Equilinox

About

Equilinox is a single player casual strategy game. It was developed by ThinMatrix and was released on November 23, 2018. It received very positive reviews from players.

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

+10

Skip User Reviews

93%

Audience ScoreBased on 2,395 reviews

music183 positive mentions

grinding42 negative mentions

A relaxing and cozy game that allows players to create and manage their own ecosystems.
Charming graphics and a soothing soundtrack enhance the overall experience.
Offers a satisfying progression system with various species to unlock and evolve.

The game suffers from performance issues, particularly lag and crashes when the world becomes populated.
Biomes and species do not spread naturally, requiring constant player intervention.
Lacks depth and replayability once all tasks are completed, leading to a sense of emptiness.

music
339 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
54%
45%
1%
The music in the game is widely praised for its calming and beautiful qualities, enhancing the overall relaxing atmosphere of the gameplay. Many players find the soundtrack to be a perfect accompaniment to the game's visuals and mechanics, often describing it as soothing and enjoyable enough to listen to even outside of gameplay. While some note that the music can become repetitive over time, the majority appreciate its charm and how it contributes to a stress-relieving experience.
- “The music is incredible, and there's something very satisfying about building and maintaining habitats.”
- “The music is phenomenal - I've added it to my personal relaxing playlist on Spotify.”
- “The music is charming and I found the overall look of the game to be delightfully quirky.”
- “The music player will start to skip and can really get on your nerves.”
- “Soundtracks repeat way too often and become repetitive quickly.”
- “Only problem for me is that the songs change very abruptly.”
gameplay
307 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
66%
3%
The gameplay of Equilinox is characterized by its relaxing and intuitive mechanics, allowing players to create and manage ecosystems through selective breeding and resource management. While the core gameplay loop is engaging and visually appealing, many players note a lack of depth and content after a few hours, leading to a repetitive experience. Despite some performance issues and a need for more diverse gameplay elements, the game is praised for its charming aesthetics and soothing atmosphere, making it a pleasant experience for casual gamers.
- “The gameplay is simple yet beautiful.”
- “The music is perfect, and the gameplay itself has just enough 'one more day' to keep you playing far longer than you expected.”
- “Equilinox excels where other simulation games often fail: the gameplay is complex in all the right places but the overall mechanics are kept fairly simple.”
- “There's just not enough gameplay or visual to make this game worth it once you've completed the basic progression.”
- “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.”
- “Gameplay can become quickly dull and you're really limited in numbers, with no warnings you will spend lots of your currency to buy trees to make a forest and 3/4 will die because you can only have a small number at once.”
graphics
281 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
48%
51%
1%
The graphics of the game are characterized by a charming low-poly art style that many players find visually appealing and fitting for the game's relaxing atmosphere. While some users appreciate the simplicity and cuteness of the graphics, others have noted performance issues, such as lag and crashes, particularly on lower-end systems. Overall, the aesthetic is generally well-received, contributing to the game's calming vibe, though opinions on its appeal may vary among players.
- “The low-poly art style is really gorgeous and the animal movement is so cute!!”
- “The graphics are beautiful yet simple.”
- “The graphics are easy on the eyes and the music is soothing.”
- “Awful game, awful UI, awful simulation, awful graphics.”
- “The graphics may seem basic, but they are actually very lovely.”
- “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.”
story
77 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
12%
80%
8%
The game "Equilinox" lacks a traditional narrative, functioning instead as a sandbox simulation where players create and manage ecosystems. While there are numerous quests that guide gameplay and provide direction, they serve more as tutorials than a cohesive story, allowing players to engage at their own pace without a central plot. Overall, the experience is characterized by freedom in creation rather than a structured storyline.
- “Equilinox is a fun sandbox game in which you create ecosystems on a square plot of land. You are the god of your little plot of land and those animals and plants can either thrive or suffer at your merciless hands.”
- “I'm thankful for the quests the game gradually rolls out to you; otherwise, I'd probably have spent all twenty hours trying to get the biggest purple tulip I could.”
- “The mission had me keep going to evolve and unlock all the species.”
- “Equilinox does not have any story; it's merely a simulation of nature.”
- “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.”
- “There is no story or plot - the game is purely about creation.”
grinding
47 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
4%
7%
89%
The grinding aspect of the game receives mixed feedback, with some players finding it tedious and time-consuming, particularly when it comes to unlocking content and managing resources. While many acknowledge a degree of grindiness, they also appreciate the relaxing nature of the gameplay and the satisfaction of watching their ecosystem develop. Overall, the experience can be enjoyable for those who don't mind some repetitive tasks, but it may deter players seeking a more dynamic or fast-paced experience.
- “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.”
- “No, of course I have to unlock everything through this tedious gameplay and hideous tiny menus.”
- “It's tedious trying to evolve all the plants and animals, especially when they're dying before the evolution can be completed.”
- “Not enjoyable even as a sandbox experience, because you have to unlock basically everything and doing so is a tedious chore.”
replayability
41 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
24%
69%
7%
The game's replayability is a mixed bag, with some players finding it highly enjoyable due to various maps, customization options, and sandbox elements, while others feel it lacks depth after initial playthroughs. Many appreciate the potential for creating unique worlds and challenges, but some express concerns about limited replay value once goals are achieved. Overall, the game offers a relaxing experience with varying degrees of replayability depending on individual preferences and play styles.
- “Great replay value as well.”
- “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.”
- “The game has roughly 6-7 hours of playtime and replayability is a bit low.”
optimization
31 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
45%
26%
Overall, the game's optimization is a mixed bag; while some players report smooth performance on lower-end hardware, many experience significant stuttering and lag as their worlds become more populated. Frequent performance issues, particularly in late-game scenarios, suggest that the game requires further optimization to handle increased complexity without crashing or slowing down. Despite its charming low-poly art style, the need for better optimization is a common concern among users.
- “Being able to run smoothly at the highest graphics on my slow PC is also a bonus.”
- “Considering the simplistic graphics approach, it looks absolutely gorgeous, it runs smoothly, and it is addictive as hell!”
- “The low-poly art style is pleasing and makes it run smoothly on my laptop despite all of the little things going on.”
- “Please reoptimize this for modern hardware so it's playable without stuttering to a near stop after a few hours.”
- “It's a fun game, but once it gets populated it really stutters and glitches, needs some serious optimization.”
- “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 and i7 and 32GB can't make the game happy.”
atmosphere
25 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
72%
16%
12%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its calming and peaceful qualities, enhanced by a beautiful soundtrack and charming graphics. Players appreciate the relaxing experience it offers, making it ideal for leisurely play. Overall, the combination of soothing music, cute visuals, and thoughtful design creates a delightful and immersive environment.
- “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.”
stability
21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is a mixed bag, with many users reporting significant bugs and performance issues, particularly as the game world becomes populated, leading to lag, freezes, and crashes. While some players find the game enjoyable despite these glitches, others express frustration over the lack of developer support for fixes. Overall, while there are moments of smooth gameplay, the frequent technical problems detract from the experience, especially during autosaves and in more populated scenarios.
- “This is a great game, but it is buggy and the developers have moved on, so there is no hope of fixes.”
- “Once the world becomes populated, it begins to lag until it eventually freezes and/or crashes.”
- “After that, distracting micro-freezes start occurring every 3 seconds, becoming more frequent as time goes on and eventually causing the game to crash.”
humor
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is highlighted by its charming graphics and whimsical animal designs, featuring amusing names like "boomer" and "mr. tub" that elicit smiles from players. The inclusion of funny animations, a slow-motion toggle, and humorous mission descriptions adds to the lighthearted experience, making it a relaxing and entertaining sandbox simulation. Overall, players appreciate the game's ability to blend humor with its unique ecosystem mechanics.
- “The animals are so funny (OMG, the meerkats made me almost spew coffee all over my laptop!).”
- “Hilariously, they actually included a slow motion toggle, which I can only assume is proof the developer is trolling the player.”
- “With funny animal names such as 'Boomer', 'Mr. Tub', and 'Herobrine', you'll find yourself often clicking on your polygon creatures just to see if they've got a name that will make you smile.”
emotional
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
92%
25%
The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by its wholesome and heartwarming nature, with players expressing joy in building and nurturing their environments. However, there are also moments of heartbreak, such as the loss of in-game characters or elements, which adds depth to the overall experience. Players appreciate the balance of satisfaction and emotional investment, making it a rewarding yet poignant journey.
- “Contestants were supportive of one another; it's really heartwarming to see that, as 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 meant to be emotional, but they lacked depth and connection.”
monetization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
The game is praised for its charming and relaxing gameplay, complemented by a lovely soundtrack, and it features engaging unlocking and evolutionary mechanics without the presence of microtransactions or lengthy wait times. Reviewers appreciate the absence of additional costs, DLC, or significant bugs, highlighting it as a refreshing alternative to many recent AAA titles.
- “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 game is solid, the aggressive monetization tactics overshadow its quality and enjoyment.”
- “The lack of microtransactions is refreshing, but the game still feels incomplete without additional content that should have been included.”