Ecosystem

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."

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

80%

Audience ScoreBased on 410 reviews

gameplay4 positive mentions

optimization6 negative mentions

The game offers a unique and relaxing sandbox experience, allowing players to 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 are intuitive and allow for creative customization of 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 lack of meaningful interactions between species and limited evolutionary mechanics can make the gameplay feel repetitive and shallow over time.

optimization
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
63%
25%
Overall, the game's optimization is widely criticized, with many players reporting significant performance issues, including stuttering and crashes when managing larger ecosystems, even on relatively powerful hardware. While some users experienced acceptable performance, the majority agree that the game requires substantial optimization improvements to enhance gameplay and stability. Many hope for future updates to address these concerns, as the core concept shows promise.
- “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!”
- “Despite this, I didn’t run into any serious performance problems with my 3900x/5600xt.”
- “Needs much more system spec than what is specified on the store page (I'm running AMD 5800X and 32GB RAM). If not stuttering, then you deal with crashes when there are a few different large groups of species.”
- “The gameplay is fun, but it becomes impossible to enjoy once your ecosystem gets up and running due to poor optimization and lag.”
- “The optimization is horrendous.”
gameplay
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
70%
13%
The gameplay experience is a mixed bag, with some players appreciating the evolutionary mechanics and the rich ecosystem simulation, while others criticize the lack of engaging objectives and significant lag issues that hinder long-term play. Although the game offers sophisticated mechanics and a unique aquarium-style experience, it suffers from optimization problems and a steep learning curve due to insufficient guidance on maintaining ecosystems. Overall, while there is potential for enjoyment, many players find the gameplay hampered by technical issues and a lack of direction.
- “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.”
- “To date, there are no objectives (aside from a high score), and there is no guiding mechanics.”
graphics
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
55%
15%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising the breathtaking visuals and relaxing aesthetic, particularly the way plants sway and sunlight filters through the water. However, many users report performance issues, including lag and low frame rates when the ecosystem becomes complex, leading to a need to adjust graphics settings for smoother gameplay. Overall, while the graphics are considered good for a simulation, they can become dated and problematic under heavy load.
- “The graphics are quite breathtaking and the way the plants sway and the rays from the sun peer in is just so intriguing!”
- “Graphically, it is one of the best looking games I've played in a while.”
- “The graphics and music are relaxing and go well with the game.”
- “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
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
38%
19%
The music in the game is widely praised for its serene and calming qualities, enhancing the overall relaxing experience of gameplay. Many players appreciate the beautiful soundtrack that complements the 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, which may detract from the experience for certain players.
- “Plus points for the beautiful music that fits perfectly!”
- “The music and ambience is extremely relaxing.”
- “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
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by its absurdity and randomness, particularly through the creation of hilariously awkward creatures, like the lumpy fish. Players find joy in the contrast between the logical design of their creations and the often comical outcomes, leading to both laughter and frustration as they watch their bizarre creations struggle. Overall, the game delivers a blend of engaging humor that keeps players entertained, despite some diminishing novelty over time.
- “Detailed, logical, and laugh-out-loud funny, especially if you play Madgod.”
- “The randomly generated creatures are so funny looking.”
- “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.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game currently suffers from significant stability issues, including numerous bugs and glitches that hinder gameplay, particularly in the species randomization and creature editor features. While it shows potential as a solid evolution game, many users feel that for its price, it requires substantial improvements to address these critical stability concerns. As it is in beta/early access, players are advised to expect ongoing issues and limited functionality.
- “The game is extremely junky and buggy.”
- “Do realize that since it is beta/early access there are some bugs/glitches that occur.”
- “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.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
Players express that grinding in the game can quickly become tedious and boring, suggesting it may require excessive time investment. There is a concern that the game relies on cookie-cutter design elements like loot boxes and grind-heavy progression systems, detracting from the overall experience.
- “Grinding in this game feels rewarding and keeps me engaged for hours.”
- “The grind is challenging but satisfying, making every achievement feel earned.”
- “I love how the grinding mechanics are balanced; it never feels like a chore.”
- “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
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The story aspect of the game is noted to be minimal or lacking, with some users describing it as either nonexistent or very brief.
- “There is no story to speak of.”
- “The story is incredibly brief and lacks depth.”
- “The narrative feels rushed and underdeveloped.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
150%
The game offers high replayability, particularly due to its evolution engine, which provides varied experiences. However, some players note that the potential for repetitiveness may diminish the excitement over time. Overall, it is considered a worthwhile investment for those seeking long-term engagement.
- “I can see the replay value of this game being insane later; it's definitely worth grabbing.”
- “The replayability is high here due to the evolution engine, but it may wear out after a moderate amount of time due to the 'sameness' that a lot of the outcomes have.”
- “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.”
- “After a few playthroughs, the game starts to feel repetitive, and the lack of significant changes in outcomes makes it hard to stay engaged.”
- “While there are multiple paths to explore, the core gameplay mechanics don't change enough to keep me coming back for more.”