Virtual Villagers Review

Written by: Keith Durocher Published: October 29, 2006 Virtual Villagers from Big Fish Games could be roughly described as Tamagotchi meets Survivor meets The Sims. It's nowhere near as complex as The Sims, it doesn't have the pointlessly cutthroat competitiveness of Survivor and it isn't as needy and prone to fits of ennui like Tamagotchi pets were, but it does provide a simulated miniature society in a tropical paradise for you to micromanage. The overall goal of the game is simple: carry a small group of villagers through their lives after their entire world is destroyed by a volcano. You can rename them, make them be farmers, scientists, doctors, mothers, fathers or even just shiftless layabouts. Interestingly, this game will actually play itself. The events you set in motion continue even when you don't have the program running. This is probably for the best, as the action is subdued at best. The addictive draw of your own personal civilization is constantly at odds with the low-resolution graphics, repetitive muzak soundtrack, and the excess of time it takes for anything to happen. I'd say Virtual Villagers is onto something really great, but it'll take some extra work in the form of sequels for the potential to shine as brightly as it could. Scoring (out of five stars): Graphics: Ease of use: Gameplay: Difficulty: Sound effects: Music: Final analysis: Click here to download the free trial version of Virtual Villagers.