What a coincidence. Who knew a game like WorldBox – God Simulator would come along at exactly the same time I decided to rewatch The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings? Extended editions, naturally. I’ve just cleared Fellowship of the Ring so I’m churning through them. Poor old Boromir – gets me every time.
It’s fair to say I have orcs and elves and dwarves on the brain, so you can imagine my surprise when WorldBox let me make, almost literally, a Middle-earth of my own. I even got a ‘well done you’ve made Middle-earth’ achievement when I filled the world with the relevant races.
WorldBox – God SimulatorDeveloper: Maxim KarpenkoPublisher: Maxim KarpenkoPlatform: Played on PCAvailability: Out now on Steam (PC, Mac, Linux) for £15.49, and on Android and iOS (free with in-app purchases)
I am, as the title of the game suggests, the god of this world. I can make it look any way I like and then I populate it and see what happens – watch as my races breed and build and spread across my map. All the time they’re doing this, a history is being generated. They crown rulers who age and die. They create kingdoms that prosper and splinter. And, inevitably, they war. And the game tracks all of it, chronicling the history of your world.
In my world, the elves ran rampant. They multiplied like a horde of horny Legolases. And they didn’t spread peacefully: they were vicious expansionists, wiping out everything in their reach. I didn’t even notice they’d steamrolled the humans but when they got too close to the dwarves, I panicked. I interfered. But then, what else a god do?
WorldBox – God Simulator Trailer Watch on YouTube
Interfering is the other half of the game. It’s almost as though you establish civilizations precisely so you can interfere, ensuring your test environment is robust enough before you throw challenges in. You try a few wolf packs, bears, rhinos, but since when did any exciting fantasy hinge on mundane encounters like these? Better you reach for the demons that burn the ground in their wake, or the White Walker-like enemies that freeze it. Or the necromancers that summon skeletons, or the evil wizards who are chased around the world by white wizards. Bring any stories to mind?