Ubisoft has described From Dust as a spiritual successor to Peter Molyneux’s very successful 1989 game Populous, which is largely considered the very first God-sim game to be released. This isn’t the first time Populous has been succeeded spiritually with Molyneux himself describing 2001’s Black and White as a spiritual descendant of his famous game.
Designed by Eric Chahi, the mind behind 1991’s critically acclaimed Another World, From Dust is a very unique take on the God game genre in that interaction with the locals doesn’t occur directly - but rather indirectly. In traditional God game fashion, players have a limited set of abilities, but in From Dust those abilities are used to manipulate sand, water, lava, and vegetation.
By being able to manipulate these elements, you are able to completely alter the landscape of the islands the tribes inhabit - making them into lush green hills with rivers running through them or alternatively rocky barren landscapes unfit for mankind.
The latest trailers for From Dust focus on two different aspects of the game - nature and the tribes respectively.
