The Universim
The Universim is not an outstanding game, and it is certainly not a bad game. It is a city-building game, it is a god game, it is a planet-settling game. It is the space stage of Spore with more flesh and new mechanics. It is a calm and leisurely game with obstacles to keep it interesting. At times, it is a thought-provoking game or a mindless game. It is a shallow yet wide river. But most of all, it’s $30 and provides about 30 hours of entertainment.Like any city-building game, you will place buildings, they will be built, they will function. You unlock new buildings and recipes as you progress. The Universim is fairly simple in this regard. You will have a few godly powers like spawning rain clouds or healing. Much of the game is sitting around, watching as your people execute your plans, using your godly powers if ever necessary. At the end of the game, you will be settling new planets to pillage their natural resources.
What I found particularly interesting was the concept of no longer being needed. My people no longer needed me to put out their fires, smite the wicked, and heal the sick; technology allowed them to do that themselves. Thus, they started to lose faith. They could even plan their cities by themselves once they formed a government. They no longer needed me, so I just watched them at 2x speed.
It is a fun game, I suppose; I always wanted to play just a bit longer. I ended my playthrough with a total of 33.8 hours, but at 30 hours, I believe I had had enough of the game, and it became a marathon to the finish line. I would recommend this game to people who like city-builders, but I would also recommend they pay no more than $24 for it. Get it on sale.
—Gage Wilson, Video Games Editor