Nintendo Super Famicom Populous SKUSFM3

Nintendo Super Famicom Populous SKUSFM3 is regarded by many as the first God game

In this game the player adopts the role of a deity and assumes the responsibility to shepherd people by direction, manipulation, and divine intervention. The player has the ability to shape the landscape and grow their civilization – and their divine power – with the overall aim of having their followers conquer an enemy force, which is led by an opposing deity.

The main action window in Populous is viewed from an isometric perspective, and it is set in a “tabletop” on which are set the command icons, the world map (depicted as an open book) and a slider bar that measures the level of the player’s divine power or “mana”.

The game consists of 500 levels, and each level represents an area of land on which live the player’s followers and the enemy followers. In order to progress to the next level the player must increase the number of his followers such that they can wipe out the enemy followers. This is done by using a series of divine powers.

The most basic power is raising and lowering land. This is primarily done in order to provide flat land for the player’s followers to build on (though it is also possible to remove land from around the enemy’s followers). As the player’s followers build more houses they create more followers, and this increases the player’s mana level.

Increasing the mana level unlocks additional divine powers that allow the player to interact further with the landscape and the population. The powers include the ability to cause earthquakes and floods, create swamps and volcanoes, and to turn ordinary followers into more powerful knights.

Actual item pictured.