as an “ant-Factorio” hybrid, and for those that are into those intricate and mind-testing games, this combination is what makes it so appealing. I struggled early with understanding each new objective and found myself changing ant pathways and moving ants around a lot, but when it clicks it is quite satisfying.
The game throws you into the role of an overseer, guiding your burgeoning colony of 30 different mechanical ants through various objectives as you learn how to play. The core gameplay loop revolves around resource gathering, production, and expansion with 45 building types to construct and seven different trail types. But what sets it apart is the use of pheromone trails to dictate your ants’ movements and create supply chains with logic trails and gates in order to best navigate your ant workers that range from flying ants, digger ants and inventor ants.
Much like laying down conveyor belts in Factorio, you initially are guiding your ants to specific resource nodes. Each ant follows these trails, carrying resources back to the queen ant or to other production facilities. This system allows for incredibly intricate and customisable logistics. You can create branching pathways, prioritise certain resources, and even set up complex loops for continuous production, mirroring the complex manufacturing lines of Factorio.
Microtopia comes with a catch, however, in that your ants have lifespans. They’re not immortal worker drones, so not only do you have to manage the myriads of production lines but also monitor the age-state of your worker ants. You can see visually how the ants evolve from larvae to full grown ants, and then they start to change colour before they pass. Therefore, you need to ensure one of your ant trails is constantly replenish your workforce by bringing resources to your queen ant which becomes quite a delicate balance.
The tech tree in Microtopia is another highlight. As you progress, you unlock new ant types, each with specialised abilities. Some ants are better at carrying heavy loads, while others excel at specific production tasks. You also gain access to new buildings and technologies that enhance your colony’s efficiency, giving that satisfying progression that Factorio players love.
The early game starts relatively slow, with simple resource gathering and basic production so you can learn how to progress. But as you expand and unlock more technologies, the game opens into a complex web of interconnected systems, and I struggled with learning all the intricacies of trail management. You’ll find yourself altering and trying to optimise the ant pathways, balancing production rates, and constantly adapting to the ever-changing needs of your colony.
One of the more satisfying aspects of Microtopia is watching your colony grow and evolve as you tweak and enhance your production lines. Seeing your ants diligently following your pheromone trails, carrying resources and building new structures, creates a sense of accomplishment. Though it’s also a source of frustration if you break one of the trails and have to reconnect it, shifting and zooming the camera so you don’t affect other trails that took hours to produce.
Visually, Microtopia is charming and well-polished with five different biomes to explore. The 30 robotic ant designs are detailed and appealing, and the environments are vibrant making you feel part of the nest. The sound design features gentle ambient sounds and soothing melodies so as not to distract you from managing your colony while keeping you cool under pressure. The game’s user interface is generally intuitive, although some elements could benefit from further refinement and perhaps objective could have some subtle reminders of how to initiate things. The first time you learn something, elements in the UI will glow green – perhaps there could be a help button to flash a reminder of how to get things started at least to get you back on track, particularly when there could be days between play sessions.
While Microtopia is an engaging game, the learning curve can be a bit steep for newcomers to the automation genre like me, and the complexity of the systems might be overwhelming for your first hour or so. For those that only play a couple of hours each evening, it is easy to forget the intricacies of creating and modifying the trails that I had to re-watch YouTube videos to remember some methods. Also, be prepared to do a lot of planning and optimisation. If you’re not a fan of meticulous micromanagement, Microtopia might not be your cup of tea.
Overall, Microtopia is a challenging and engaging automation game that has clever use of pheromone trails and the lifespan mechanic but it does get complex and overwhelming quickly. If you love the idea of an “ant-Factorio” hybrid, Microtopia is definitely worth checking out. If you struggle with the intricacies of managing multiple minute systems, it would be worth watching some gameplay videos and basing your decision around those.
This review utilised a key provided by Jesus Fabre and Microtopia is out now on Steam and GOG.
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