Play Populous (dos) Online

Populous is a real-time strategy game released in 1989 for MS-DOS. Developed by Bullfrog Productions and published by Electronic Arts, it presents a bird's-eye view of a simulated landscape. The game is considered an early example of the god game and real-time strategy genres, where the player assumes the role of a deity guiding a population.

Players control a god who begins with a single follower placed in a wilderness. The primary objective is to cultivate a larger and more powerful population than a rival god. This is achieved by manipulating the terrain to create flat, habitable land where followers can construct buildings. As the population grows, the player's divine power increases, enabling more significant landscape alterations. Key gameplay systems involve terraforming, such as raising or lowering land, and managing the settlement's expansion to support more followers. Progression is continuous and paced by the simultaneous actions of the opposing deity.

When a sufficient population is reached, players can promote a follower to a hero unit. This hero gathers strength from the populace and moves across the map to attack the enemy's settlements, engaging in direct combat. Additionally, players can use their divine powers offensively against the rival god, employing abilities like flooding lowlands or generating natural disasters to disrupt or destroy enemy towns. The game structure involves conquering a series of sequential worlds, with hundreds of levels presented as worlds to dominate, extending the play experience.