Preserve is BitMap Galaxy’s latest game sort of aiming at the relaxing vibe that Animal crossing gives but with puzzles and strategy where the end goal is to bring nature back to its glory from its seeming demise. It was released on August 8th, on all platforms. They have previously worked on an action platformer called Yester Morrow and mobile titles like Saving Joule and Little Galaxy.
Gameplay: We’ve Seemingly Seen It Before With Dorfromantik
As the title states we have seen the general gameplay before of strategically placing hexagonal tiles onto an invisible board. In the case of Dorfromantik, placing the tiles was meant to essentially create a landscape so that communities can start thriving and the player could only pick and place tiles from a given stack. In the case of Preserve, initially the player gets a plot of land with different terrains on it and 2 types of cards, these cards being environmental effects, plants, animals etc to create a thriving ecosystem. Right away while they do look similar from the start, the difference in gameplay is significant as Preserve demands more thought behind the decisions as to which card to pick compared to Dorfromantik’s gameplay of where to place the tile.
Placing the right cards on the right plots of land or hexagons earns the player points which in turn give them the ability to place another plot of land and so on and so forth. As the player starts progressing and getting more cards on their deck they come to the strategy part of the game, the cards start to vary with different kinds of trees, flowers, herbivores and carnivores which need to be placed in such a way so as to create a thriving ecosystem.
The cards themselves will also give hints as to where to place them such as highlands, lowlands or mountains and what type of elements they need such as sunlight, water or shelter and their placement which would lead to the most amount of points. Progressing also means players have to eventually deal with natural disasters, invasive species or habitat loss so as to keep the gameplay feeling fresh and keep the puzzle element active.
It’s Relaxing Alright!
The game nails the relaxation aspect, it’s always a treat to look at with the light colors and smooth slow animations and calm serene music that never fails to create a relaxing vibe to play in. The gameplay is perfect as the environment creates the system where the player naturally takes his or her time in making decisions as to which cards to place.
While the game advertises this, progressing early and strategizing from the very beginning does reward those players too with achievements. This is coupled with the fact that the game does educate the player on the ecosystem the player is creating thus invoking a sense of satisfaction when points are earned based on what the game informed the player on.
Conclusion: It Should Be On Everyone’s Radar
Preserve had marketed itself as a fun, relaxing puzzle strategy game and it more than delivers on that front with satisfying sounds, music and the gameplay is fun and does hint at the player to take some time before choosing another card to maximize the amount of points to earn. You can also start to hear the environment as more trees, grasslands or flowerbeds are added such as birds chirping and the sounds of water flowing.
Calling this game a breath of fresh air doesn’t do it justice. In this day and age most games that come out overpromise and under-deliver just look at Anthem, Godfall and No Man’s Sky (Although it has delivered since then with a whole lot of updates). What is notable is that indie games that release tend to deliver exactly what they promised whether that is due to the small budget or minimal company oversight.
Overall this game should be among everyone’s radar who enjoy games like Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing even though the gameplay is significantly different. What each game masterfully delivers is this sense of calm and serene vibe that is rare to find these days from any other game.
