Godus is a sandbox, god simulation game where you take on the role of a deity to manage, develop, and grow the population of followers that worship you. You can shape the grounds and terrains, guide people, and help them fulfill tasks and survive. This way, they have a chance to become a booming nation that can construct buildings, develop their technology, and even go to war with rival tribes.
One of the core mechanics in Godus is transforming the terrain, so you can flatten the land for fields, raise mountains, redirect rivers, uncover hidden resources and minerals, or adjust space for big settlements. This way, your people can utilize these places, build homes, utilities, and shrines, explore the unknown lands, and develop their skills. The bigger and stronger your community gets, the more options you will have for shaping the land and influencing the behavior of the tribe or destroying your enemies.
Even though Godus has a minimalistic design with a low-poly style, it still offers a rich experience and deeply tactical gameplay. Your followers react to your actions in real time, which gives you a sense of urgency and impact. It's up to you to decide how your society will develop: is it going to be a peaceful settlement or an aggressive tribe that conquers others? You can download Godus on iOS and Android, as the computer version is no longer available.
Why should I download Godus?
The terrain manipulation system in Godus is the game's core mechanic and is the most praised one, too. As God, you can flatten mountains, raise hills, carve rivers, and do much more by simply tapping and swiping on your screen. It's crucial as it allows your followers to create homes, unblock new exploration paths, and uncover new areas or resources that directly contribute to their well-being and development. As your community gets bigger, it demands more space for its homes, so you're constantly manipulating the landscape to accommodate changing needs.
Another aspect of Godus is that you need to manage the growing population of your followers. What it means is that the moment you make a change, they will automatically build settlements, gather resources, and send worship your way if you're making their life easier. The more followers you have, the more different types of terrains you will be able to build and unlock temples, farms, or mines. Your society generates "belief," which is a divine energy resource that lets you use divine powers. If your followers are very devoted, belief will be generated faster, and you can perform more actions or miracles.
Progress in Godus is linear and based on a timeline, so as your civilization evolves, you get more technologies and unlock new divine powers. You start out with fire pits and tents to grow into a complex settlement with advanced buildings and skilled units for exploration, combat, or efficient resource gathering. As your society evolves, so do you, and as a God, you can help your people overcome natural disasters or combat rival nations. You're able to destroy enemy settlements, deter invaders, or launch meteors, rains, and floods where and when needed. These powers can be used in good and bad ways, such as a fireball clearing a mountain or destroying a rival city.
You will also find a mode called “Voyages” in Godus. These are short challenges in which part of your followers need to go through unknown and dangerous land until they reach their goal. These missions have puzzle-like challenges and mix up the gameplay from its predominantly sandbox mode.
Even though a lot can happen in Godus, it's a rather relaxing and slow-paced game with paste-color design and minimalistic visuals. It also has a calm soundtrack and lacks the aggression of action games. You can download Godus for free on mobile devices with iOS and Android. At some point, the game was also available on PC, but it never went out of the Early Access phase and has now been withdrawn.
Is Godus free?
Yes, you can download Godus for free, and the game's core mechanics don't require any additional payments. There are optional in-app purchases that you can use to get gem packs, belief boosted, or visual changes, but they don't determine your success or failure.
Please note, though, that the game also displays ads that can bring you additional rewards if you watch them.
What operating systems are compatible with Godus?
In order to play the game, you need to download Godus on a smartphone or tablet with either iOS 12.1 or newer, or Android 5.0 and up.
Some time ago, Godus was also available on Windows and macOS computers, but it has since been withdrawn because the game's development didn't go beyond the Early Access Program, which was eventually dropped.
What are the alternatives to Godus?
Cult of the Lamb is a roguelike game that combines action with base building and resource management. You take on the role of an ancient god that needs to build its community of followers and develop your tribe. You can buy the game for Windows, macOS, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation.
The Battle of Polytopia is a turn-based 4X strategy where you build and expand a base and dominate enemies. With low-poly graphics, quick battles, and a big map, it's great for solo and multiplayer sessions. There are two gameplay modes, which enable you to play in a limited number of turns or without this limit. You can buy the Battle of Polytopia for Windows, macOS, Linux, and Nintendo Switch, but you can also download it for free on mobile devices running on iOS and Android.
SimCity BuildIt is a mobile game for iOS and Android that you can play for free and that uses a simulation format to develop a city. You can plan the city layout, manage resources, and take care of raising citizen satisfaction levels with various actions and initiatives. You can download SimCity BuildIt for free, but it offers in-app purchases for multiple boosters and additional items or buildings.
