Preserve

Preserve (2024) is a creative puzzle game where you construct habitats and ecosystems that match animal requirements. To get the best score you must use cards to place plants and animals and shape the terrain as efficiently as possible. It may look like a straightforward nature-building game, but learning to combine card placement and terrain to maximise your score adds a substantial challenge.

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Play revolves around using cards to shape the terrain and populate it with animals to score points. You create different habitats, like savannas, oceans, and forests, and fill each with up to three animals. The key is making the most efficient use of the space you have, maximising your score by placing down as many animals as you can. To do this, you must carefully plan out your habitats and divide them using rivers and other habitats, ensuring none get too large. By getting enough points, you unlock extra space and cards you can use to continue scoring.

What first appears to be a simple game of decorating a wasteland soon becomes a strategic puzzle where carefully planning your actions is essential. When you run out of space and options, you start over again and try to improve your score. Alternatively, the Creative mode enables you to design your own ecosystem freely, without any cards or constraints.

The result is a game that highlights the importance of the natural world but truly stands out for the nuance and strategy of maximising your score with your cards and the space you have. Gradually learning how to improve your management and efficiency is a puzzle in its own right. Seeing your high score tick up is a worthy reward for the ambition and creativity needed.

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Our examiner, Ben Kendall, first checked Preserve 4 weeks ago. It was re-examined by Jo Robertson and updated 4 weeks ago.