Populous™: The Beginning (2024)

Developer: Bullfrog Productions
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Platforms: Windows
Genres: RPG, Strategy
Rating: 4.4 of 5, 438 player ratings
Typical playtime: about 36 hours
Where to get it: Steam

The 3D catalog: game boxes on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalog in 3D

The same catalog has a room you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real games from it when you tell them what you feel like playing. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this game is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

You command a shaman and tribe, shaping planets and casting spells in a methodical but challenging struggle for divine ascension.

god gamestrategictacticalepicdifficultisometricmagicalconquest

What players say

Players praise the game as a classic RTS with unique god powers like spawning volcanoes and a solar system map, calling it ahead of its time. However, some report it will not start on modern hardware due to its 1998 engine.

Screenshots

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More by Bullfrog Productions

This page is from Underplayed Gems, a catalog of older and overlooked games. Not quite it? You can browse by platform and genre, or take this one into the 3D catalog and ask the Catbot for something closer.