Imagine Earth Switch review: A clever and creative city builder

When I think “choices matter” in strategy games, the kind of scenario that usually comes to mind is one where you know the consequences ahead of time — starting a war with Gandhi in Civilization and losing diplomatic ties, for instance, or defunding emergency services in Cities Skylines 2 and suddenly needing to build more graveyards. Imagine Earth from Serious Bros., a 4X game ten years in the making, treats choices a bit differently. You have to think deeply about how your actions affect the entire planet, and the result is one of the most imaginative strategy games I’ve played – if you can look past the bugs. Imagine Earth has a straightforward premise. Earth is in shambles, and you need to build new colonies somewhere else. That sounds simple, and you might even start with high ideals and dreams of building a better civilization. They won’t last. The pressure of expansion almost inevitably pushes you toward making decisions that harm the environment, a smart and subtle way to communicate several importan