Preserve is a gorgeous puzzle building gem that has recently arisen from developer Bitmap Galaxy and publisher Grindstone. It’s a wondrous little indie title that captured my attention from the moment I saw the opening screen of the game. After starting it up, I was immediately met with inspired artwork partnered with a deeply soul touching soundtrack which was composed by Robert Bruckmayer. I must say, Bruckmayer did a cracking job, as I often found myself reclining in my seat and taking in the beautiful tunes before opening the door to this fresh and creative experience that has intrigued me since first learning of it.
Before I get further into the details of my experience, I think it would be best that I clarify my personal stance on these sorts of titles and share the fact that I’m not usually a huge fan of board/puzzle games or biome builders. With that out of the way, Preserve utterly blindsided me! Once I got the hang of the gameplay mechanics, it was simply a delightful and gripping experience to create, shape, and nurture growing ecosystems of fascinating and expertly crafted flora and fauna.
With steady real-time progression, as well as experimental freedom and challenging objectives split across the various modes, I found myself consistently engaged. I often found myself taking in the striking beauty and sublime majesty of what I had built in the biome I was currently working on, and I truly soaked it all in whilst the calming soundtrack carried my thoughts to lovely places. It scratched an itch in my mind that I didn’t even realize was residing there and served as a salve for my anxious soul. I don’t intend to speak in hyperbole much longer, so let’s open the book on Preserve and see what it has to share.
Upon first loading in, I was greeted with a wonderfully concise and useful tutorial that really helped me get the hang of the controls and objectives of the game, with plenty of useful tips and tricks for building the perfect biome and solving puzzles. What I really appreciated about the tutorial was its in-depth explanations about how best to achieve “harmony points” (these are essentially the points you need to obtain in order to solve puzzles and obtain bronze, silver, and gold levels of harmony), and it does this by indicating which nifty little tricks and strategies will best aid in achieving the maximum number of points from each provided set piece.
Once the tutorial finished holding my hand and felt I could manage on my own, it took a step back and allowed me some free rein to explore these exciting, newly presented possibilities, as I continued to familiarize myself with the basic mechanics. I was able to best figure it out by getting some hands-on experience through placing blocks onto the biome I created, tending to the blocks as they blossomed into lush landscapes such as verdant forests, sweeping plains of tall grass, and a cascade of colorful flowers for all the cute little critters to enjoy.
Upon fully completing the tutorial, Preserve opened up to a variety of distinct and enjoyable game modes.
“Classic Mode” allows players the opportunity to begin from the ground up in a select biome and create as much variety as they can with the select number of additions provided. As players continue adding life to the areas they are nurturing, the additions grow as well.
“Puzzle Mode” (pictured above) is similar in that it’s playable in each of the game’s biomes, but it differs in that the player must create these biomes while adhering to a relatively strict ruleset in an effort to attain a set number of harmony points with the cards supplied. These cards function as placeable natural resources and features, such as rain, trees, tall grass, animals etc.
Last but not least is “Creative Mode” which gave me Minecraft vibes in the sense of the player freedom I felt while having all available cards at my disposal. Players can elevate and create each biome however they most prefer, as well as experiment with new ideas to see what best fits in each unique zone. I put a few animals here and a few trees there, and just like that it was precisely as I’d envisioned.
Moving away from the available modes, this enchanting title has four main biomes that players can create in. These biomes include Continental, Marine, Jurassic and Savannah. All four of these unique biomes function differently, offering plentiful options to build, explore and lose yourself in their scenic tableaus
For example, the Jurassic biome provides players with plenty of prehistoric plants, spectacular wildlife, and of course the awesome dinos! Whereas the Marine biome gives the player an ample supply of oceanic object options to obsess over, from trees that poke their heads above the water’s surface to tide-dwelling sea life dancing in the waves! All four of the biomes are crafted beautifully, and the developers certainly delivered a meditative experience with a game that embraces peace and relaxation through a near-perfect blending of art style, soundtrack, and enjoyable gameplay.
During my time with this awesome little title, I never personally found too much to complain about. I think the only real negative experience I had was the confusion I dealt with when trying to learn what some of the cards did, and how best to utilize them in specific biomes. I realize now that perhaps I should have paid more attention to that brilliant tutorial, but I digress. After hopping into creative mode for a bit, I was quickly able to test out some theories and then take what I learned back to classic mode and puzzle mode. This greatly minimized my initial confusion and cleared things up, nearly nullifying any negative opinions and experiences I had while playing this game.
As far as things to rave about, the positives aspects of this game are staggering. Preserve presents players with fresh and interesting ideas, a phenomenal art direction and soundtrack, and smooth, relaxing, relatively simple gameplay mechanics that made for a truly enjoyable experience. This games visual appeal is where it shines the brightest. It’s cute, it’s cool, and the joyous feeling it exudes is contagious. From the very start, Preserve enveloped me in a warm and somehow familiar embrace that saw me through to the very end. If you’re a fan of animals, dinos, puzzles, world building, or meditative experiences, go ahead and pick this one up. I think you’ll be happy you did.
Preserve is available to play now on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and Steam.
Final Score 9/10
