Eco

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"Eco" is a survival game that simulates a realistic ecosystem, where players must build and maintain a society while protecting the environment from pollution and other threats. The game features crafting, building, and research systems, and allows players to create laws, form governments, and collaborate on complex projects. Players' actions have lasting consequences, making "Eco" a unique blend of survival, simulation, and education.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Reviews

79%

Audience ScoreBased on 7,634 reviews

gameplay217 positive mentions

grinding646 negative mentions

Eco offers a unique blend of crafting, building, and ecological simulation, making it a standout in the sandbox genre.
The game encourages collaboration and specialization among players, fostering a sense of community and interdependence.
Regular updates from the developers show a commitment to improving the game and adding new features.

The game can be extremely grindy and requires a significant time commitment, which may deter casual players.
Recent updates have introduced microtransactions that some players feel undermine the game's core principles and create a pay-to-win environment.
Player retention is a major issue, with many servers dying out quickly due to a lack of active participants.

gameplay
879 mentions
25 % positive mentions
68 % neutral mentions
7 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Eco is characterized by its complex mechanics that emphasize cooperation and resource management, drawing comparisons to games like Minecraft but with a focus on ecological and economic systems. While many players appreciate the depth and potential for community-driven gameplay, others find the mechanics overly grindy, slow-paced, and sometimes frustrating due to bugs and clunky controls. Overall, the game offers a unique experience that can be rewarding for those willing to invest time and effort, particularly in multiplayer settings, but may deter casual players seeking a more streamlined experience.
- “Everything matters and no game mechanic is added just to slow a player down.”
- “The deeper you delve into the mechanics of agriculture, industry, and trade, the more rewarding the experience becomes.”
- “Eco feels like Minecraft for grown-ups, with its beautiful art style, co-op-driven gameplay, and proficiency system offering an experience like no other.”
- “It was buggy, professions seemed bare-bones, and the tutorial didn't explain any of the other game mechanics.”
- “The gameplay itself is excessively flawed and has been for years.”
- “I've played this on and off for years and the only thing I can work out is the devs just do whatever they want and claim it's based on community feedback; it's gone from a playable game to an absolute slog bogged down in mechanics designed to infuriate players and encourage you to play less and less.”
grinding
659 mentions
0 % positive mentions
2 % neutral mentions
98 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game is a major point of contention among players, with many describing it as excessively tedious and time-consuming. While some enjoy the grind as a means of achieving progression and find it rewarding, others feel it detracts from the overall experience, especially in single-player modes where the lack of cooperation makes tasks feel monotonous. Overall, the game is best enjoyed in a multiplayer setting where the grind can be mitigated through collaboration, but it remains a significant commitment for those who choose to engage with it.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “A bit grindy sometimes.”
- “I haven't gotten to the deep end of the tech tree, but some upgrades and enhancements to farming would be nice.”
- “In reality, they have just made the game so much more tedious than it needs to be.”
- “The only role playing you will be doing is grinding your life away doing unexciting tasks to support a possible goal of not dying.”
- “The game has gone from a fun, interactive simulator to a tedious grindfest.”
graphics
443 mentions
38 % positive mentions
56 % neutral mentions
6 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many players appreciating the vibrant art style and aesthetic appeal, often comparing it favorably to Minecraft. However, numerous users have reported significant performance issues, including low frame rates and graphical glitches, even on high-end systems, which detracts from the overall experience. While some find the visuals charming and suitable for the gameplay, others criticize the optimization and technical execution, suggesting that improvements are needed to enhance playability.
- “Eco feels like Minecraft for grown-ups, with its beautiful art style, co-op-driven gameplay, and proficiency system offering an experience like no other game.”
- “The graphics are beautiful, the game has a lot of variety, and the amount of detail that has gone into the gameplay is incredible.”
- “The graphics are tremendous for a voxel game, and the art style is unique and beautiful, bringing a sense of peace while playing.”
- “But after playing this game for close to 500 hours, I don't think I can recommend it anymore because it is still extremely buggy, the performance is abysmal for the simple voxel graphics, and the user interfaces are an inconsistent mess.”
- “The graphics were just too outdated for me and my friend; the graphics resembled almost that of the Runescape days.”
- “I get about 10 frames per second, even if I turn the graphics down.”
optimization
250 mentions
12 % positive mentions
59 % neutral mentions
29 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is widely criticized, with many players reporting severe performance issues, including memory leaks, frame rate drops, and lag, even on high-end systems. Despite some improvements over time, the overall experience remains marred by bugs and unoptimized server performance, leading to frustration among users. While the game has potential and unique mechanics, the persistent optimization problems significantly detract from its enjoyment.
- “Eco has been improving performance lately and is on a good update schedule.”
- “The latest patch really helped with improving overall performance.”
- “Despite less than stellar initial performance and reviews, I'm going to give this a thumbs up purely for the amount of effort they put into this game keeping it updated and adding new content.”
- “It's been years, and this game is just as poorly optimized and buggy as when I first bought it.”
- “This game is so badly optimized, you will go into a big town to buy stuff it will create a memory leak then you will have to kill the process to be able to close the game and even if the program is closed it will keep eating your RAM for like 10 minutes freezing your PC and even making it hard to restart your PC.”
- “The game is constantly crashing, creating memory leaks, creating frame drops and the server-side code seems terribly optimized and incapable of handling around 20 players without generating noticeable latency.”
stability
184 mentions
8 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
92 % negative mentions
The game's stability is widely criticized, with numerous users reporting persistent bugs, glitches, and performance issues that detract from the overall experience. While some acknowledge that the game is still in early access and express hope for future improvements, many find it frustratingly unplayable at times due to crashes, memory leaks, and poorly optimized mechanics. Overall, the consensus is that the game remains a "buggy mess," making it difficult to recommend until significant updates are made.
- “Runs great with quite a bit of things to do even for an early access game.”
- “The game runs great and I'm at a consistent 45 to 60 fps even with a built world.”
- “Very bug free for an early access game.”
- “It's been years, and this game is just as poorly optimized and buggy as when I first bought it.”
- “But after playing this game for close to 500 hours, I don't think I can recommend it anymore because it is still extremely buggy, the performance is abysmal for the simple voxel graphics, and the user interfaces are an inconsistent mess.”
- “This game is very early and kind of unplayably buggy at the moment.”
story
138 mentions
9 % positive mentions
77 % neutral mentions
14 % negative mentions
The game's story is often described as minimal or lacking depth, with many players feeling it is more about creating their own narrative rather than following a structured plot. While some appreciate the premise of saving the world from a meteor, they criticize the execution, noting incomplete quests and a lack of guidance that can leave players feeling lost. Overall, the narrative experience is seen as underdeveloped, relying heavily on player interaction and community rather than a compelling storyline.
- “Eco is not just a game—it's a groundbreaking quest that transforms the way we think about civilization and the environment!”
- “A very creative spin on Minecraft where there are consequences for polluting and chopping down too many trees, all in the quest to stop a meteor from destroying your precious world.”
- “The storyline is creative.”
- “It feels incomplete, with bugged quests and instructions that often assume prior knowledge—such as asking you to gather plant fibers without explaining the need for specific tools.”
- “There's no story or anything, as any attempt at guidance is left to player tutorials.”
- “For a multiplayer game, this feels more like a single player game only without the story.”
monetization
66 mentions
5 % positive mentions
71 % neutral mentions
24 % negative mentions
The introduction of microtransactions in the game has sparked significant backlash from the community, with many players viewing it as a cash grab that detracts from the overall experience. While some microtransactions are cosmetic and optional, critics argue that their implementation prioritizes profit over game quality and community engagement, leading to concerns about pay-to-win dynamics and a divided player base. Overall, the shift towards monetization has left a negative impression on long-time supporters, who feel blindsided by these changes.
- “The recent mixed reviews seem to be from people dissatisfied about the microtransactions, and while I agree in most games it's stupid, they're just cosmetics.”
- “Microtransactions can be totally disabled on a server, using them is fully optional at both the individual and server level.”
- “It's not so bad that the game is getting supposedly cosmetic microtransactions, but the way they are being implemented.”
- “It's a shame that after years of being a fully engaged beta supporter, I will not get access to the full game because of the recently introduced in-game purchases.”
- “The developers have disregarded the community's concern about adding microtransactions, which will act as a pay-to-win method and will divide the community into free content and paid content servers.”
- “Microtransactions were never discussed before and were a complete blindside to the community with no room for discussion.”
music
50 mentions
30 % positive mentions
64 % neutral mentions
6 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally described as soothing, relaxing, and well-suited to the immersive environment, enhancing the overall experience for players. While some find it repetitive or lacking in variety, many appreciate its calming qualities and ability to blend seamlessly into the gameplay. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a positive aspect, contributing to a peaceful atmosphere that encourages players to unwind.
- “The music is very soothing and the ambiance keeps you feeling relaxed.”
- “Music: beautiful, relaxing, inspired, and meaningful (it describes the game's spirit well).”
- “The songs are relaxing and help the player get really immersed into the world.”
- “The music exists but I cannot think of anything that stood out to me.”
- “Poor: low-quality or repetitive sound/music, detracts from the experience.”
- “There is music but it is hard to notice as it blends well into the rest of the soundscape.”
replayability
39 mentions
31 % positive mentions
62 % neutral mentions
8 % negative mentions
The game's replayability is a mixed bag, with many players praising its diverse gameplay experiences and the potential for infinite replayability due to procedurally generated maps and various professions. However, some users feel that the lack of variety and limited scenarios detracts from its overall replay value, leading to a consensus that while it can be enjoyable for extended play, it may not sustain long-term interest for everyone. Overall, the game offers significant replayability for those who engage with its multiplayer aspects and skill trees, but it may fall short for solo players or those seeking more varied experiences.
- “Very good game, you can play alone or co-op and have the same good time, because the map is generated and you get different players joining a new server. The game is never the same, with lots of professions to try out and different mixes. You will always have new ways to play; the size of a map, the laws, the prices, and the missing professions on the server make this game replayable. You will not get bored doing the same stuff.”
- “Every cycle, the world is reset by a meteor, so it is infinitely replayable.”
- “There is a ton of replayability from what I can see because of the various skill trees you can delve into and build up over time.”
- “This mtx shop would be more acceptable if the game had some sort of actual replayability.”
- “Replayability is not high, but got over 130 hours playtime, so well worth the price.”
- “There is no challenge at all, replay value is zero.”
humor
34 mentions
97 % positive mentions
-6 % neutral mentions
9 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is largely derived from its numerous amusing bugs, such as characters being launched into space or experiencing unexpected glitches, which players often find entertaining rather than frustrating. Many reviews highlight the camaraderie and laughter shared among players during chaotic gameplay moments, as well as the humorous interactions within the game's community. Overall, while some players may be annoyed by the bugs, the prevailing sentiment is that these quirks contribute to a fun and lighthearted gaming experience.
- “The game is full of hilarious bugs like randomly falling through the planet and ending up in a cave, or my favorite is chopping down a tree and then my character getting launched into space.”
- “It's also a place where my friends and I sometimes join together to create absolute chaos while at the same time working together and laughing.”
- “I've had some amazing experiences laughing with people about the powered cart that was duped from a server reset and ended up lodged between two buildings (insert drunk driving joke here).”
- “Ridiculously not funny, too many tasks to do one thing.”
- “The humor falls flat and feels forced throughout the game.”
- “I expected more laughs, but the jokes are stale and unoriginal.”
atmosphere
24 mentions
46 % positive mentions
42 % neutral mentions
13 % negative mentions
The atmosphere in the game is described as visually stunning and vibrant, with beautiful graphics and a lively environment that enhances the gameplay experience. However, players express mixed feelings about the community atmosphere, noting a tendency towards distrust and competition in public servers, which can detract from the overall enjoyment. While some appreciate the game's ecological mechanics and the potential for collaboration, others feel that the atmosphere could benefit from additional systems and events to create a more immersive experience.
- “The playerbase and teamwork in this game is utterly incredible, and the most chilled atmosphere to exist.”
- “First off, the atmosphere in Eco is gorgeous through and through.”
- “The graphics are very well done and the atmosphere is wonderful.”
- “In any public server, what you will inevitably find is an atmosphere of distrust and competition where people are vying to slowly maneuver the laws and economy of the game to make them and their friends the center of the world and everyone else completely redundant and unable to do anything meaningful.”
- “- lacks any atmosphere.”
- “While there is great emphasis on your actions causing destruction to the world, I can tell you that this is not the case. I have yet to experience where the population of animals dies out or the atmosphere gets so polluted that everything starts dying out.”
emotional
14 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Players express a complex emotional experience with the game, highlighting both its wholesome themes of cooperation and environmental protection, as well as the mental exhaustion caused by its demands and community dynamics. While many appreciate the game's positive message and community spirit, others find the grindy gameplay and occasional toxicity to detract from the overall enjoyment, leading to feelings of frustration and emotional investment. Overall, the game elicits a strong emotional response, ranging from joy and fulfillment to stress and exhaustion.
- “The emotional toll of *eco* didn’t end with logging out.”
- “This game made me want to cry.”
- “It's a great message and having a game spread it is very wholesome and caring.”
character development
1 mentions
0 % positive mentions
-200 % neutral mentions
300 % negative mentions
Character development is generally viewed as lacking, with many users noting that the character design is mediocre and fails to create a strong connection or depth for the characters.
- “The character design is mediocre.”
- “The character development feels shallow and lacks depth.”
- “I found the characters to be one-dimensional and unrelatable.”