Play Populous (Europe) on sega Online

Start with a handful of followers, reshape the land under them, and unleash disasters on rival tribes—just don’t let your own people starve while you’re smiting enemies. The controls feel ancient now, but there’s still a thrill in drowning someone’s village after they’ve spent ages building it.

Developer: Bullfrog Productions

Genre: Strategy

Released: 1991

File size: 182 bytes

Game Overview

Populous is one of those games that makes you feel like an actual god—if that god had to micromanage tiny worshippers while smiting enemies. You start with a handful of followers on a patch of land, and your job is to expand their territory by raising and flattening terrain, summoning disasters on rival tribes, and watching your little civilization grow (or collapse if you mess up).

The controls take a minute to get used to—this is an old-school strategy game, after all—but once you figure out how to sculpt the land and command your people, it’s weirdly satisfying. Nothing beats dropping an earthquake on an enemy village just as they’re about to overtake you. It’s clunky by today’s standards, but there’s something special about playing the game that basically invented the whole "god sim" genre.

If you’re into retro strategy or just want to see where games like Black & White got their start, Populous is worth digging up.