Entry 36 on the Definitive 50 SNES games is that Will Wright classic, SimAnt. This SNES Mouse compatible ant colony simulation game was released for the Super NES in 1993.
Unlike most games designed by the legendary Will Wright, including Sim City, there is a small amount of story, and an end point, to SimAnt. Although it is still very much a “sandbox” sim game, there is an eventual goal for your character.
In this games main mode, you must command the yellow ant in his quest to conquer the entirety of a suburban home. Yard, doghouse, and kitchen included. The property is divided up via grid into a number of blocks, each representing one stage of the game. In order to expand your ant empire, your goal is to drive out the red ants from each of these territories, and spread to the surrounding areas.
The Super NES version of SimAnt has a stand-out enhancement over its PC predecessor in the form of a scenario mode. Here, the player gets to take on eight new and unique levels with the goal of defeating the nefarious red ant menace. A tutorial mode, as well as real-life ant information are also included.
Gameplay in SimAnt consists of directly controlling a single ant, but access is also given to tweak the behaviour of the rest of your colony. Even adjusting the ratio of breeders, workers, and soldiers born to your queen is allowed. To marshal an army of fellow ants and marching into war against opposing ant forces and other insects is also possible. Directly carving out your colony’s hill, gathering food, rearranging rocks, fighting, and caring for larva are also important tasks to tackle.
SimAnt is a deep and engrossing simulation game. Admittedly, it is also slow paced, and certainly not for everyone. Sim fans and those fascinated by ants, however, will not be disappointed with this title.
Check back next week for entry 35 on the Definitive 50 SNES games.