(*) Multiplayer “skirmish” mode supports 2 players via local network and up to 4 players over the Internet or IPX network (don’t ask me about that either!).
An expansion pack, Undiscovered Worlds, was released in 1999, featuring 12 additional levels.
These images are from the original PC version, which is very difficult to run on modern Windows systems. After taking these few screenshots, I tackled an amateur modernisation project (whether you’d call it a launcher, remaster, or patch, I’m not quite sure which term is most appropriate), which is undoubtedly the best way to enjoy this title today. I’ll come back to this below.
At the dawn of this game’s creation… There was this studio, Bullfrog, which had been developing a cutting-edge 3D engine for several years, without knowing exactly what to do with it. I imagine they wanted to adapt their greatest past success, Populous, but technically, the machines lacked the necessary power. They first tried to graft on a shooting game, without much conviction judging by its level of polish. This is merely my conjecture, but I think if they had devoted a bit more time to it, if they had deployed the same promotional efforts as they did for Populous in its day, they would have another undisputed classic in their catalogue. Magic Carpet is a scandalous missed opportunity. I still haven’t got over it.
A few years later, advances in hardware made it possible to push the concept of terrain deformation further without setting our computers ablaze (though it was a close thing!). The time had come to unite their innovative 3D engine with their famous “game of gods”.
Let’s recall the principle: you are an omnipotent deity, indirectly guiding a prehistoric tribe. Your providential interventions essentially consist of levelling the terrain, providing your followers with the space required to expand their dwellings, increase their population and extend their territory, until the inevitable “encounter” with the neighbouring tribe (shepherded by a rival deity), followed by the annihilation of one by the other. To accelerate this atavistic animosity (and amuse yourself), you command an arsenal of cataclysmic spells to unleash upon the enemy tribe (earthquake, volcano, tidal wave … and many more in Populous 2). Notable peculiarity: your followers lead their little lives completely autonomously, unaware of your presence and actions.
Despite certain similarities, Populous: The Beginning is not simply a 3D adaptation of Populous. It’s more akin to a (simplified) real-time strategy game, where you directly issue orders to your people (to build, scout, fight…), where you personally place buildings used to produce troops, before directing them towards the enemy camp. Another major change is that the player no longer takes the role of an invisible ethereal power, but rather embodies the character of the shaman, the tribe’s leader. She too is individually controllable and can be attacked and killed (and resurrected).
I owned this game on PlayStation (which is where the four images just above come from), a technically limited version suffering from reduced resolution and frame rate, not to mention the cumbersome gamepad controls. Organising and moving an “army” proved incredibly laborious. Moreover, the level introductions featured camera pans accompanied by French narration that recycled the same pre-recorded phrases, often out of sync with the on-screen action. These superfluous sequences couldn’t even be skipped.
On PC, camera control remains unintuitive, and the general lack of precision makes certain actions, such as maritime navigation, rather unpleasant. The game doesn’t offer keyboard shortcuts for selecting predefined groups of soldiers, but the side bar at least has convenient buttons for summoning units of each type, one by one, five by five, or all at once, as well as a function to recentre on the shaman. This avoids tedious map traversal or manually extracting the little fellows from their dwellings.
However, it’s difficult to anticipate unit behaviour, particularly that of the preachers, whose ability to convert enemy followers seems erratic. Furthermore, the chaotic battles with random outcomes led me to systematically save before each fight – not exactly a sign of confidence.
Regarding the visual rendering, the lineage with Magic Carpet is clearly apparent. The horizon line presents a more pronounced curvature, probably to cleverly mask the draw distance limitations without resorting to programming tricks like fog. The terrain is thus projected onto a sphere that can be rotated in all directions. The 25 worlds visited are like small planets to conquer.
The dynamic modification of the topography is striking, especially when a volcano emerges or when the ground rises or sinks into the sea, taking houses with it. The characters themselves are represented in 2D. Their cartoon animations, accompanied by burlesque sound effects, bring a lot of personality. I love propelling my enemies into the air with my fireballs, or hurling them into the water. Slightly less amusing when it’s my followers who end up in the drink…
The 3D does generate its share of problems: the number of units is capped at 200 to preserve performance, slowdowns are frequent, visibility is sometimes compromised, and as in all similar games of the era, pathfinding suffers from the modifiable terrain. These technical constraints considerably weaken the strategic aspects.
Two resources come into play: wood, necessary for construction, and “mana”, which fuels spells. Our “brave” followers automatically handle wood gathering, while mana regenerates spontaneously based on population size. The population grows naturally as new huts are erected, but limited space restricts its expansion. Consequently, terrain levelling, a central mechanic of previous instalments, becomes merely incidental here. Similarly, dwellings don’t evolve, even though this was the major attraction of the first Populous, from its glorious opening sequence onwards.
As for elements borrowed from the “real-time strategy” genre, judge for yourself: a single playable faction, a limited unit roster, few structures, cramped maps, and linear progression dictated by the acquisition of totems unlocking new powers (I made the same complaint about Lemmings 3). Add to this the scripted and timed events that disrupt the player’s decisions. While scripted twists can enrich a solo campaign (unlike Supreme Commander which favoured skirmishes at the expense of context), their implementation shouldn’t be too visible or constraining. The strategic dimension left me wanting, boiling down to simply memorising the computer’s attack pattern to better restart.
I acknowledge that its predecessors weren’t particularly renowned for their strategic depth, but they offered more freedom. The situation worsens mid-game, when the shaman becomes so powerful, and the use of soldiers so unreliable that I almost exclusively depended on her. The game then shifts towards action, minus the ergonomics.
In conclusion, Populous: The Beginning captivates with its originality but disappoints with its rigidity, both in its controls and in the directive resolution of missions. The worlds lack scope, and the campaign lacks epic breadth. The feeling of conquest fades before unpredictable accidents (often involving fireballs and bodies of water…) that force one to reload a save in a fit of rage. Despite a remarkable atmosphere, this game brought me more frustration than satisfaction.
The 3D engine, perhaps too ambitious, does a disservice to a genre that demands clarity, precision, and potentially a larger scale. Beyond its presentation, I don’t find that this game particularly innovates. It suffers enormously in comparison with Warcraft 2 (1995), which is strategically more accomplished. This is the whole problem of building around a technical solution before shoehorning in a game concept. The result is a title that showcases the 3D engine, not the other way round.
This game will suit players seeking an accessible introduction to real-time strategy, enriched with action-adventure and puzzle elements. However, it will disappoint seasoned strategists, and even more so Populous devotees, due to the partial abandonment of the god game concept.
As an aside, I believe I owe Populous: The Beginning my first observation of a T-pose (or more precisely, a Y-pose). You know, that well-known bug that freezes a character, arms spread, in their “default” position.
* * *
Multiverse Launcher (2017)
A free, fan-made “quasi-remake” called Multiverse Launcher, is available on PC. It requires the original game and some adjustments but brings numerous optimisations, new campaigns, and multiplayer features, with competitive tournaments still being organised in 2025. Add a point to my score for this modernised version (while you’re at it, subtract one for the PlayStation adaptation).
At the time of writing this page, their website displays two links side by side: one leading to the paid version (from 1998), the other allowing you to download the same game for free. I’m not sure if this is entirely legal. However, be aware that it’s regularly on sale on GOG for less than 2 euros.
Among the improvements, it’s firstly easier to install and more stable on recent hardware. Higher resolutions are supported, and the graphics have been optimised while remaining faithful to the original. Performance is notably superior (frame rate, cursor precision, unit count). You’ll also benefit from numerous small adjustments, refined artificial intelligence, aesthetic improvements, keyboard shortcuts, not to mention optional mods.
I must point out in passing that the key configuration system is the most complex and confusing I’ve ever encountered. My registered keys didn’t even correspond to those I was pressing (the “ASCII” option needed to be unchecked). Don’t forget to click “Save Hotkeys” when you’re done, otherwise you’ll have to repeat the whole joyride! Without wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth, I’d like someone to explain why open-source software always has such piss-poor user interfaces? And don’t get me started on Open Office or Scid vs PC!
It took me several hours (some might be content with the default controls), but once the buttons were customised, rediscovering the game with these modern improvements was a real pleasure. I only regret that they didn’t provide higher quality textures (particularly the pixelated sky). The side panel could also use a facelift, and I would have liked an option to disable the short “guided tour” sequence at the start of each level, during which controls are taken away from us. Rather irritating during repeated attempts at difficult missions.
Steps to install this thing:
Download the original game and the launcher.
Start by installing the game, then install the launcher in the same folder.
Find the original campaign here (simply click the “Multiverse” button and they’ll all install themselves into the programme).
If you want more challenge, the original campaign was reworked for the game’s fifteenth anniversary, you’ll find it here.
There are many other additional levels to download from the website. As usual, my critique doesn’t apply to multiplayer. If you’re interested, here are a few links:
Populous Revival is a community patch that brings profound changes aimed at balancing multiplayer mode. It’s included (optionally) in the Enhanced Edition.
Enhanced Edition, a separate project from the Multiverse Launcher introducing a skirmish mode for up to eight players and a cooperative campaign for two players.
