Equilinox

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Equilinox is a single-player 4X game that offers stunning visuals and an exceptional soundtrack, but can be very grinding with plenty of bugs. As a low-poly nature simulation game, it allows players to create and manage their own ecosystem in an engaging and highly emotional atmosphere, currently being developed in Java using OpenGL.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

Reviews

94%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,995 reviews

music150 positive mentions

grinding32 negative mentions

Relaxing and calming gameplay with a beautiful soundtrack.
Charming low-poly graphics that create a visually pleasing experience.
Engaging mechanics that allow for customization and evolution of species.

Game can become laggy and unplayable as the world fills up with plants and animals.
Limited natural spread of biomes and species, requiring constant player intervention.
Lack of a fast-forward toggle button, requiring players to hold down the button to speed up time.

music
286 mentions
52 % positive mentions
47 % neutral mentions
1 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its calming and relaxing qualities, perfectly complementing the game's aesthetic and gameplay. Many players have added the soundtrack to their personal playlists, highlighting its soothing nature and ability to enhance the overall experience. While some noted that the tracks can become repetitive, the majority appreciate the variety and the way the music contributes to a serene atmosphere, making it an ideal backdrop for unwinding.
- “The music is phenomenal - I've added it to my personal relaxing playlist on Spotify.”
- “Such a cute and soothing game, and I could listen to this soundtrack for the rest of my life.”
- “The soundtrack is beautiful and suits the game's atmosphere.”
- “The soundtrack is pleasant but limited, which can also be said of the range of the soundtrack.”
- “Soundtracks repeat way too often and become repetitive quickly.”
- “The music player will start to skip and can really get on your nerves.”
gameplay
246 mentions
30 % positive mentions
68 % neutral mentions
2 % negative mentions
The gameplay of this game is characterized by its simplicity and charm, offering a relaxing experience with intuitive mechanics that revolve around creating and managing ecosystems. While many players find the core mechanics enjoyable and addictive, some express concerns about the game's limited content and slow progression, which can lead to repetitive gameplay after a few hours. Overall, it provides a satisfying blend of casual simulation and strategic planning, appealing to those who appreciate a laid-back gaming experience.
- “It's visually striking and the mechanics are simple, yet enjoyable.”
- “The gameplay is fun and surprisingly addictive; the music is great, and the game is adorable.”
- “The gameplay is very soothing and relaxed, and there are enough tasks to keep yourself busy for a while.”
- “Unfortunately, the core gameplay loop is pretty slow, and it's easy to get yourself stuck in a situation where you're low on points but aren't generating very many, leaving you to either restart or let the game sit for a long time.”
- “The whole gameplay is you sitting, waiting, and looking at some progress bars.”
- “It's a game of grinding and is a glorified version of the alchemy mobile game mechanics - mix two or more things together to get a third thing.”
graphics
223 mentions
49 % positive mentions
50 % neutral mentions
1 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are characterized by a charming low-poly art style that many players find aesthetically pleasing and calming. While some users experienced performance issues at higher settings, the overall consensus is that the visuals are cute, vibrant, and well-suited to the game's relaxing atmosphere. The combination of beautiful graphics and a soothing soundtrack enhances the gameplay experience, making it enjoyable for those who appreciate simplistic yet elegant design.
- “The low-poly art style is really gorgeous and the animal movement is so cute!!”
- “I really love the style and simplicity of the graphics, while diving deep into the strategy of unlocking new plants and animals.”
- “The graphics are beautiful yet simple.”
- “Graphics: 4/10”
- “Despite the low-poly graphics, once I have about half of the map populated, the game starts to stutter, only updating at 'heartbeat' pace or worse.”
- “The graphics are cute but sometimes get in the way of identifying what is what, especially flowers.”
story
67 mentions
12 % positive mentions
79 % neutral mentions
9 % negative mentions
The game "Equilinox" is characterized by a lack of a traditional narrative, functioning instead as a sandbox evolution simulator where players create ecosystems at their own pace. While there are quests that guide gameplay and provide objectives, they serve more as tutorials than a cohesive story, allowing for a relaxed and exploratory experience rather than a structured plot. Players appreciate the freedom to engage with the game creatively, though some express a desire for more substantial story elements or challenges in future updates.
- “Equilinox is a decent abstract evolution simulator where you're given a plot of irregularly shaped land and tasked with developing it with life.”
- “The game won't punish you for either digging right into completing missions or just sitting back and messing around with the world.”
- “The missions are nice and many are repeatable, providing a good amount of income to continue your world.”
- “Equilinox does not have any story; it's merely a simulation of nature. You can fill it with your own story in your head, but it's not meant for this.”
- “There's no keywords to jump through, and no grouped information, which often means clicking on an animal to find out what it eats, then searching for that in the menu, then figuring out if it's unlocked via mission or evolving... it becomes a slog.”
- “After about 6 hours, I was finished with all the quests and it didn't offer much more apart from unlocking the last few items, which in itself gets a bit repetitive.”
grinding
38 mentions
5 % positive mentions
11 % neutral mentions
84 % negative mentions
Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience. While some describe it as mildly tedious and requiring significant micromanagement, others appreciate the self-sustaining ecosystem that allows for idle progression and the rewarding feeling of seeing their world grow. The game strikes a balance between being engaging and grindy, with many suggesting that it can be enjoyable if players are willing to invest the time.
- “The progression isn't tedious, and there's little consequence for going AFK; in fact, the ecosystem is pretty self-sustaining; you'll just gain more points while being idle.”
- “Great game with a lot to unlock, but not tedious.”
- “It's a great game, but the replay loop of grinding DP (in-game currency to buy animals and plants) and using it to grind more with semi-annoying tasks that are required to progress is just not that fun.”
- “It's tedious trying to evolve all the plants and animals, especially when they're dying before the evolution can be completed.”
- “In this game, time only speeds up as you hold down your mouse on the button, which can make grinding for DP a hassle.”
replayability
38 mentions
24 % positive mentions
68 % neutral mentions
8 % negative mentions
The game's replayability is a mixed bag, with some players praising its potential for varied experiences through different world generations and customizable elements, while others find it limited after initial playthroughs. Many appreciate the relaxing nature and aesthetic sandbox aspects, but some express that once goals are achieved, the incentive to replay diminishes. Overall, while there are enjoyable mechanics and creative possibilities, the consensus suggests that additional content could enhance replay value significantly.
- “I'm impressed by the replay value as well, with subsequent games after the first learning-the-ropes game feeling like a different challenge altogether on a different map.”
- “Different world generation options and highly customizable plants and animals add replay value and keep your worlds from all looking the same.”
- “There's absolutely tons to do in this game, with loads of replay value depending on what you want to focus on in your world.”
- “My biggest criticism (and it's not very big at all) is that I don't feel there's a lot of replay value for me, personally.”
- “Low replayability - after you invested 20 hours into building your world, you don't really fancy doing it all over again, since it will be all the same species again, and environment options just don't provide that much variety.”
- “There is no replayability and all you do is watch animals run around and plants grow.”
atmosphere
23 mentions
70 % positive mentions
17 % neutral mentions
13 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its calming and relaxing qualities, enhanced by a beautiful soundtrack and charming graphics. Reviewers highlight the soothing environment, which makes it an enjoyable experience for players seeking a peaceful gaming session. Overall, the combination of thoughtful design, cute visuals, and atmospheric music creates a delightful and immersive ambiance.
- “The music in the game also added to the calming atmosphere and made the experience even more enjoyable.”
- “Great graphics and charming sound design; you never get bored of the atmospheric soundtrack.”
- “The music, the atmosphere, and the gameplay.”
- “This game has a unique and simple art style that really complements the atmosphere of the game.”
- “All in all, I do love the combination of the game's atmosphere, the soundtrack, and the low-poly graphics; it gives me the feeling of calmness and relaxation.”
optimization
22 mentions
27 % positive mentions
45 % neutral mentions
27 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is a mixed bag; while it runs smoothly on lower-end systems and features a pleasing low-poly art style, performance issues arise as the game progresses and the world becomes more populated. Players have reported significant lag and stuttering, particularly in late-game scenarios, suggesting that further optimization is needed to handle increased entity counts. Despite these concerns, many users appreciate the game's addictive nature and hope for future patches to improve performance.
- “Repeating tasks can give additional diversity point gain, and they can be optimized by selectively breeding features that help with the tasks.”
- “What you are actually doing is solving optimization puzzles in a static world where the goal is to increase species 'happiness' and create combinations that enable placing or evolving other species.”
- “The low-poly art style is pleasing and makes it run smoothly on my laptop despite all of the little things going on.”
- “Alright, so under most circumstances I would put yes... however, there are many things in this game that aren't... to put it into words... optimized or even finished.”
- “There's nothing particularly taxing on the system; it's a low-poly game that could probably be run on a phone, but the optimization is just so bad that my 1080ti, i7, and 32GB can't make the game happy.”
- “At end game, the game got really slow and was running at 7fps; I thought maybe the engine was not optimized for a bit more entities.”
stability
14 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is a mixed bag, with some users reporting frequent freezes, particularly during autosaves, and occasional glitches affecting gameplay. While many players experienced minor issues and bugs, they generally found the game playable and enjoyable, especially on more capable systems. Overall, while there are stability concerns, they do not significantly detract from the overall experience for most players.
- “Freezes for about 5 - 10 seconds every 2 seconds.”
- “Game could freeze for 1-2 minutes every autosave, probably because of antivirus.”
- “When auto saving, the game freezes and crashes sometimes.”
humor
13 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highlighted by the amusing animations and quirky behaviors of the animals, such as the hilariously named meerkats and the comical movements of various geometric creatures. Players find joy in the lighthearted interactions, funny mission descriptions, and the overall whimsical nature of the game, making it a relaxing yet entertaining experience. The combination of cute graphics and humorous elements contributes to its charm and appeal.
- “The animals are so funny (omg, the meerkats made me almost spew coffee all over my laptop!).”
- “It's rather funny to see all animals hopping around, even a bear or wolf.”
- “One of the most relaxing and funny games I've ever played.”
emotional
9 mentions
89 % positive mentions
-22 % neutral mentions
33 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by its wholesome and supportive environment, where players experience both joy and heartbreak, particularly through the challenges of world-building and caring for their creations. The low-poly aesthetic enhances the game's charm, making moments of loss, such as the death of in-game animals or plants, feel particularly poignant and impactful. Overall, players find the experience to be heartwarming yet occasionally bittersweet.
- “Contestants were supportive of one another; it's really heartwarming to see that. It shows the maturity of the contestants.”
- “All my chickens died from a disease, and I cried for the rest of the day.”
- “This is an awesome game for chilling and building a nice peaceful landscape with your bouncing sheep, but it is a tad heartbreaking watching your trees keel over and die all the time.”
- “The story was heartbreaking and left me feeling empty.”
- “I expected an emotional journey, but it fell flat and felt forced.”
- “The characters' struggles were supposed to be moving, but I found them unrelatable and dull.”
monetization
3 mentions
100 % positive mentions
-100 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its charming and relaxing gameplay, featuring enjoyable mechanics that do not rely on microtransactions or time-based waiting, setting it apart from many AAA titles. Players appreciate the absence of additional costs, such as DLC or game-breaking bugs, contributing to a solid overall experience.
- “It's incredibly charming and relaxing to play, the soundtrack is lovely, and the unlocking and evolutionary mechanics scratch the kind of clicker/time-based game itch without microtransactions or hours of waiting.”
- “It's a solid game without microtransactions, DLC, or game-breaking bugs (not like all the AAA games released in the past years).”
- “No microtransactions.”
- “The game is incredibly charming and relaxing to play, but the monetization system feels exploitative and detracts from the overall experience.”
- “While the gameplay is solid, the aggressive monetization tactics overshadow the enjoyment and make it hard to recommend.”
- “The lack of transparency in the monetization model leaves players feeling frustrated and undervalued.”