Virtual Villagers

Virtual Villagers is an offbeat sim/tycoon game in which you control a village of castaways on what seems to be a South Pacific island, helping them to build something like an adequate life for themselves. What's unique about it in comparison to other sim/tycoon games is that "time" progresses even when the game isn't running--in other words, if you don't come back to the game for several weeks, you may find that something fairly horrific has happened to your civilization.

Conversely, while it's entertaining to watch the villagers move about, there isn't actually all that much you can call upon them to do at any given time. As a result, gameplay is quite different from other sim/tycoon games. Basically, you start up the game, give some orders to your villagers, see what's going on, and close it down--coming back in a few hours, or the next day, to see what needs to be done next. Short, frequent game play sessions, in other words, rather than the long marathons typical of most games.

Quite odd, but interesting--and innovative, to be sure, a value we prize.

The Developer Says

These poor villagers washed up on shore after surviving a horrific volcanic eruption. You have to guide them in learning how to survive in this real-time simulation game. They learn by doing, but you might have to keep an eye on them to make sure they don't give up too easily. They need to become farmers, builders, scientists, parents and more in order to thrive on this new island. How will you lead your tribe?

• Real-time, simulation gameplay.
  
• Hundreds of unique villagers.
  
• Uncover mysteries as you play.

Reviews

"Villagers is for busy people who can't sit down and play a game for an hour, but would like to kill time for a few minutes here and there. It is closer to a pet simulator like Nintendogs than an actual game.... but it is interesting to watch the villagers journey from cradle to grave and fun to see the little things they do, like holding a celebretory dance after converting a building into a school."
   -- The New York Times

Awards

Top Ten Independent Games of 2006, Game Tunnel

Sim Game of the Year, Game Tunnel