Populous: The Beginning Demo

Populous is a series that practically invented a new genre, since they were among the first god-sim games that ever come out. Spawned from the mind of the famous designer Peter Molyneux, the titles features unparalleled levels of freedom and many gameplay options, all of which influenced the environment and the people that were under your control.

Populous: The Beginning is the third title in the franchise and it brought forth a massive number of improvements, including a new 3D graphic engine and far more refined mechanics to give you complete control over your followers. Just like in the previous episodes, you wield great power, but you have to work in order to become a deity, since this time around you are merely a powerful shaman in the beginning.

Thus, by using the resources and the manpower of the tribe that follow your lead, you must wage war on the other nations and bring establish yourself as a powerful warlord, in order to gain the respect of your people and ascend to godhood. Along the way, you also get to use a variety of powers in order to influence the environment and the battles of your people, such as hurricanes, volcanoes and various other natural disasters that come in your aid when you need their help.

Because the action takes place in an entire star system, the enemies can be found on different planets, all of which need to be conquered in order to advance through the game. There are a total of twenty five planets in the system, each of which holds a different tribe and poses its own challenges when the time to conquer them rolls around.

As previously mentioned, the game uses a powerful 3D graphic engine for the first time in the history of the franchise, which is quite the advancement, considering that the first two titles were fully isometric. Although the models and the effects might show their age a bit, the world is still detailed enough to enjoy even today, although you might have trouble if you try to run it on newer hardware.

Populous: The Beginning is every bit as good as its predecessors, especially since it features more options and abilities that can be used throughout the game. Moreover, the fact that you can explore different planets and conquer tribes is a very addictive mechanic as well, which should encourage you to keep getting stronger and stronger.