Ancient Frontier Reviews
Ancient Frontier never fires on all cylinders, which is unfortunate as clearly there was a lot that went into the game. Some aspects, such as the story, and ships/equipment had a lot of time put into them, whereas the battle system suffers from an incredible drag in pacing, rampant RNG problems, and a feedback loop potentially leading to a campaign being unwinnable. Small changes, such as removing the forced ironman, or toning down the luck, would go a long way to fixing these matters. Despite the wreck that the battle system is, the game itself is still redeemed by its other qualities. Simply know you will need a high tolerance for the way battle plays out to enjoy the game properly.
Ancient Frontier is a great example of what a small but dedicated studio can do. It might not have AAA bells and whistles, but the core game is a fantastic blend of deep strategy yet approachable interface that is very easy to sink hours into.
For turn-based strategy lovers, Ancient Frontier is a jewel. Even though it has a couple of flaws about the story and originality, the offers a fun experience with many well known features. However, if you are not a huge fan of slow, turn-based combat, you might want to look at something else. Otherwise, I recommend you to try it.