Game:

Spore (2008)

Category:

Review

Duration: 32:37

722 views

7

I'm playing Reus, a real-time god game by Abbey Games. The game features three tutorials, a time-based mode that unlocks advanced structures by completing objectives called "developments", and an achievement-free sandbox. The smooth interface allows for efficient control, with mouse-wheel zooming, click-and-drag panning, quick giant access, land tile information, and village and project displays. Giants are your method of interacting with the game world, and they can perform several tasks: morph the landscape, place plants, animals, or minerals, buff resource locations with "aspects", and attack naughty humans. Your first step is to turn wasteland into fertile areas where resources (food, wealth, technology, and nature) can be placed; humans will automatically settle pleasant regions. The goal is to maximize resources by placing specific items near each other, which will increase the benefits of each through the "symbiosis" system; more resources will increase the prosperity of the world. Humans will need lots of resources to complete projects; when finished, they provide an ambassador whom will unlock one "aspect" buff for a giant, and a specialization which will increase resource income even more. These "aspects" can be used to transmutate existing resources into more beneficial forms. Over time, villages that expand quickly without nearby dangerous exotic animals will become greedy, and will attack nearby towns. You must then use your giants to attack the armies or lose your carefully crafted cities. While Reus is not a challenging game, the complex additive relationships between resource locations and multiple avenues for development do provide some depth and variety. The limited scope may inhibit the enjoyment for some, as each game generally follows the same pattern with very broad objectives, but Reus is a well-executed god game.