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Populous™: The Beginning

in library

4.5/5

( 354 Reviews )

4.5

354 Reviews

English
5.995.99
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Populous™: The Beginning
Description
Includes Populous the Beginning and the Undiscovered Worlds expansion. Shaman, the path is laid before you. Your destiny is to become a god! But it will not be easy. Not for you, and not for your followers. To become a deity, you must conquer all 25 planets of the system and defeat every other trib...
User reviews

4.5/5

( 354 Reviews )

4.5

354 Reviews

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Product details
1998, Bullfrog Productions, ESRB Rating: Teen...
System requirements
Windows 10, 1.8 GHz, 2 GB RAM, 3D graphics card compatible with DirectX 9.0c, 2 GB HDD...
Time to beat
23.5 hMain
30 h Main + Sides
32.5 h Completionist
26.5 h All Styles
Buy series (3)
Buy all games in the series. If you already own a game from the series, it won’t be added to your cart.
-17%17.9714.97
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Description
Includes Populous the Beginning and the Undiscovered Worlds expansion.

Shaman, the path is laid before you. Your destiny is to become a god! But it will not be easy. Not for you, and not for your followers. To become a deity, you must conquer all 25 planets of the system and defeat every other tribe and their shamans. The ultimate struggle will be a difficult one, as you build mystical cities, unleash devastating spells, harness volcanoes and tornadoes, and shape the face of the planet at your will. Remember, your apotheosis awaits!

In the third part of the Populous series, you control your shaman and the tribe of her followers in a difficult quest to conquer all 25 planets of a star system and ascend to godhood. For the first time in the series, the world is presented in true 3d, which at the time amazed both the players and the gaming press.The level of control you exert over your followers also takes you to a new level: you can order individuals or groups to perform certain tasks like gathering resources, constructing buildings, or attacking your enemies.

Populous: The Beginning takes a slightly different approach from the previous installments of the series but this is not, by any means, a bad thing as it kept the series fresh and innovative. It was a bold move for Bullfrog but the proof exists in the fact that, after all these years Populous 3 is still a great strategy god-game.

© 1998, 2012 Electronic Arts Inc.

Goodies
manual reference card
System requirements
Minimum system requirements:

ACCEPTANCE OF END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT REQUIRED TO PLAY

ACCEPTANCE OF END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT REQUIRED TO PLAY

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This game is maintained by GOG in the Preservation Program with the support of our GOG Patrons.

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Why buy on GOG.COM?
DRM FREE. No activation or online connection required to play.
Safety and satisfaction. Stellar support 24/7 and full refunds up to 30 days.
Time to beat
23.5 hMain
30 h Main + Sides
32.5 h Completionist
26.5 h All Styles
Game details
Works on:
Windows (10, 11)
Release date:
{{'1998-11-30T00:00:00+02:00' | date: 'longDate' : ' +0200 ' }}
Size:
394 MB
Rating:
ESRB Rating: Teen (Animated Violence)

Game features

Languages
English
audio
text
GOG Preservation Program
We make games live forever! Since 2008 we enhance good old games ourselves, to guarantee convenience and compatibility with modern systems. Even if the original developers of the game do not support it anymore.
  1. This game will work on current and future most popular Windows PC configurations. DRM-free.
  2. This is the best version of this game you can buy on any PC platform.
  3. We are the only platform to provide tech support for the games we sell. If some issues with the game appear, our Tech Support will help you solve them.
What improvements we made to this game:
Update (13 November 2024)
  • Updated DXWrapper to the latest version, ensuring smoother performance and compatibility
  • Validated stability
  • Verified compatibility with Windows 10 and 11
  • Added Cloud Saves support
Internal Hotfix (06 July 2021)
  • Rolled back accidental wrapper downgrade
I Internal Hotfix (02 July 2021)
  • Fixed possible DEP-related crashes
Internal Hotfix (16 July 2019)
  • Fixed a typo in registry keys that could cause problems pre-Win10
Update (15 July 2019)
  • Added Windows 10 compatibility to the game
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User reviews

Posted on: December 25, 2013

vladikus

Games: 288 Reviews: 2

The Best Game I've Ever Played

I wish Bullfrog was still around because they consistently made the most enjoyable and creative games I've played in my life. I haven't bought the GOG version of Populous: TB because I still have the CD, but this is a must have for anyone who loves god-sim games, terraforming, and strategy that does admittedly involve some race to hit hotkeys to start building, but also a well placed spell at the right time. The core game has some pretty challenging scenarios, but once you beat the game, you have to really challenge yourself with the Populous: Age of Chaos mod (Google it for download). Absolutely great game, highly recommended.


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Posted on: July 5, 2014

EnderScrolls

Verified owner

Games: 42 Reviews: 1

Bril!

This game is amazing! I played it on ps1 and have made it so far and then i found it on gog and dungeon keeper as well, but it seems to not want to work even though dungeon keeper worked and it had the same requirements. this is still brilliant and i am hoping this works on another pc or laptop.


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Posted on: February 14, 2014

dannydlm

Games: 31 Reviews: 1

Since i was a kid

i've been playing this game for what seems an age xD, it was the game that introduced me to gaming, the game that without a doubt has had the most influence on my life, and too this day i still hop on the mess around in the infamous last World, to lay waste to my enemys. if you like God-sims this is definitely the game for you, but take your time with it, explore the game and dont use cheats if you get stuck on World 15 ;)


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Posted on: June 3, 2015

Arkonor

Games: 72 Reviews: 4

One of the most loved games of my youth

This game was incredibly cool for its time. By then, nobody ever made 3D spherical terraformable maps and I'm sure it's not easy to find something like that even now. Yes, the graphics are too simple yet beautiful and comfortable at the same time. Maybe the only drawback nowadays is not having a skirmish mode vs the AI but the campaign is more than worth it. Some maps can be achieved in many different ways (I still remember one of those, where I leave the starting area and move to an island which i keep extending with the spells) Give it a try and enjoy the campaign. It may be boring the first 4 or 5 levels but once you get tools to use the terrain in your favor, it is much more enjoyable. And some worlds are incredibly difficult, like the one in which you have to rescue your shaman in 15 minutes only using your followers like a commando.


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Posted on: April 18, 2012

F4LL0UT

Verified owner

Games: 1583 Reviews: 28

Possibly the best Bullfrog game ever

When Populous: The Beginning was announced back in the late 90's many people were skeptical. Not only was it created without Peter Molyneux, it also largely abandoned the concept of the original games. Rather than a god-sim this is "just an RTS". But what an RTS it is! Rather than being another Warcraft or C&C clone this one went its completely own, novel and brilliant way. Base building is simple and resource gathering almost non-existent. The center of the game is the incredibly powerful shaman unit who is each player's avatar. She starts off weak, just able to throw fireballs but as the campaign progresses she becomes so powerful that The Beginning puts any god-sim to shame, eventually being able to let fire rain, volcanoes explode and simply shape the world. But a shaman requires followers to gain mana and even she has her limits and won't be able to stop a huge army of warriors. The result is an incredibly fun, dynamic and chaotic game about huge battles and insane destruction. The view of an enemy's village going up in flames and being torn apart by tornadoes while warriors and simple villagers massacre each other never gets old. Neither does using a fireball to catapult the enemy shaman into the sea. The campaign is long, the missions diverse and the multiplayer timeless. The game not only plays well, it also has beautiful unique visuals and music which hold up to this day and provide a hauntingly alien yet beautiful atmosphere. Also the technical execution is mindblowingly good for a game this old and aside from the occasional pathfinding problem there's nothing I can complain about. It can be honestly said that there has never been anything like Populous: The Beginning before or after (although Sacrifice had some similarities), as a result this game is perfectly timeless and absolutely deserves to be played. To me it's not only one of the most original but easily best games ever made, both in singleplayer and multiplayer.


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