A lot of positive reviews mention that the negative reviews comment on the community and not the game itself. I think the observation is fair, but since the game has a huge social online aspect, you cannot really separate the two. For a game where you have to cooperate and accommodate for the overarching goal, the attitude of the community being "we are doing it my way or the highway" is disheartening and demotivating.

Alright, listen here, ya bunch of beaver-huggin’ coders — I got a moose knuckle to pick with this game called Eco. Bud, grab your double-double, sit down, and let's talk about this digital tree-huggin’ simulator.

Now don’t get me wrong, I like the idea. You start off with nothin’ but your hands and a few wooden tools, like some kinda backwoods lumberjack, and the goal is to build a civilization without destroying the environment, eh? Sounds like something we’d all get behind — especially in Canada where half our national identity is apologizing to trees before we cut ‘em down. But holy smokes, once you get into it, it’s like living inside a bureaucratic nightmare that makes the Canadian Revenue Agency look like a drive-thru at Tim’s.

First off, the skill points. What is this, a government grant application? You gotta wait actual real-life hours to learn how to chop better wood. Like, I’m out here felling trees like Paul Bunyan with a limp, and the game’s telling me I need a permit just to make a slightly better axe. Who made this? The ghost of the Ontario Building Code?

Then there’s the laws system — oh boy. You wanna mine some coal? Better write a bylaw, get it passed, post it to the legislative board, and pray your four cabin-mates don’t veto it ‘cause “we’re trying to go green.” Meanwhile, I’m just tryna power the sawmill so we don’t all freeze to death when winter hits — but nooo, someone read one too many David Suzuki pamphlets and now I’m the bad guy for wanting to smelt a bit of iron!

And let’s talk about pollution. Buddy, I fart once near a tailings pile and suddenly there’s a global crisis. Look, I respect the environment — I recycle, I don’t drive a truck unless it’s hockey season, and I cried during The Lorax — but I breathe near a fish and now it’s belly-up in the lake? Get a grip, game. We’re not running an oil sands up here — it’s one damn kiln!

And don’t even get me started on the economy system. You wanna buy a few tomatoes from your neighbour? You better hope you took Advanced Spreadsheets 301 in university, ‘cause you’re about to do more currency conversion than a snowbird flying back from Florida.

But the worst part? The comet. The whole time you’re playing this maple syrup-coated municipal simulator, there’s a big ol’ space rock threatening to wipe out all your hard work. So after all the lawmaking, forest preserving, tax setting, and zoning debates, you still might lose it all unless your community comes together and actually does something. Which, let’s be honest, is about as likely as getting Alberta and Quebec to agree on carbon pricing.

So yeah, Eco is like living in a co-op with six policy majors, three environmental activists, and one Frenchie from Québec who just wants to mine in peace. It's beautiful, it's frustrating, it's slow as molasses in January… and yet, I keep going back. Because deep down, it's the most Canadian game I've ever played.

Just wish it came with a snowplow and a union rep.

There ya go. Rant complete. Now if you’ll excuse me, I gotta go build a compost toilet before someone files a lawsuit over wastewater runoff.



TLDR - It is an amazing game. Buy it. In Canadian dollars.

Eco is a good game and even though it states single player, online CO-OP, LAN CO-OP I don;t like the idea of anyone coming in. Me and my brother tried 2 player co-op and found it to be hit and miss. The devs really need to make joing a lot more flexible and protective.