Ecosystem

About

Ecosystem is a single player casual strategy game. It was developed by Slug Disco and was released on November 8, 2024. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

"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

Skip User Reviews

78%

Audience ScoreBased on 468 reviews

gameplay5 positive mentions

optimization9 negative mentions

The game offers a unique and engaging experience of watching evolution unfold in real-time, allowing players to create and observe their own ecosystems.
The graphics and ambient sound design create a relaxing atmosphere, making it enjoyable to play while multitasking or unwinding.
The creature editor allows for creativity in designing unique fish, and the procedural generation leads to unexpected and amusing results.

The game suffers from significant performance issues, especially as the ecosystem grows, leading to lag and crashes even on decent hardware.
The creature editor is clunky and often results in bizarre and unfunctional designs, making it frustrating to create viable species.
There is a lack of meaningful gameplay mechanics and objectives, which can lead to repetitive and boring experiences over time.

optimization
33 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
6%
67%
27%
Overall, the game's optimization is widely criticized, with many players reporting significant performance issues, especially as ecosystems grow in complexity. Users note that even on decent hardware, the game struggles with lag and crashes when populated, indicating a need for substantial optimization improvements. While some players have not experienced severe issues, the consensus is that the game requires urgent attention to its optimization to enhance gameplay experience.
- “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.”
- “I'd love to see some optimization fixes!”
- “The optimization for it all while running well in the first bits, if you remotely have an actual fully fledged ecosystem, it starts running like trash unless you adjust your settings to make the game look even worse than it actually looks.”
- “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.”
gameplay
32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
16%
71%
13%
The gameplay of "ecosystem" is characterized by a unique evolutionary simulation that offers a relaxing experience but suffers from significant optimization issues and a steep learning curve. While the game features sophisticated mechanics and a rich aquarium-like environment, many players find the lack of traditional gameplay structure, objectives, and frequent bugs detract from the overall enjoyment, leading to frustration with lag and crashes. Despite its potential, the gameplay often feels shallow and unengaging, with players struggling to achieve a balanced ecosystem or meaningful interaction.
- “Ecosystem perfectly meshes gameplay fun with evolutionary freedom.”
- “Its got the best mechanics of any in its genre, and the most sophisticated animals.”
- “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.”
- “The controls are abysmal; there's no gameplay loop at all.”
- “This game looks promising on the surface and the soundtrack is really solid for the vibes that the game is going for; however, the game absolutely fails at giving any sort of meaningful gameplay at all.”
- “The most glaring issue is that 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.”
graphics
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
61%
13%
The graphics of the game are described as charmingly minimalist, with serene underwater environments that evoke an alien aesthetic, though some players find them somewhat dated and lacking polish. While the visuals can be breathtaking, particularly in how they depict plant movement and lighting, performance issues arise as the ecosystem expands, leading to lag and reduced frame rates. Overall, the graphics are appreciated for their originality and relaxing quality, but they may require adjustments for optimal performance on lower-end systems.
- “The visuals are charming in a minimalist way.”
- “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 visuals look ten years old.”
- “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
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
39%
44%
17%
The music in the game is widely praised for its serene and calming qualities, perfectly complementing the game's aesthetic and atmosphere. While some players appreciate the soundtrack's beauty and relaxing nature, others note a lack of diversity and find it repetitive over extended play sessions. Overall, the music enhances the experience, making it suitable for casual play or as ambient background sound.
- “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.”
- “I really only have 2 gripes with this game: you can't add boulders/rocks and the music diversity is severely lacking.”
- “Cons: the music ends up being harassing (my taste), and after I played 10 hours, I finished 3 regions in that time.”
- “Tl;dr music is very peaceful, it looks like Spore but fish but done poorly.”
humor
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by the absurd and grotesque designs of the randomly generated creatures, particularly the "funny fish" that players create, which often lead to hilarious scenarios. While the initial novelty of these comical creations is entertaining, some players feel that the humor can wear off over time due to a lack of variety in evolution. Overall, the game successfully combines humor with engaging gameplay, making players laugh at their quirky, flailing creatures.
- “Some become efficient hunters, while others develop unique survival tactics or grotesquely hilarious body shapes.”
- “Detailed, logical, and laugh-out-loud funny, especially if you play madgod.”
- “The randomly generated creatures are so funny looking.”
stability
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is a significant concern, with frequent random freezes occurring approximately every 15 minutes and numerous bugs affecting gameplay and optimization. Players report critical issues, such as a buggy creature editor and a lack of clarity in mechanics, which detract from the overall experience. While the game shows potential as an evolution simulator, it requires substantial improvements to address these stability issues.
- “The game randomly freezes about every 15 minutes and you have to be careful not to click anything and just wait it out.”
- “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.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
100%
The game offers high replayability, particularly due to its evolution engine, which provides varied experiences. However, some players note that the novelty may diminish over time due to repetitive outcomes. Overall, it is considered a worthwhile investment for its replay value.
- “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.”
- “After a few playthroughs, the game starts to feel repetitive, and the lack of significant changes in outcomes diminishes the replay value.”
- “While there are multiple paths to explore, the core gameplay remains largely unchanged, leading to a sense of monotony after repeated sessions.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express concerns that the grinding mechanics in the game can quickly become tedious and boring, often feeling like a result of generic game design focused on loot boxes and grindy progression rather than providing fulfilling experiences. However, there is an acknowledgment that the game is still in development, suggesting potential improvements.
- “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
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The story is often described as engaging and well-crafted, with a mix of intriguing plot twists and character development that keeps players invested. However, some users feel that certain narrative elements could be more fleshed out or cohesive. Overall, the storytelling is a highlight for many, contributing significantly to the game's appeal.