Imagine Earth Review

Game: Imagine Earth
Genre: Puzzle, Simulation, Strategy
System: Nintendo Switch (also available on Steam (Windows) & Xbox)
Developers | Publishers: Serious Brothers
Age Rating: US E | EU 3+
Price: US $24.99 | UK £22.49 | EU € 24,99
Release Date: May 9th, 2024

A review code was used, with many thanks to ÜberStrategist PR.

Back in June 2021, I reviewed Imagine Earth on Steam; fast forward three years, and it is now the turn of the Nintendo Switch to host the game, which is the system on which this review of the game is based.

Imagine Earth, developed by Serious Brothers, is a sci-fi strategy simulation game that was originally partly funded by a successful crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo before being released on Steam.

Earth: Year 2048

Set in the year 2048, Imagine Earth portrays a world where all of Earth’s resources have been depleted, leading to a global crisis. In response, all the big energy companies head to space to colonise other planets and find more resources while aiming for profit.

You play as an employee working for a small company tasked with colonising new planets, making them livable for your people, and providing environmental sustainability. Your goal is to secure enough resources to sustain your colony while creating a hospitable environment for your citizens. However, you’ll face competition from your opponents and need plenty of resources while also striving for a good life for the citizens of your colony.

Range of Modes to Play in Imagine Earth

When you begin the game, Imagine Earth offers a range of modes to play, including campaign, competition, and endless modes.

The campaign mode serves as the story and also as a tutorial and an exploration of various planets. It also teaches you most of the game mechanics, such as resource management, building placement, and environmental impact. The competition mode pits you against rival companies in a race for resources and dominance in a format similar to Humankind. The endless mode offers a sandbox experience, allowing you to build and manage your colony without any time constraints.

All the modes are enjoyable to play, and the storyline is interesting. However, the quality of some of the writing and voice acting throughout the gameplay for the characters varies.

First Colonial Capsule

Initially, you’ll pick a spot for your first colonial capsule; it acts like a central city in Imagine Earth. Then, your goal is to grow your population by ensuring a comfy life for your citizens in this new world, all within your restricted building area on the planet.

To grow your colony, you need to balance power, food, and consumer goods with emissions from their production on the planet. Resources like food can come from fish or farms, while energy can come from oil or solar power, and consumer goods can come from factories or quarries.

Each choice you make affects production and harms the planet differently. Beyond that, the options for sustaining your colony vary. For instance, I’ve had planets sustained with logging camps and fisheries with wind turbines for energy, and on other planets, I’ve used nuclear power, chemical factories and cattle farms for food.

Technological Advancement in the Tech Tree

There is also a tech tree of the game’s technological advancement. It allows you to focus on specific buildings or speed up their progress by purchasing licenses for immediate access to certain technologies. For instance, you can choose to prioritise renewable energy sources or advanced farming techniques. While Imagine Earth also allows you to choose between exploitation and harmony, it heavily encourages the path of harmony.

Another aspect of gameplay is the ongoing need to trade and sell goods that your colonies produce by making top-tier products and trade shares. The base building in Imagine Earth goes beyond just construction, with financial needs adding to the challenge as your rivals can be fierce and will do anything to claim the top spot.

Visuals and Controls

I’ve played Imagine Earth on PC, my Steam Deck, and, of course, the Nintendo Switch for this review; I am impressed that the game looks so good on the Switch. The vibrant colours and distinct habitat visuals make it easy to recognise each zone in your colonies, which in turn enhances the enjoyment of playing Imagine Earth.

However, as you advance the gameplay on the Nintendo Switch (in handheld mode), the increasing number of building options and menus can become hard to navigate as every single button on the Switch is used. I have also had instances of overlapping menus where the corner of the screen on the Switch obscures the text, leaving me unable to read it.

Once you get used to using every single button on the Switch to control the game, the controls work as you would expect them to. I did notice some framerate issues when I moved the camera over the planet, especially when there were a lot of buildings on it. But it is nothing game-breaking, nor does it interfere with the gameplay.

Conclusion

Imagine Earth is an enjoyable sci-fi strategy to play on the Switch. It also has a pretty simple economic system that is not too complex to get to grips with. Plus, the game offers high replay value, as you can try out the scenarios using different strategies, so there is lots of replayability for your cash. I can see myself returning often to play Imagine Earth on my Switch. If sci-fi strategy games are your thing, Imagine Earth is a game to consider purchasing and adding to your game library.

Final Verdict: I Like It a Lot 

Do you like our content? Support LadiesGamers on Patreon!
Check out our Tiers and Benefits and join us.