Preserve – A cozy and unique ecological puzzle game

• DEVELOPER: Bitmap Galaxy
• PUBLISHER: Grindstone
• PLATFORMS: PC
• GENRE: Puzzle / Cozy
• RELEASE DATE: August 8, 2024
• STARTING PRICE: 12,49€
• REVIEWED VERSION: PC

Loving cozy games can be challenging at times, they’re often either too cozy for some tastes or don’t offer much in return for the player’s investment. However, there are standout titles like Terra Nil or Tiny Glade that truly do the genre justice. Preserve, on the other hand, takes the familiar puzzle game formula and does something entirely unique with it. This game combines hex-tile gameplay with the challenge of creating biomes that meet the needs of various animals. Unlike its counterparts, Preserve feels more like a strategic jigsaw puzzle, where thinking through your actions is important.

Familiar gameplay mechanics with some twists

Each level in Preserve represents a natural habitat, complete with its own set of rules. However, the overall goal remains consistent: to score points by building thriving ecosystems. You start with a plot of land divided into hexagonal tiles. Using cards from your deck, you can water the land by adding lakes, streams, or rain. This encourages vegetation to grow, allowing you to choose what ecosystems to develop.

For example, in the Savanna biome, careful consideration is needed when watering tiles, as its vegetation is far more diverse than in other biomes, and not everything is interconnected. Connecting three tiles of the same type unlocks an animal slot, allowing you to place animals that match the environment. Some animals, like hippos and elephants, can inhabit multiple environments. Your goal is to strategically arrange tiles and animals to maximize points, unlocking new cards and areas as you cross scoring thresholds.

The game features four biomes in its Early Access stage, each offering distinct mechanics:

• Forest Biome: Focuses on terrain and straightforward tile placement.
• Desert Biome: Adds a twist where rain only partially nourishes grass, making ponds and streams crucial for creating lush vegetation.
• Ocean Biome: Introduces oxygenation and elevation mechanics, requiring careful planning as some environments and animals need specific land heights or trenches to thrive.
• Jurrasic Biome: Adds dinosaurs and unique vegetation into the game.

Every biome brings something new

Each biome feels fresh and encourages different strategies. Additionally, you can choose from small, medium, or large maps, challenging your brain with various layouts. If high-score challenges aren’t your thing, there’s also a designer photo mode where you can experiment with elements from different biomes and capture beautiful screenshots of your creations.

Grouping similar tiles is essential because larger groups (3, 6, or 12 tiles) open more animal slots. Placing three of the same animal in a group scores well, but finding three different animals that coexist in the same environment earns even bigger rewards. Thankfully, removal cards allow you to undo previous moves, giving the game a more skill-driven feel.

My biggest gripe with this game is the heavy reliance on randomness. In many instances, you might receive the same animals three times in a row after completing each point objective, making it frustratingly difficult to reach the final goal. There’s simply too much emphasis on luck and RNG, which can turn playing on smaller maps into more of a chore than intended.

Ending thoughts

That said, other mechanics, such as lakes that must flow downhill and terrain multipliers, introduce layers of complexity. The longer you play, the more thoughtful and engaging the gameplay becomes. In addition to the main gameplay, Preserve includes a Puzzle Mode, where RNG is removed, and you’re tasked with solving developer-made levels within a limited number of moves.

Beyond the points mentioned above, Preserve is a breathtakingly beautiful game. It’s visually stunning, almost to its own advantage. The soundtrack is incredibly relaxing, and the attention to detail in each biome, from the art to the colors, perfectly complements the game’s overall atmosphere. This is a title you’ll find yourself returning to again and again, especially since it continues to receive updates. As someone who is typically critical of cozy games, this one definitely hits the mark as a truly exceptional experience.

Review copy provided by the publisher

4.3