Populous II is alternately titled The Trials of the Olympian Gods. It was programmed by Dungeon Keeper’s Bullfrog Productions and is actually the direct sequel to the original Populous game. It basically features an expanded view of the world, with more scenarios to play out. The user will play a godlike hero, hence the title, and will be charged with the monumental challenge of helping his people to survive and fight the followers of a different god.
So the user is a God. No small task, obviously.
The first version of Populous did allude to the presence of the gods and their uses, but his instalment really emphasizes their uses in every day society. To make the point more clear, the game set in ancient Greece where there was an abundance of gods, both useful and petty, and each little burg seemed to be favoured by one deity or another. The user is not quite a god…not yet. He is actually one of Zeus’s illegitimate children and greatly desires to become a full fledged god and sit at his father’s side in Olympus. As one of these gods, the user will be responsible for his own people who have chosen him over the other gods of Olympus. In order to reach
this status, he will have to battle his brothers and prove his worth. Eventually, he will have to battle his father as well.
There are many god powers available to the user to help his people, or hinder the opposition. There were only eight divine effects in the previous title, and there are a total of twenty nine in this one. They are divided into four basic categories based on the elements, as well as human and plant life. Each god has a particular category in which he is exceptionally powerful. He also has the ability to turn one of his followers into a legendary Greek hero such as Achilles or Hercules. Every time the user wins a battle in a scenario, he is given experience points to boost his godly powers.
The user wins a scenario by leading his people to greatness. In each scenario, he will have to use his godly powers to help his people grow, procreate and succeed. As their population grows, their civilization will improve, reflecting the user’s greatness. The greater the civilization becomes, the better equipped and prepared the user’s followers will be for battles with the followers of opposing gods.
Overall, this is a great twist on the micromanagement games, complete with the godly powers that add another new dimension to the game. This is a fun little play, as is the rest of the series, and comes highly recommended for download.
