Wednesday App Review: Godville

When you get right down to it, most fantasy games are basically the same. You create a hero, go kill stuff and collect loot so you can level up your hero to kill bigger things. That’s basically all there is to many games, and it can get dull and boring after a while. Godville, however, is not that kind of RPG. In fact, you don’t actually have to do anything at all, and strangely enough, it’s the most fun I’ve had playing an RPG in a long time. In Godville you create a hero and then set him (or her) loose on the world. You are this hero’s god and he embarks on ridiculous quests, fights weird monsters and collects odd items for you and all you have to do is watch. Unlike other RPG games, you can’t actually control your hero but you can monitor him via his diary, in which he records all of his actions and anything mildly noteworthy (as well as some things not very noteworthy). It might sound a little boring, but the game is actually a ridiculous amount of fun. Not only does the game have a great sense of humor but it makes plenty of references to other RPG games. The whole thing is very tongue-in-cheek and turns the idea of an RPG on its head. Here are a couple of screenshots from my hero’s diary and his inventory pages to give you an idea of the kind of snark you can expect: Every time I open up the app, I can’t help but smile at the jokes. The whole game is chock full of sarcasm, various hilarious references to other games and more wit than you can shake garden shears at, if you get my drift. The best thing about this game is that while technically you don’t have to do anything, I find myself checking in on Valian every once in a while to see what he’s up to. As your hero’s god, you have the option of sending him messages which he might actually follow (but don’t expect too much). You can also send encouragement or punishment if you’re feeling grumpy. Of course, since your hero is only human sometimes things get lost in translation but your hero will dutifully record any odd events in his diary so you can see what effect (if any) you had. I’ve been ‘playing’ this game for about a week and from what I can see, there doesn’t really seem to be much actual point to it, much like other RPGs, but I really don’t mind. In fact, I’d go so far as to recommend this very highly for anyone who has played their share of games but wants to try something different. Godville doesn’t require a huge investment of time or money either, which is a nice change from many other game apps. Godville is available on various platforms including Android, iPhone, Windows Phone or simply online. It is, obviously, free to play and I highly recommend it. Your hero awaits!]]>