Populous: The Beginning

Bullfrog recently released the demo for Populous: The Beginning, and right away it is clear this is not just another Warcraft knockoff with a different coat of paint.

Populous: The Beginning is an adventure strategy game set in a real-time 3D world with full 360-degree rotation. The goal is to build up your tribe, command your followers, and use your shaman to wipe out or convert enemy tribes before they do the same to you. It is strategy, magic, and large-scale chaos all wrapped into one very strange, very original package. The full game will feature 25 worlds to explore, and if the demo is any indication, Bullfrog has something here that feels different from the usual “build base, make units, rush enemy” routine.

You command several types of followers and vehicles, including Braves, Warriors, Firewarriors, Spies, boats, and balloons. Each has its purpose, and the game gives you enough variety that battles do not feel like you are just throwing identical little men at each other until one side runs out.

One of the better ideas is the Preacher. Instead of simply attacking enemies, the Preacher converts enemy followers to your side. It is a great touch, and it gives the game a different kind of strategy. Sometimes stealing the enemy’s army is a lot more satisfying than destroying it.

As you complete levels, your shaman gains more knowledge and access to stronger magic. There are 22 spell powers in the game, including Lightning, Swarm, Hypnotism, Erode, Firestorm, Earthquake, and the mighty Volcano. And yes, Volcano is exactly the kind of spell you want in a game like this. Subtle? No. Effective? Absolutely.

The game starts off looking easy, but that does not last long. Later levels begin handing you a terrible army while giving the enemy a much stronger position. It can be rough, but the fun comes from clawing your way back, building from almost nothing, and eventually flattening everything standing against you.

There are two ways to play: software rendering or Direct3D. The software rendering mode is there for slower or older computers, and it works, but I would not recommend it if your machine can handle Direct3D. In software mode, the graphics are blocky, and everything from buildings to magic effects loses a lot of detail. Direct3D is where the game comes alive. Battles are much more exciting to watch, spells look spectacular, and seeing your shaman cast magic in the middle of a fight adds a lot to the atmosphere.

The best visual feature is the world itself. The terrain has real shape to it, with mountains, buildings, slopes, and valleys that give the battlefield proper depth. The 360-degree camera helps show that off, and it makes the world feel like an actual place instead of a flat board with decorations stuck on it. Overall, Populous: The Beginning is one of the better Direct3D games I have played so far.

Populous: The Beginning is a very fun game, and it has a good chance of being a strong seller when the full version arrives. The mix of magic, combat, followers, vehicles, and terrain manipulation keeps it from getting dull. There is always something happening, whether you are building your tribe, converting enemies, launching spells, or trying to recover after the enemy shaman drops some disaster on your head.

Anyone who likes strategy games with magic, hand-to-hand combat, and a little bit of creative destruction should give this demo a try. Populous: The Beginning looks simple at first, but the longer you play, the more teeth it shows.