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About

"Ecosystem is a single-player strategy game with high-quality graphics and approximately 23 hours of playtime. The game's unique feature is the simulation of evolving virtual creatures, whose bodies, behaviors, and nervous systems are all determined by their synthetic DNA, which can be modified by the player. These creatures evolve on their own to adapt to the physically-simulated ocean environment created by the player."

Ecosystem screenshot
Ecosystem screenshot
Ecosystem screenshot
Ecosystem screenshot
Ecosystem screenshot
Ecosystem screenshot
Ecosystem screenshot
Ecosystem screenshot
Ecosystem screenshot
Ecosystem screenshot
Ecosystem screenshot
+8
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80%
Audience ScoreBased on 820 reviews
gameplay8 positive mentions
optimization12 negative mentions

  • The game offers a unique and relaxing sandbox experience where players can create and observe their own underwater ecosystems.
  • The procedural generation of creatures leads to a wide variety of bizarre and interesting life forms, making each playthrough feel fresh.
  • The terrain editing tools allow for creative freedom in shaping the environment, enhancing the overall gameplay experience.
  • The game suffers from performance issues, particularly when many creatures are present, leading to significant frame rate drops.
  • Creature creation can be unintuitive and frustrating, with many generated creatures appearing deformed or nonsensical.
  • The game lacks meaningful evolution mechanics and variety, making it feel repetitive and limiting in terms of gameplay depth.
  • optimization
    48 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's optimization has received significant criticism, with many players reporting severe performance issues, including stuttering and crashes when managing larger ecosystems, even on relatively powerful hardware. While some users experienced acceptable performance, the consensus is that the game requires substantial optimization improvements to enhance gameplay and stability. Many hope that ongoing development will address these issues, but current performance problems hinder overall enjoyment.

    • “The dev interacts with his community a lot, so I cannot see this optimization stuff being left alone for long.”
    • “I'd love to see some optimization fixes!”
    • “While I'm hoping that the optimization improves as the game continues to develop, I really, extremely dislike the camera controls.”
    • “The gameplay is fun, but it becomes impossible to enjoy once your ecosystem gets up and running due to poor optimization and lag.”
    • “My biggest issue is performance; the game really struggles once you get a decent ecosystem going, and I have a fairly decent PC with a 9700K and 2070 Super.”
    • “The optimization is horrendous.”
  • gameplay
    46 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay experience is a mixed bag, with players appreciating the evolutionary mechanics and the aquarium-like simulation, but expressing frustration over significant lag and crashes, particularly on high-end systems. While the game offers a rich ecosystem and sophisticated animal mechanics, it lacks clear objectives and guidance, leading to a sense of aimlessness. Overall, the potential for engaging gameplay is overshadowed by optimization issues and a lack of depth in evolution and adaptation mechanics.

    • “A creature can evolve a new part, change the dimensions, rotation, and/or location of a part, body size/color, behaviors and mechanics (schooling, venom, thick skull), and change brain node configuration.”
    • “Ecosystem perfectly meshes gameplay fun with evolutionary freedom.”
    • “Thanks for not giving us yet another shallow simulation of the ocean which features just animations – but a rich experience filled with life-emulating mechanics.”
    • “Not much actual exciting gameplay here in my opinion.”
    • “The most glaring issue is more than 2 hours of gameplay on a 3090 causes so much lag, with everything lowered to minimum, and an inevitable crash that it almost feels like it's not worth trying to play a game focused on long term simulation when the long term is always a freeze and crash, occasionally losing the save data, but otherwise being able to start from an autosave is nice, but it always crashes again regardless.”
    • “Critical bug that stopped me playing, important information missing (what plant is that, difficult seeing currents which are important, etc), lack of explanation on mechanics (why does the fin turn the exact opposite direction you'd expect each time?), buggy creature editor ('repeating' body parts for making snake-like waves curls into a circle), creature editor makes things uncontrollably lumpy, mutations are incredibly ugly.”
  • graphics
    40 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game are generally praised for their beauty and detail, particularly in the depiction of flora and the dynamic environment, creating an immersive experience. However, players report significant performance issues, especially when the ecosystem becomes complex, leading to lag and reduced frame rates, which can detract from gameplay. While some appreciate the dated aesthetic, others find the design inconsistent, particularly regarding the visual representation of water flow and certain creatures.

    • “The graphics are quite breathtaking and the way the plants sway and the rays from the sun peer in is just so intriguing!”
    • “Pros: good graphics, stable, well-made UI, original idea, no real end to that game except that you select a region and populate it and that's it... sit and relax listening to the music forever...”
    • “Graphically, it is one of the best looking games I've played in a while.”
    • “The design aspect is kind of a mess and so is the aesthetic of the fish.”
    • “I have a few hours logged in and honestly it's a good game, but the framerate issue when you've filled out half the map can be a drag and I don't really want to adjust graphics to make it playable.”
    • “I'm getting around 20 fps and I'm running a 1050 ti. I turned the graphics down to minimum and it helped a bit, but it's getting worse as my ecosystem grows.”
  • music
    32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game is widely praised for its serene and calming qualities, enhancing the overall relaxing experience of observing the ecosystem. Many players appreciate the beautiful soundtrack, which complements the game's visuals and ambiance, making it suitable for casual play or as background music. However, some users noted that the music can become repetitive over extended play sessions, potentially detracting from the experience for certain players.

    • “The music and ambience is extremely relaxing.”
    • “It's amazing to have a game you can just pull up and watch things unfold, and the soundtrack is serene.”
    • “The soundtrack is also nice and relaxing, very fitting for this kind of game.”
    • “Tl;dr: music is very peaceful, it looks like Spore but fish but done poorly.”
    • “Cons: the music ends up being harassing (my taste), and after I played 10 hours, I finished 3 regions in that time.”
    • “In the end, this is an aquarium game and a god game where you direct evolution in her bloodthirsty craft while listening to calming music.”
  • humor
    22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is characterized by its absurdity and charm, particularly through the creation of hilariously awkward creatures that often defy logic. Players find joy in the comedic contrast between the strong and weak fish, as well as the amusing failures of their creations, making for a blend of laughter and frustration. While the novelty of the humor may diminish over time, the engaging and funny experiences keep players entertained.

    • “This game is hilarious and frustrating all at once.”
    • “It's frustrating when you build a completely logical fish only for it to fall on its side and die 5 minutes later, but it's hilarious when you make the most absurd creatures possible and watch as they try to make sense of their limbs.”
    • “The poor helpless fish you create is hilarious, often finding simplicity the best option.”
  • stability
    8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game is plagued by numerous bugs and glitches, particularly in its species randomization and creature editor, which detracts from the overall experience. While it shows potential as a solid evolution game, many users feel that significant improvements are needed, especially given its early access status. Critical issues, such as missing information and confusing mechanics, further hinder gameplay.

    • “The game is extremely junky and buggy.”
    • “Critical bug that stopped me playing, important information missing (what plant is that, difficult seeing currents which are important, etc), lack of explanation on mechanics (why does the fin turn the exact opposite direction you'd expect each time?), buggy creature editor ('repeating' body parts for making snake-like waves curls into a circle), creature editor makes things uncontrollably lumpy, mutations are *incredibly* ugly.”
    • “Do realize that since it is beta/early access there are some bugs/glitches that occur.”
  • grinding
    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players express frustration with the grinding mechanics, noting that it can quickly become tedious and boring, often feeling like a chore rather than an engaging experience. Many reviews highlight a trend in game design that prioritizes grindy progression systems and loot boxes over meaningful gameplay, suggesting a need for improvement in this area.

    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “I can see just by the little I've played that it would very quickly become tedious and boring, but it is still being worked on.”
    • “Many games are plagued by appealing to the lowest common denominator of cookie-cutter game design – loot boxes, grindy progression systems, etc., as opposed to producing actually fulfilling experiences, rewards aside.”
  • story
    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The reviews indicate that the game lacks a substantial narrative, with many users noting it features either no story or a very brief one. This absence of a compelling storyline may leave players seeking a deeper narrative experience unsatisfied.

    • “No story.”
    • “Quick story.”
  • replayability
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game offers high replayability, particularly due to its evolution engine, which encourages varied gameplay experiences. However, some players note that the potential for "sameiness" in outcomes may diminish this replay value over time. Overall, many believe the game is worth playing for its replay potential.

    • “The replay value of this game is insane; it's definitely worth grabbing.”
    • “The replayability is high here due to the evolution engine, offering a variety of outcomes.”
    • “The replayability is high here due to the evolution engine, but even that may wear out after a moderate amount of time due to the 'sameness' that a lot of the outcomes have.”
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23h Median play time
69h Average play time
5-27h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 12 analyzed playthroughs
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