I wanted to come in and ask everyone about what their favorite ecological themed games were. I'm also looking to know what Solarpunk games are around, any good ones?
My favorite ecological game is Wingspan. Which is just this great chill engine builder game that manages to feel different for me each time I play. Like a new puzzle to solve. You play it in competition with others but it often feels more like you're playing together rather in direct interference, though there are ways to interact because of the shared resources, most of the interactions are positive because of cards you play benefiting other players too. I've actually still had fun playing alone because of their automa rules.
The aesthetics and theme involves you being the conservator of land trying to attract birds to nest there.
Anyways I just wanted to gush more about Wingspan because I feel more people should try it out. Most other games in the same mechanics category are much more complicated and strategies are harder to see, once you understand the turn order and resources in Wingspan it's a pretty smooth experience.
Oceans is probably my favorite in this vein. It's an engine/deck builder where you combine traits to evolve new species to compete or symbiote your way to victory. The second half of the game ramps up dramatically with bigger powers and bigger stakes. The whole time it's a delicate balancing act and at no time are so committed to one strategy that you can't change course.