Imagine Earth

About

"Imagine Earth is a single-player Science Fiction RTS game with a good plot and fabulous visuals. Colonize distant planets, manage resources, and deal with threats like asteroid strikes while balancing corporate profits with preserving living conditions for your people. Research technologies, build cities, and trade resources in space as you expand and maximize growth."

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

78%

Audience ScoreBased on 523 reviews

gameplay41 positive mentions

optimization3 negative mentions

Unique blend of city-building and ecological management, providing a fresh take on the genre.
Engaging gameplay with a focus on balancing resource management and environmental impact.
Active development with frequent updates and responsive developers who listen to community feedback.

User interface can be clunky and confusing, making it difficult to manage buildings and resources effectively.
Graphics and character designs may feel cartoonish and lack detail, detracting from immersion.
The campaign can feel repetitive and lacks depth in replayability, with limited content available.

gameplay
103 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
55%
5%
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating its unique mechanics and environmental themes, while others criticize it for being overly simplistic or repetitive. Many find the balance between city-building and ecological management engaging, though some express frustration with the tutorial and user interface. Overall, the game offers a solid experience for fans of the genre, with potential for depth and replayability, but it may not satisfy those seeking more complex gameplay.
- “There are enough variations in game mechanics that keep this game interesting, and I still find myself coming back to it from time to time.”
- “The gameplay is addictive and has that 'just one more turn' quality.”
- “The strategy and choice involved keep the gameplay varied so that even campaign missions with pre-generated maps can be played in many different ways.”
- “All of the interactive elements that should make the game unique to my experience are wiped away under mechanics heavily decided by what the developers think you should do instead of what you want to do.”
- “However, the gameplay is not as deep as other games in the genre; there is a sharp difficulty increase mid-campaign that may discourage newer or casual players, and a mechanic that is completely ignored.”
- “Imagine's gameplay just feels clunky, from setting up cities to the requirements for upgrades to actually expanding your colony.”
story
96 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
11%
85%
3%
The game's story is generally considered passable, featuring a campaign that follows a small company striving to create sustainable colonies in a profit-driven galaxy. While some players find the narrative engaging and the missions progressively challenging, others criticize it for being filled with clichés and lacking depth. Overall, the campaign serves more as a tutorial for gameplay mechanics rather than a compelling narrative experience.
- “The campaign story follows a small company as they work to make sustainable colonies in a galaxy that's more profit-focused.”
- “The game is beautiful and the story is kind of interesting.”
- “The strategy and choice involved keep the gameplay varied so that even campaign missions with pre-generated maps can be played in many different ways.”
- “The game has a passable storyline and what I would call token elements of 4X strategy games.”
- “But the campaign story is filled with tropes and a socialist speech that gets annoying real fast.”
- “The presentation of the campaign is boring (typical text boxes), which is a pity since the mission design itself is well done.”
graphics
96 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
51%
5%
The graphics of the game are generally well-received, with many players praising the beautiful visuals, unique art style, and smooth animations. However, some critiques highlight issues such as repetitive building designs, cartoonish aesthetics, and a lack of detail in certain textures. Overall, while the graphics are appealing and contribute positively to the gameplay experience, there is room for improvement in realism and variety.
- “The graphics are stellar and things like meteors are fully animated, which is cool.”
- “The game has beautiful visuals from the nature to the buildings, though the non-euclidean nature of the maps leads to odd proportions on certain maps and on certain levels.”
- “Game graphics are utterly stunning, polished and very, very professional.”
- “The graphics start out at a garbage resolution; easy fix, but then it still looks kinda ugly.”
- “1990's graphics, an unclean user interface, and text boxes so that the player doesn't feel immersed at all.”
- “The textures (or graphics) for the buildings just aren't appealing for such a cool game in my opinion.”
music
29 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
41%
45%
14%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many praising its inspiring and well-composed tracks that enhance the atmosphere, while others note issues like abrupt transitions and repetitiveness that can detract from the experience. Some players find the soundtrack beautiful and fitting, while others criticize it as boring or unremarkable. Overall, the music is generally appreciated for its quality, though it may benefit from more variety.
- “The first thing that struck me about this game is the absolutely masterfully composed music.”
- “The music is modern and relaxing but also sci-fi, which makes the atmosphere great.”
- “Enjoyed the graphical style and the soundtrack a lot!”
- “The soundtrack puts you to sleep, and graphics were disappointing.”
- “The soundtrack is also terrible, adding to the queasy vibe of the game.”
- “It is boring and repetitive; add more music please because it destroys gameplay (try to play this game for 1 hour listening to only one song).”
replayability
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
54%
23%
23%
The game's replayability is generally viewed as strong, with multiple factions, a variety of downloadable worlds, and modes like competitive and versus providing ample opportunities for replay. However, some players feel that the limited campaign missions and lack of engaging content diminish its overall replay value, leading to mixed opinions on its long-term appeal. Despite this, features like a map editor and various challenges contribute positively to the game's replayability for many users.
- “You can choose which of several factions to play as, all of which have their own special powers, and there are also a number of worlds you can download from the Steam Workshop, so there's plenty of replayability once you have finished the campaign.”
- “The versus mode is very replayable, and the map editor leaves room for the imagination if you enjoy designing your own levels.”
- “It's a deeply rewarding strategy game with incredible replayability and great visuals.”
- “No replay value.”
- “For the amount you spend, it is a little lacking in replayability. The campaign is good enough, but that's where it ended for me. Other people may find it good enough to replay, but not me.”
- “The €22.99 price tag in Germany and $24.99 in the USA feels a bit overpriced, especially as there are currently only 5 missions in the game, and those five missions have little replay value.”
humor
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is described as a mix of corny and situational comedy, often highlighting the absurdity of player actions and environmental consequences. While some find the humor engaging and entertaining, others feel it lacks originality and could benefit from a more nuanced approach to its themes. Overall, the humor is seen as a consistent and enjoyable aspect of the gameplay experience.
- “Stealing it with a border expansion tower hack and watching his empire growth grind to a halt was hilarious.”
- “I also think reaching the endgame if you are polluting a lot can be very funny; you should try it once.”
- “This game just keeps getting better and the humor is great.”
optimization
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
17%
50%
Overall, the game's optimization is well-received, particularly on the Steam Deck, where it runs smoothly and looks visually appealing. However, players note that while the audio elements are generally well-balanced, the voice acting quality varies significantly. Additionally, effective space optimization is crucial for gameplay success.
- “Nice game, optimized for Steam Deck.”
- “It's fun, looks pretty, runs smoothly.”
- “The game requires a fairly high level of space optimization if you want to get somewhere.”
- “Most focus in on optimization and outperforming your competitors.”
- “From big pharma to kings & castles, SimCity, Transport Tycoon, Cities in Motion, Rise of Industry, I know my way around optimization.”
atmosphere
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
75%
The game's atmosphere is enhanced by a modern, relaxing sci-fi soundtrack, creating an engaging environment for players. However, while players can manipulate the atmosphere through various actions, the lack of military strategy and options to combat environmental challenges limits the depth of interaction with the atmospheric elements.
- “The music is modern and relaxing but also sci-fi, which makes the atmosphere great.”
- “It would change the atmosphere gas composition slightly, leading to many different effects, like intensified growth of green algae, and when done too quickly, it could create a greenhouse effect.”
- “Apart from the lack of military strategy, there was absolutely no way to combat the rising tides or to attempt to stabilize the atmosphere using technology.”
- “As a player, I wanted to 'play dirty' with nuclear energy and pump the atmosphere full of toxic chemicals.”
- “(It would change the atmosphere's gas composition slightly, leading to many different effects, like intensified growth of green algae, and when done too quickly, could exacerbate the greenhouse effect.)”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The grinding aspect of the game is characterized as slow and limited, with players noting that excessive grinding can lead to an easy experience if they revisit completed planets for research. Comparisons to other city builders, like Anno 2070, highlight a desire for more engaging and dynamic gameplay elements to alleviate the grind.
- “Slow, limited, grindy city builder.”
- “If you research everything early by going back to a planet after completing it and just grinding it, yes it will be too easy.”
- “Slow, limited, grindy city builder.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
100%
The monetization strategy of the game has been criticized as a "cash grab," with users expressing frustration over in-app purchases and technical issues that hinder gameplay, such as installation problems.
- “The in-app purchases are reasonably priced and offer great value for the content provided.”
- “I appreciate that the game doesn't pressure you into spending money; you can enjoy it fully without making purchases.”
- “The monetization model is fair, allowing players to progress without feeling forced to buy anything.”
- “This game used to be my favorite, but it appears to be another 'cash grab' by the developers, as now the game refuses to install or download because of supposed corrupt files.”
- “In-app purchase data: if you perform financial transactions (such as when you make a purchase in a game), we collect information about the purchase.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, users report that while the game's GUI has some bugs, they are generally manageable, allowing players to easily restart if issues arise. However, some players express frustration after repeatedly troubleshooting without resolution.
- “The GUI is a bit buggy here and there, but not so bad that you can't hit the Esc key and try again.”
- “I've tried all the troubleshooting steps five times and still face issues.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Players find the emotional aspect of the game particularly impactful due to its hand-crafted campaign, which offers a heart-warming experience that stands in contrast to the often impersonal nature of randomly generated games.
- “There's something heartwarming about going through a hand-crafted campaign, as opposed to every randomly generated game out there.”
- “The emotional depth of the characters made me feel truly connected to their journeys.”
- “I was moved to tears by the story; it resonated with my own experiences in a profound way.”