MilitAnt

Name: MilitAnt
Item: MilitAnt
Rating: 4
Author: Marcia Morgan

Game review by

Marcia Morgan, Common Sense Media

Common Sense says

age 12+

(i)

This "buggy" arcade shooter is an exterminator's dream.

PlayStation 4, Windows
$9.99
2016

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A lot or a little?

The parents' guide to what's in this game.

Positive Messages

Certain situations can lead to greater confrontations; although the game shows violence as the only answer, it also sometimes shows a need to fight for survival, a bigger cause.

Positive Role Models & Representations

You play an ant fighting against all odds to help save your colony from a coalition of other bugs. You're forced to overcome obstacles not only for your survival but survival of your home.

Ease of Play

Simple controls; easy to learn.

Violence

Not bloody, but violence is still pretty much nonstop, brutal. Bugs use all kinds of weapons, from lasers to grenades to swords to kill each other in explosions of squishy green goo.

Sex

Language

Consumerism

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that MilitAnt is a downloadable arcade shooter for PC and PS4. It's full of nonstop action and violence with all kinds of realistic and over-the-top, bug-themed weapons. While MilitAnt doesn't feature the usual blood and gore, since the characters are all bugs, the violence is punctuated by explosions of green goo whenever an enemy gets killed. Since it's an arcade-style game, MilitAnt is easy to pick up and play, letting players get right into the action. There's a story attached to the action, which paints a picture of war from the front lines, while also showing how brutal conflicts can build up from small starts.

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What's it about?

In MILITANT, war has come to the Insect Kingdom. The usually neutral colonies of bugs have been brought together under the leadership of the termites. The termites are looking to take over the ant nation and control its resources. With allies such as the wasp air force, it's not looking good for the ants. That's where you come in. As an elite member of the ant military force, it's up to you to take on the other insects shoot-'em-up style. Wielding up to four customizable and upgradable weapons (one for each bug arm), you'll blast your way through more than 30 types of bugs and epic boss fights in your mission to exterminate the termites with extreme prejudice.

Is it any good?

Most of the time you'd want to stay far away from a game that's filled with bugs, but that's not the case here unless you happen to be entomophobic (having a fear of insects). Instead of technical or glitchy bugs, MilitAnt is filled with actual bugs -- gun-toting, laser-shooting, sword-wielding bugs. You're armed to the teeth -- umm, mandibles with your own heavily customizable ant arsenal and fighting in fast, frantic, shoot-'em-up style. The game is easy to dive into, with pretty basic pick-up-and-play controls. The style of game lends itself more to use of a gamepad, though, because trying to use the keyboard to control everything just feels awkward.

One area where MilitAnt really makes its mark is in the presentation of the game. Each level offers unique layouts, styles, and bosses blended with exciting music from award-winning composer Gerard Marino. Extra depth is added to the run-of-the-mill side-scrolling experience with the addition of a 2.5D view. Things can get a little hectic when the screen fills up with action, making it hard to keep track of your character, but that kind of adds to the tension. Boss battles are huge and challenging, with giant beetles and such taking up the entire screen. MilitAnt is a great game for anyone looking for a unique side-scrolling adventure that is both fun to play and challenging to master.

Talk to your kids about ...

Families can talk about violence in games such as MilitAnt. Does the brutality in MilitAnt have less of an impact since it's different bugs with human traits fighting each other instead of actual humans?
Talk about the conflict in MilitAnt and how it translates to the real world. What are some of the reasons countries get thrown into conflict with each other?