It has been some time since the old "god games", a term that was practically coined to categorize Peter Molyneux's games as Populous, have not shown themselves so much on the scene and Doodle God Universe review it can at least bring back to those particular atmospheres, even if here we are definitely far from the structural complexity of Bullfrog games and derivatives.
JoyBits' work derives from a long series that began in 2010 with a wide range of admixtures in different areas, but these are essentially casual titles, very far from the concept of divine management that one might think of when considering simulations. and divinity.
Doodle God Universe, in particular, finds a good place within Apple Arcade, because it is an extremely simple and structured title to be a free-to-play, but in this case it is not even subjected to the negative influences of this type of distribution.
It is not easy to categorize it as a standard video game: it is a sort of hobby which requires, at the very least, a little imagination and inductive capacity, but which represents something extremely casual to fit into the classic categories of video games. This does not mean that it is a trivial title or devoid of any interest even for those looking for something more substantial, given that the search for associations for the creation of the world, at the basis of the gameplay, still requires a certain ability to think about the connections between different elements and cause-effect relationships.
However, where the logic it does not arrive, it is possible to go on simply by groping, touching elements at random or almost, which could easily mortify anyone who expected from such premises some depth in the management of complex elements, because the Doodle series offers much more.
In the shoes of a creative deity
There are some different game modes, which mostly offer different contexts or challenges of various kinds with the community, but basically the game always works the same way: in the role of a creative deity, we find ourselves having to populate a planet associating different elements together, progressively bringing out more and more possibilities and addends to be combined in a more or less logical way. We start from the basic elements such as earth, air, water and fire and from the initial association of these we progressively obtain all the other objects and creative environments, trying in this way to bring life to an initially barren and desert planet.
Il gameplay is simply based on the association of two elements: it is a matter of choosing two broader categories (the basic elements, plants, animals, energy, technology and much more) and combining a couple of objects found in the within the various areas, trying in this way to find the right association capable of forming a new element / object / creature / concept. These are always sums between two addends, therefore there are no particularly daring combinations to think and experiment, which somewhat flattens the search: beyond the logical couplings, others are less clear but in general it is possible to simply proceed at random to find the new elements, considering that the combinations between two objects are many but easy to find even without great reasoning.
Although many associations derive from a scientific basis (at least in logic), Doodle God Universe is a game that does not take itself very seriously, also including mythological and legendary creatures in the total of possible creations, abstract concepts and other elements that denote a certain irony fundamentally, which on the other hand also emerges from the quotes with which the new discoveries we make are welcomed, which range from high philosophy to popular culture.
Whenever something new is created, we also witness its placement on the earth's surface, with the changes that this brings to the appearance of the planet, represented in a rather clean low poly style but also strangely distant from the spirit. cartoonish and a bit of a caricature that distinguishes all the other phases of the game.
Comment
Tested version iPad 1.1.2 Digital Delivery Steam, App Store Resources4Gaming.com6.8
Readers (3)
7.8
Your voteThere is certainly something addictive about Doodle God Universe, which explains how JoyBits has created a long series on these simple bases, but if you are really looking for a puzzle or a "god game" you are definitely off the mark. This particular game is essentially a pastime based on more or less logical associations between pairs of elements, which never comes to propose a challenge in some way stratified, nor enrich its structure with further layers of gameplay, progressing in the discovery of new inventions. . The curiosity remains to see what can be hidden in increasingly strange and daring associations, but in the end the experience is always extremely basic and light: excellent for a classic mobile use, a little too simple for those looking for something more. structured and challenging. On Apple Arcade he finds his reason as a "free" harp to fill a few free moments with the smartphone in hand.
PRO
- The simple mechanics of associations between elements gives satisfaction
- The curiosity to discover every possible combination persists
- The friendly and light atmosphere is welcoming
- Extremely simple and repetitive structure
- The combinations are sometimes not very logical and lead to try at random
