Summary
A lot of games have the player functionally take the shape of a god. Whether it’s something likeRimworldwhere pawns do expressly what you tell them to do, or games likeAge of Wonders 4where players can make their own custom realm with its own unique natural elements. Controlling nature, from the weather to the evolution of whole species, is an aspect of games that transcends genre, with many games letting players shape the composition of their world.
Whether players are looking for afree-roam sandboxthey can shape to their will or a more focused planetary simulation, there are a host of games where nature is at the whims of the player. These games, in particular, all offer players the chance - in one way or another - to shape the nature of the world around them. They are ranked not just on the basis of their quality, but on how greatly they allow players to shift the natural world to their liking.
Fable has asingular, iconic styleof gameplay that gives it an incredibly unique identity. Exemplifying the whimsy, humor, and creativity of this series is the DLC inFable 2that allows players to travel to Knothole Island, included in Game of the Year editions of this title.
Knothole Island starts out as a frozen, lifeless wasteland, but players are able to find special totems that, when placed in a temple, let them control the weather on the island. This allows the player to shift the landscape from a frigid isle to a shimmering summer oasis or dowse the entire land in tempestuous storms. It’s an exciting piece of worldbuilding shaped around the player’s control of nature.
Rise to Ruinsis a love letter to a whole mix of genres, from tower defense to RTS to god game. It’s a fantastic game for those who want to control nature without necessarily being omnipotent, as while terrain can be shaped and altered to better accommodate the player’s villagers, there are still many threats that can spell a game over.
For those who are craving a little more omnipotence, there is a creative mode where players can alter everythingfrom the weatherto the number of threats to the village, letting their creativity run wild.
Stellarisoffers players unparalleled freedom when it comes to shaping their galactic empire, easily taking the stage as one of thebest space strategy gamesavailable for players who want to experience an epic space opera of their own design.
While some empires may attempt to work in unison with the environment of individual planets, more enterprising empires can easily terraform planets to best suit their species - and more advanced ones can even uplift non-sentient species to turn them from simple animals into fellow citizens on the galactic stage.
5Black And White
A Classic God Game Gem Where The Player Can Control Nature
While theFableseries might be the most well-known of Lionhead Studios and Peter Molyneux’s projects,Black and Whitestands out as an underrated gem of a god game, retaining Molyneux’s fascination with the binary paths of benevolent goodness or outright evil.
Players can, as the god of their village, bring down great storms and use nature as a means of punishing either their own villages or those who seek to invade them. They can also shape the development of their creature, an avatar-like beast who manifests the player’s will.
The hint might be in the title, but a huge part ofTerrariais the varying terrains. Idyllic plains might be good for building, but certain items and powerful foesor even bossescan only be found in the more distant locales of frozen tundras, deserts, or jungles. What’s interesting is that, especially once in Hard Mode, biomes are a lot more fluid in their design.
Players can work with hallowing powder to stop the corruption of biomes from spreading or use the Clentaminator, sold by the Steampunker, to rapidly change environments, turning areas into deserts, plains, or even glowing mushroom forests at will.
Sporewas a game of ambitions half-realized, a compromise to the grand, colossal scale that the developers originally intended to be released by a certain deadline. Fortunately, that deadline was in 2008, so any disappointment over the game’s hype is well in the past, and the game can be appreciated for what it is, not what it promised.
Sporeis a classicamong evolutionary simulators, letting players shape and design the evolutionary path taken by their creatures, growing them until they become the most dominant species on the planet.
As a god among ‘nuggets’ - a species of human-like creatures, players inUniversimwill be shaping not just one world, but several, as their species forges out towards the skies and continues to shape the nature of each world they encounter.
If players (and their nuggets) aren’t careful, they can very easily shape nature in the wrong way - destabilizing the unique ecosystem of their planet and causing ecological collapse.
Worldbox is a fantastic title with amultitude of toolsplayers can use to shape the world to their own liking. This game can be as hands-on or as laid back as they wish. Continents and islands can be shaped to their liking and then left for civilizations to naturally spawn.
If that is a bit too passive, players can also summon devastating lightning storms and tornados, altering the weather in this world they’ve created to punish the people below. This game lets players shape every aspect of their world’s nature, from the shape of continents to their terrain and weather - it is the preeminent god game for players who want unparalleled freedom.
