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Cubesis, A god game where you're not the only god
In Cubesis, you control the weather on a series of floating square habitats, home to the Cubies, in order to maintain their crops, keep water levels at bay, boil the Cubies alive or make them happy. With the almighty power of weather control, you can destroy or save the Cubies on each island by solving a series of strategic environment puzzles. But the Cubies aren't the only ones you have to please – each world is watched over by two gods, Ikjuch and Likael, who can enact severe punishment or generous salvation upon the Cubeworld, depending on their moods and how you treat them. Cubesis is a game of balance. And maybe boiling Cubies alive.
God game Maia pulls in $1 million while in Early Access
Maia, a sci-fi colony management sim from developer Simon Roth, has pulled in more than $1 million, and it's not even fully out yet. This figure includes the £140,481 ($225,219) Maia secured on Kickstarter in 2012, plus $11,000 on Indiegogo, pre-sales on Roth's site and Steam Early Access sales, Develop reports. Maia was Greenlit on Steam in August 2013. Roth is using the cash to set up a new development house called Machine Studios. He's hiring developers and may get to work on another, new project once everything is settled. "The real reason I wanted Machine Studios rather than Simon Roth Incorporated is I thought it would be really narcissistic and weird, for one," Roth said. "And also, I didn't want my employees to have to put on their CV, 'I worked at Simon Roth,' when it could be Machine Studios. And so it gives them a better thing to say what they worked for." Maia is $25 on Steam Early Access for PC, Mac and Linux, and it's currently $21.70 on the game's site (purchase includes a Steam key). [Image: Simon Roth]
God game Maia lands on Steam Early Access in December
Colony management simulator Maia will launch on Steam on December 3 via Early Access. The game earned £140,481 ($225,219) on Kickstarter in late November 2012. The god game has players building an underground colony to avoid hostile creatures on the surface of a planet. Maia's world is procedurally-generated and features both top-down and first-person game modes. Simon Roth, the game's developer, noted that direct pre-orders have already totaled a tidy £12,000 ($19,238).
Peter Molyneux's Godus scheduled to land on Mac on September 13
If you've not heard of Godus, the upcoming deity simulator by heralded developer Peter Molyneux, you need only glance at the game's ultra successful Kickstarter to see how popular it already is. The title is scheduled to arrive on Mac and Windows through the Steam Early Access program on September 13. The game lets you play as a god who must manage a civilization and defend against attacks and other threats. When Molyneux's iOS app Curiosity -- a "game" of sorts that had users chipping away at a giant block with only a single person winning the right to view what was inside the core -- finally concluded, it was revealed that the winner would become the über-God in Godus for one year. This player can cause huge shifts in the game world that impact all other players, and that individual will also receive revenue from sales once it is released. An iOS version of Godus is also planned, though no details on a firm release window have been offered at this time. [via Joystiq]
Reus, 2D god game featuring four giants, blows through PC today
Reus, the 2D god game from Abbey Games, is available today, right now, for $10 (€10, £7) on Steam, GOG, Desura and Gamersgate. It's PC only for now, with Mac and Linux ports planned. Reus offers a twist on the standard god game narrative, asking players to find balance in the world by controlling nature with four giants. The humans have a strong will of their own, and the player is tasked with ensuring they can thrive, but not too much, lest they become corrupted and destroy the planet. Reus is on sale on Steam, GOG and Desura, for 10 percent off ($9). If you want to show Abbey Games your full monetary appreciation today, Gamersgate is the way to go.
Molyneux reinventing Populous with 'Godus,' calls on Kickstarter for help
Peter Molyneux's next experiment with his new studio, 22 Cans, is a "reinvention" of his classic god game Populous, fittingly titled Godus. "Project Godus" is now live on Kickstarter, where 22 Cans is asking for £450,000 to develop this rebirth of god games for PC, iOS and Android."Godus blends the power, growth and scope of Populous with the detailed construction and multiplayer excitement of Dungeon Keeper, and the intuitive interface and technical innovation of Black & White," its Kickstarter description reads. It will be multiplayer, probably with up to eight players at a time (though it seems Molyneux would like more). 22 Cans expects Godus will take seven to nine months to develop.This is the second endeavor from 22 Cans, following Curiosity: What's Inside the Cube. Check out the Kickstarter video for Godus below.
Visualized: 'press 3 for epidemic'
Russian artist Vadim Fishkin's giant 'god game' controller doesn't fail to impress us with its frightening vision of an oversimplified, multiple choice mind. Hit the source for a full photo.
How 'From Dust' turns manipulating nature into a game
We already know quite a bit about how From Dust (née Project Dust) uses a few layers of basic elements to create a highly realistic and malleable virtual world. What's been less clear was how Eric Chahi and his team were going to make an actual game out of this lava-filled sandbox. Until today, that is, when Chahi and producer Guillaume Bunier presented the first details of From Dust's gameplay in a Gamescom demonstration.%Gallery-99786%
Chahi: Project Dust is like building sandcastles, with more lava
Speaking to Joystiq during E3, legendary Another World designer Eric Chahi gave us a bit more information about the mysterious Project Dust, revealed at Ubisoft's E3 presentation. First, it's important to know what inspired him to make the game: volcanoes. " I took a trip to an active volcano to see eruptions," Chahi said, "and since that time I'm crazy about volcanoes. When an eruption is announced somewhere, I take my bag and take the first flight to see this kind of thing." According to Chahi, Project Dust is a God game based on manipulating nature. " The foundation of Project Dust is a simulation. It's like playing 'sandcastle' on the beach, except you have more material to use, like lava." Lava, he reminded us, isn't purely a destructive force -- it can also be used to shape the land and even create areas of land. Interaction with your tribe of people is done through manipulation of the land, which mainly involves picking up materials and moving them around. The Ubisoft rep with Chahi explained that when you pick up something like water, it forms a free-floating sphere that the people can see and react to -- and they don't understand it. Right now, he said, the in-world significance of the levitating material is a mystery even to Ubisoft. %Gallery-95207%
Ex-Lionhead devs form Wonderland Software, announce 'GodFinger'
Venturing forth from Peter Molyneux's famous dev house, Lionhead Studio veterans Mark Rose, Al Harding and Matthew Wiggins recently announced their new mobile game startup Wonderland Software. In addition to the studio's unveiling, the trio has also offered up information on the their first project: GodFinger. "We're collaborating with some awesome freelancers, along with the super-talented girls and guys over at ngmoco, to bring the god game back to your fingers," the announcement post reads. According to ngmoco's description of the game, GodFinger puts you in the position of a "fledgling deity" trying to "make a name for yourself amongst the pantheon of gods in this universe." Given the fact that GodFinger is planned for release on iPhone and iPod Touch, there's no solid release date (Apple decides that), but both the devs and the publisher note we'll see a release "very, very soon." So get out that God Hand and chop off a digit, you'll need it soon! [Via Develop]
TGS07: EA Populating the DS
This story came and went in a puff of smoke on many sites -- maybe for clarification? -- but GoNintendo still has the information up, and since it is so very exciting, we felt we had to share. Move over, Sim City ... Populous is headed to the DS! For those not familiar with the title in one of its many previous incarnations, Populous places players in the role of a god with a single human follower, and from there, you're charged to build an entire civilization. But you're not alone -- and the DS version is set to capitalize on that aspect with a four-person multiplayer mode. Between the handheld's portability and touchscreen functionality, we're very much excited about this latest news!1UP still has the title listed, but their short preview seems to be down. Little information is available at this time, but we'll keep an ear to the ground for anything that develops.
