Parents' Guide to ECOsystem Inc : Save The Planet

Though the idea behind this simulation game is potentially impactful, its execution leaves a lot of be desired. In order for this type of game to be effective, it's important that the players understand the mechanics and how their moves impact the end goal. ECOsystem INC: Save the Planet ultimately fails in this regard, which negates not only the educational value, but the level of fun. The premise is a good one: How can you reverse the effects of pollution around the world? But with no tutorial, help, or guide, players are left spending money without necessarily knowing why. What does "Biomass" mean in the context of energy creation? Why would you want to use solar energy vs. hydroelectric in a particular region? Are any of the energies more efficient than the others? None of these questions are answered making it difficult to know which technologies to invest in at any given time. The app does provide a few hints at the beginning of a mission, but those only serve to make things more mindless. If you want to make a lot of money, but don't care about the planet, simply keep upgrading all the green technologies without spending elsewhere. Winning the missions often comes down to spending the money as soon as it comes in on the first thing you can afford. Once you start using the ads to lower pollution/raise energy production, any hope for realism is lost. In the end, this sim lacks depth and challenge, and the bigger message it's trying to send is lost along the way.