What began in 2014 with a spark of hope has developed into an amazingly well-rounded business in the years that followed. Experience unfolded. The final release was a long time coming, but as the saying goes: good things take time. And in this case, the wait was really worth it.

Between the Stone Age and star travel - the evolution of nuggets

Since Black & White by Lionhead Studios, no game in the genre has hit this divine nerve so precisely. The Universim allows you to form, lead and discipline your own civilization. The cute inhabitants, affectionately known as Nuggets, start in the Stone Age and work their way up to the Space Age through research, trade and technological development. It is up to the players to manage resources, build structures, research new technologies and navigate their followers through all of life's surprises.

The joke: you may be a kind of deity, but you are not omnipotent. At least not always. If you insist too much on divine powers, you run the risk of losing the faith of the nuggets. And without faith, there is no power. Just like in real life, only with more meteorite strikes.

Procedural planets as a playground - from the Big Bang to colonialism

Initially, the new civilization starts on a lonely planet. Here the first experiences can be gained, buildings erected and the foundations for survival laid. But as technology advances, the horizons also expand. At some point, space calls - and with Reprint.

Procedurally generated planets turn every new celestial body into a bag of surprises. Sometimes there is a treasure trove full of resources, sometimes a death trap with poisonous plants, hyper-aggressive animals and a climate that would be too warm even for the devil. But there is always something for brave nuggets to do. Thanks to new technologies, they can build spaceships, colonize alien moons and open up new habitats. Sounds romantic, but often ends with an alien bite in the buttocks.

Different challenges await on every new planet: Day-night cycles influence animal behavior, plants only grow at certain times and the climate fluctuates between tropical and apocalyptic. If you want to survive, you have to observe, adapt and, if necessary, unleash a deluge. Flexibility is not just a virtue here, but a prerequisite.

God with a flashlight - divine powers and worldly problems

A central element of The Universim is the divine influence. In addition to the classic construction gameplay, more than 15 divine powers are available: Lightning, tornadoes, healing, telekinesis or even tectonic plate shifts. These can be used to uncover resources, trigger disasters or directly influence nuggets. The gods' playground is therefore surprisingly large - and sometimes a little sadistic.

The special feature: These powers are not available indefinitely. Only when the nuggets reach their Deity they generate so-called creator points, which serve as divine currency. So if you want to demonstrate your power, you first have to earn the respect (or fear) of your subjects. And woe betide them if they turn away - then even the healing hand is ineffective.

Controlling the powers of the gods requires sensitivity. Not every natural disaster has the desired effect. Sometimes an over-motivated bolt of lightning only leads to half the city burning down. The balance between benevolent protector and chastening world ruler is a constant balancing act that creates an astonishing amount of game depth.

Controlled chaos - The Universim Between scurry factor and environmental disaster

In the simulation, a lot of things seem cute at first, but The Universim regularly surprises with its complexity and irony. The nuggets act largely autonomously, build houses, start families, argue and celebrate parties. The so-called scurry factor is high and provides that certain something. Like a lovingly tended anthill, only with more technology and the occasional end of the world.

However, players must always keep an eye on resources: Too much Fishing dries out lakes, water pumps are better not left unattended and forest fires spread faster than nuggets can say "ouch". If you get careless here, you'll be looking at a post-apocalyptic wasteland sooner than you'd like.

Again and again, events and small quests pop up that require decisions. Do you isolate the sick nugget or heal it with divine power? Do you let two feuding factions argue or do you settle the conflict with a targeted meteorite? Every decision has consequences - both for the course of the game and for the faith status of your own deity.

The sky is not the limit - what The Universim makes it so special

Without claiming linear perfection The Universim a charming Chaos which is atypical of many construction games. If you want to build everything symmetrically, you'll end up with a hidden object of streets, buildings and nature that looks more like creative anarchy. But that's part of the charm: it's not the perfect order, but the lively chaos that makes the world look believable.

The visuals are colorful, the style charming and the narrator, who occasionally comments on events, adds just the right amount of humor to the action. If you have an eye for detail, you'll keep discovering little gimmicks in the world: dancing nuggets, funny posters or unexpected Dialogs. Technically, the title runs largely smoothly, including minor stutters and idle phases. This can lead to waiting times during the space travel phase, but in view of the overall package, this is easily forgiven.

Whether the divine experiment will ever reach its limits remains to be seen. But with its unique mix of management, construction game, god mode and cosmic colonization, the game delivers the goods. The Universim a playground that never ceases to fascinate.

The post Divine legacy of Black and White - The Universim and the chaotic appeal of procedural worlds first appeared on SPIELECHECK | English.