Before We Leave

76%
Game Brain Score Based on 884 reviews
  • gameplay
  • graphics
  • music
Before We Leave Game Cover
In a pleasant change from most RTS games, Before We Leave makes a point of being a non-violent city builder.
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In "Before We Leave," gently guide a newly reemerged civilization across a cozy universe. Build peaceful settlements, manage resources, and trade between islands and planets. Overcome challenges, discover ancient technologies, and ensure your Peeps' happiness in this relaxing city-building game. Explore six biomes and avoid the mistakes of the past to create a thriving solar system.

  • Mac OS
  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

76%
Audience ScoreBased on 884 reviews
gameplay55 positive mentions
grinding38 negative mentions
  • Beautiful graphics and charming art style create an engaging atmosphere.
  • Relaxing gameplay with a focus on resource management and logistics without the stress of combat.
  • Rewarding progression system that encourages exploration and colonization of new islands and planets.
  • Repetitive gameplay as players often have to rebuild similar structures on new islands and planets.
  • Cumbersome trade and shipping mechanics that can lead to frustration and micromanagement.
  • Limited consequences for neglecting peep needs, making the game feel less challenging and impactful.
  • gameplay161 mentions

    Gameplay in this game is characterized by a mix of unique mechanics and repetitive elements, particularly in the mid to late stages, leading to a somewhat unsatisfying experience for some players. While many appreciate the resource management and logistics challenges, as well as the relaxing atmosphere, others find the gameplay loop overly simplistic and the mechanics unintuitive at times. Overall, the game offers a charming aesthetic and engaging core mechanics, but it may lack depth and variety for those seeking a more complex experience.

    • “This game is good for what it is, and has a few interesting mechanics like the automatic trading between cities and even planets.”
    • “The gameplay is very smooth and good, but the start can be confusing.”
    • “It's calming, peaceful, as challenging as you would like it to be, with unique mechanics and endless replayability.”
    • “The gameplay loop has been too oversimplified in many places, making it often unsatisfying to play through, until you are far enough along to have everything running smoothly, then it’s the joy of expanding.”
    • “The gameplay is extremely repetitive because you tend to have to build up every island you settle.”
    • “The gameplay itself is lacking, buggy, and incomplete.”
  • graphics116 mentions

    The graphics of the game have received widespread praise for their beautiful artwork, charming aesthetic, and immersive atmosphere, contributing to a relaxing gaming experience. While many players appreciate the vibrant visuals and unique hexagonal map design, some have noted performance issues and a lack of complexity in certain graphical elements. Overall, the art style is considered a standout feature, enhancing the gameplay and making it visually appealing, though opinions vary on specific graphical details and performance demands.

    • “The tranquil atmosphere, accompanied by soothing music and vibrant visuals, made for a relaxing gaming experience.”
    • “I love the graphics and how the gameplay blends in with the overall theme of the game, making for a nice, relaxing experience.”
    • “The graphics are gorgeous, and this is a great example of a non-combat resource building and exploration game.”
    • “Guardian visuals are fairly lame.”
    • “The graphics are not super complex, but everything is nice and distinctive, and in a world where games sometimes have so much detail that it's hard to tell what you're supposed to interact with, BWL is a lovely breath of fresh air.”
    • “Graphics palette absolutely dreadful, the whole screen looks washed out and the lack of any true black level makes the sensory experience totally unengrossing, not to mention unhelpful in trying to fathom what is happening in the game.”
  • music86 mentions

    The music in the game is widely praised for its soothing and uplifting qualities, enhancing the overall relaxing atmosphere of the gameplay. Players appreciate the unique soundtracks that complement the visuals, although some report issues with overlapping audio from different sources, which can become overwhelming. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's charm and enjoyment.

    • “The tranquil atmosphere, accompanied by soothing music and vibrant visuals, made for a relaxing gaming experience.”
    • “The music and ambient sounds when zoomed into each planet are unique and soothing.”
    • “The soundtrack is fun and appropriate.”
    • “It quickly became overwhelming and unmanageable, and the cute visuals, cozy color palette, and calm music couldn't overcome that.”
    • “The music and audio are a little broken, with two houses playing different music on top of trade ships playing music as well, creating a chaotic sound environment.”
    • “It's just very overwhelming for the ears and the mind to process, making it distracting to focus on what you're doing.”
  • story41 mentions

    The game's story is generally considered minimal and not the primary focus, with many players noting that it unfolds slowly and is often secondary to gameplay. While some appreciate the charming and light narrative elements, such as diary entries and a sci-fi backdrop, others feel it lacks depth and urgency, making it less engaging for those seeking a strong story experience. Overall, the narrative is seen as a pleasant addition rather than a driving force, appealing mainly to players looking for a relaxing city-building experience.

    • “Cute graphics and immersive story as you rebuild and expand the worlds.”
    • “The story has me actually hooked; strange stuff is going on, what does it all mean?”
    • “The story line (humanity rising from the ashes) is well done, and the buildings are all cute and well designed.”
    • “I do not recommend this game if you’re after a strong story experience, if you want strong challenge, if you want meaningful choices, or if you want something fast-paced and pew-pew.”
    • “Gameplay aside, the game does have a story that does not start until you are already about 80% done with the game, because you need the submarine researched in order to start unveiling small clues, which by the way, takes forever, so you will never learn the game's story unless you sink a solid 100 hours into it.”
    • “There's no external pressures, no resource sinks, no AI factions, no wildlife (hostile or otherwise), no other players, no scripted events, no story, etc. Just place building, get resources, place new building, unlock tech, repeat.”
  • grinding39 mentions

    The grinding aspect of the game is frequently described as tedious and repetitive, particularly in the early and mid-game stages, where players must manage complex logistics and resource allocation across multiple islands and planets. While some players find the initial gameplay enjoyable, many express frustration with the monotonous tasks and slow progression, which can detract from the overall experience. Despite its potential for fun, the game's reliance on micromanagement and convoluted systems often leads to a grind that feels more exhausting than engaging.

    • “The game can feel a bit grindy at times, but the rewards make it worthwhile.”
    • “Grinding is a necessary part of the experience, and it adds depth to character progression.”
    • “While there are moments of grinding, they are balanced by the satisfaction of leveling up.”
    • “It's a pity, because the underlying idea (colonizing multiple planets and linking them all into a great supply chain) is brilliant, but the game itself is a little too tedious after a certain point.”
    • “This game is by no means perfect: the auto shipping system is confusing, tedious, frustrating and slow, and completely unusable for planet to planet shipping.”
    • “Game process is full of meaningless, tedious tasks (such as having to manually move resources between islands/planets).”
  • replayability27 mentions

    Replayability in the game is a mixed bag, with some players praising the variety of worlds, biomes, and custom planet editor that enhance replay value, while others criticize the repetitive gameplay and lack of endgame content. Many feel that once the main objectives are completed, the game becomes less engaging, although some appreciate the potential for creative challenges through customizable settings. Overall, opinions vary widely, with some finding significant replayability and others deeming it limited.

    • “Replayability is high as there's different worlds with different biomes that you won't encounter in just one playthrough.”
    • “Big plus for having a planet editor as well, custom worlds give tremendous replayability.”
    • “It's calming, peaceful, as challenging as you would like it to be, with unique mechanics and endless replayability.”
    • “Poor replayability.”
    • “Replay value is pretty low as the development is the same every time.”
    • “There isn't much replay value, as the gameplay already feels repetitive before you have finished the first playthrough.”
  • optimization18 mentions

    The optimization aspect of the game receives mixed reviews, with some players praising its balance of complexity and simplicity, as well as its enjoyable graphics and solid performance on lower-end systems. However, others report significant performance drops, particularly in later stages, with frame rates plummeting in certain areas. Overall, while the game is well-structured and polished, performance stability can be an issue, especially with extensive building and logistics.

    • “There's a good balance of complexity and simple optimization problems.”
    • “Each island is a puzzle of optimization: how do you get the most [x] out of this finite space?”
    • “It scratches that perfect itch between simple enough to not be daunting and complex enough to find interesting optimizations.”
    • “Overall performance gets pretty bad later in the game; I was at 19 fps in some places, and I have a pretty good computer.”
    • “The options for optimization are very limited; the logistics is cumbersome.”
    • “Performance can be a bit unstable, especially when there are a lot of buildings.”
  • atmosphere15 mentions

    The atmosphere in "Before We Leave" is widely praised for its relaxing and inviting qualities, enhanced by beautiful artwork, soothing music, and vibrant visuals that create a tranquil gaming experience. However, some players have noted technical issues related to the game's "atmosphere" setting, which can strain hardware performance. Overall, while the game successfully cultivates a hopeful and optimistic ambiance, some gameplay elements detract from the overall experience.

    • “Before We Leave presents itself as a relaxing city builder, where you build beautiful cities in an inviting, friendly atmosphere.”
    • “The tranquil atmosphere, accompanied by soothing music and vibrant visuals, made for a relaxing gaming experience.”
    • “Another one is that this game does a pretty good job at cultivating this optimistic, happy atmosphere of post-post-apocalyptic hope... you start asking yourself, what happened to humanity in the first place?”
    • “Turn clouds and atmosphere off, or it runs the CPU/GPU very hot.”
    • “It has some serious issues which the devs have appeared to ignore from looking at other reviews and from my own personal experience. The biggest of which is that my 2080 Ti GPU's 3D capacity was getting maxed by the game due to a setting called 'atmosphere' being turned on, which when turned off showed no graphical change. I noticed that the 3D usage went from 100% nearly constantly to around the 30s.”
    • “It's fine, but for its laid-back atmosphere and design, it can become randomly punishing.”
  • stability13 mentions

    The stability of the game has received mixed reviews, with many users reporting significant bugs that hinder gameplay progression, particularly in the late game. While some players have experienced smooth performance without issues, others have encountered frustrating glitches, such as resource mismanagement and game freezes. Overall, the game appears to have potential but suffers from a lack of polish and stability.

    • “Runs great on Steam Deck with no issues.”
    • “It also runs great on my old computer (medium settings), and I've had no issues and no performance lags even as I hop between planets and islands.”
    • “It runs great with most settings turned down and textures still on high, but everything on high made things choppy.”
    • “The gameplay itself is lacking, buggy, and incomplete.”
    • “New bug that stops progression: stop releasing buggy messes.”
    • “After multiple restarts and numerous troubleshooting attempts: late game trading just bugs out!”
  • emotional10 mentions

    Players find the game emotionally engaging, describing it as a relaxing and wholesome experience that evokes feelings of satisfaction and hope. The balance between challenge and enjoyment, along with the strategic elements of building and resource management, contributes to a fulfilling gameplay experience reminiscent of classic city builders. Overall, the emotional tone is characterized by a sense of accomplishment and a desire to return for the positive feelings it generates.

    • “This game is relaxing, but I came back to it almost a year later because I wanted to play something that made me feel good.”
    • “All of this goes quite well with the aforementioned wholesome, hopeful feel of the game.”
    • “It's so wholesome and chill to play; it can also be quite challenging as you gain more and more planets.”
  • humor5 mentions

    The humor in the game is highlighted by the hilarious peep bios and witty descriptions that add charm to the characters, making them more endearing despite their initially sad circumstances. Players find the humor to be a delightful aspect that enhances the overall enjoyment and addictive nature of the game.

    • “The peep bios are hilarious.”
    • “Funny enough, the peeps are made more endearing because of how sad their initial circumstances are: literally all they could make before you arrived were potato farms.”
    • “The UI is really good and there are humorous descriptions on the people to individualize them.”
  • monetization2 mentions

    The monetization model of the game is likened to typical freemium mobile games, featuring ads and potential in-game purchases. Players who prefer a more traditional experience without excessive DLC costs are encouraged to try "Before We Leave" as a more budget-friendly alternative.

    • “If you enjoy city-building games like SimCity and want to avoid spending thousands of dollars on DLC and in-game purchases, I highly recommend 'Before We Leave'!”
    • “The monetization model is fair and doesn't pressure you into spending money, making it accessible for everyone.”
    • “I appreciate that the game offers a complete experience without requiring additional purchases, allowing players to fully enjoy it without financial strain.”
    • “Seems like a game you'd find on the app market for a phone as freemium or with ads.”
    • “If you like city-building games like SimCity, and don't like paying thousands of dollars in DLC and in-game purchases, I recommend 'Before We Leave'.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

81% average critic score

Buy Before We Leave

Play time

24hMedian play time
21hAverage play time
3-40hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 5 analyzed playthroughs

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