While traditionally most games have been very objective-based in some way, with your goal to be to beat the game or at least get as high as score as possible, there are absolutely some that are simply more about the experience. While that isn’t to say there’s no way to measure your success, or an incentive to try to do a better job, with some titles that’s secondary to simply enjoying the experience. In particular, I’ve found that games like Preserve have tended to have this sort of vibe to them, with an emphasis on experimentation, discovery, and simply the joy of optimizing a biome effectively.

Playing somewhere between a puzzle and a strategy game, in Preserve you’ll start out with some sections of land, a few different cards, and simply a goal to make the most out of what you’ve been given. Using cards to bring rain will make it so you can then establish a specific type of biome on it using another card. Once you’ve established a large enough biome of the same type you’ll then be able to place appropriate animal cards in them. Once you’ve established enough of a specific species in a given biome you’ll have established a habitat for them… and so on. 

While it starts out simple enough, it won’t take long to begin understanding the greater degree of complexity under the hood and see a greater need for planning, especially as you expand. There’s a relationship between specific elevations, biomes, and species that you’ll need to look to establish and then nurture, and this can absolutely take some trial and error to get it right. While you won’t necessarily be penalized for your mistakes, you won’t be able to continue to grow your current ecosystem if you fail to be effective, but the good news is that just means you can start over again and apply what you’ve learned the next time.

In order to help extend the play experience there are multiple ecosystems, each with their distinct biomes and wildlife that you’ll need to experiment with and help to flourish. Even once you’ve exhausted those options there’s also a Creative mode, which should allow you to meticulously create your own ideal environment in more of a sandbox style if you feel so inclined. While this won’t appeal to people in search of action or some greater challenge, there is a meditative and relaxing quality to it that can be satisfying.