Preserve - Early Access [Impressions]
Preserve is a puzzle game about building gorgeous ecosystems.
Preserve. Credit: Bitmap Galaxy / Grindstone Games
Preserve is a challenging puzzle game with relaxing gameplay, beautiful art, and a strong ecology theme. It was developed by Bitmap Galaxy and published by Grindstone Games.
From Steam:
Preserve is a puzzle nature-building game that takes players on a journey into a harmonious ecosystem. The objective is to foster and sustain a thriving and diverse biomes, where each component coexists in a symbiotic harmony. By utilizing strategic thinking and a keen eye for balance, players are granted the power to position a wide array of plants and animals, curating an environment that caters to their preferences and aspirations.
Preserve. Credit: Bitmap Galaxy / Grindstone Games
The game is played on a grid of hexagonal tiles of different heights, starting with a barren landscape. You use cards to water each tile, and then you can place forests, flower fields, and other habitats, which can house up to three types of animals, depending on the habitat’s size. You earn points for placement, with special combo bonuses for things such as the diversity of creatures in a single habitat, then crossing certain point thresholds will allow you to expand your landmass and get new cards. Success depends on your ability to create optimal ecosystems for maximum point yield.
Preserve includes additional game modes, such as creative mode and puzzle mode. In creative mode, you can build without any restrictions. Puzzle mode presents you with a predetermined map and hand of cards and challenges you to earn an exact amount of points using only those cards.
Preserve. Credit: Bitmap Galaxy / Grindstone Games
I loved the game’s presentation, with its colorful 3D graphics and realistic lighting. Placing a habitat results in a satisfying pop-in animation, and it’s fun to see the animals you place wander around their new homes. The UI is also easy to understand, and the card illustrations are pretty. Preserve feels like playing a single-player board game with components that are so high-end that they’re magical. My only complaint is that the music sounds a little generic or cliche.
Despite being released only recently in Early Access, Preserve offers excellent controller support. The game is clearly designed around using a mouse, and often, games like that don’t prioritize controller support early on. Playing it on my Steam Deck was a wonderful experience.
Preserve. Credit: Bitmap Galaxy / Grindstone Games
In its current Early Access state, Preserve includes three distinct biomes with distinct features and challenges that mix up gameplay—Continental, Savannah, and Marine. Each one makes you consider different things as the mechanics change to suit the biome. For example, Savannah includes large natural features that take up multiple tiles on the board, and Marine contains cards that raise the elevation of tiles from the ocean floor and giant animals such as whales.
The game often stumped me, but I’m looking forward to spending more time with it to discover how to build the best possible ecosystem and how Bitmap Galaxy further refines the game. The developers have said that if the game succeeds, they will add more biomes as DLC, and I’m really hoping for a prehistoric biome.
Preserve is available now in Steam Early Access for PC.
Played on: Steam Deck
