Genius Games is known for good, science based board games. Two of them fall into the same category of game, in fact, both versions of Ecosystem use the same core mechanism. I own both of them, but is that a good decision. Is there a reason for anyone to own both the versions of Ecosystem, or is one of Ecosystem and Ecosystem: Coral Reef better?

How Ecosystem Works

Let’s start out by looking at how Ecosystem, both versions work in similar ways. Both of them are tableau building and drafting games. You draft a card from a hand and you then put it into a five wide by four tall grid. The card must go adjacent to another card that you’ve already placed.

Each card that you place, animal or feature of your ecosystem provides points in different ways. Some of them give you points for being adjacent to other animals or terrain types. Others give you points for having the most of them or the size of group that you have. Whomever has the most points at the end of the game wins.

The Differences

I’m not going to go over similarities, I kind of already did. I’m going to focus in on the main differences of the two. And I think that there’s one main area where there are differences. But first, the minor area of differences. While some of the scoring is similar, it is not all the same. Some of the scoring is quite different and that’s expected as it isn’t clearly a reskin.

The one area where the games differ is how they encourage diversity in your ecosystem. Like in the real world, it’d collapse if the balance isn’t right. And both of the games handle it a different way. In Ecosystem, you want to have the biggest variety. That gives you points the more variety that you have. And it adds in a challenge for scoring because to get that diversity you won’t build an ideal tableau.

For Ecosystem: Coral Reef it is a bit trickier, but easier once you know what is going on. The scoring of all the cards is split into four categories. Three of them matter for this end game scoring bonus. The end game scoring bonus looks at the three categories of producer, prey, and predator. The one that you score lowest in gives you that number of points again as a bonus. So you want to make sure that none of the categories are ignored.

Should You Own Both?

I think this will depend on the group. I say that pretty often, but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t true. With Ecosystem, it is basically the same game. But owning both offers more variety to the game. It is kind of like having an expansion for the game in some ways. I pick which set of cards I want to play with. But I don’t need to spend my time teaching a new game.

That said, that is how it works for me. It is very possible, and I’d say likely, that most people won’t need to own Ecosystem. It is only if it is a game that you play a lot, and a mechanism that you like a lot. If you find yourself feeling like you’ve played one enough, it might be worthwhile to add the second. Or to replace the first one with the second.

Final Thoughts on Ecosystem vs Ecosystem: Coral Reef

If you want to buy one, I’m not going to tell you which one is better. They are, when it comes down to it, basically the same game. I think that whichever you pick, pick the theme or ecosystem that you like better. It is a game, though, that I think a lot of people will like. The mechanisms of Ecosystem are simple, and the artwork is nice.

And I find that there are a lot of good strategies for the game, some more powerful than others. But that is on the players to make a balanced ecosystem and keep someone from running away with a strategy. Both of the games have a strategy like that, so there isn’t one that is easier or better that way. I know for some that might be a turnoff, and maybe it doesn’t make perfect sense for the ecosystem theme, but both games do try and balance that out with their ecosystem diversity scoring.

So, no, I think that most people won’t need both of them. But at the same time, if you want the variety and are like me, both do offer different scoring and a little bit of a different time while being very easy to swap between them as you play.

Do you like one better than the others?

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