iPhone game of the day: Godville

Game: Godville
Price: Free!
Size: 20.0MB
Buy it now from the iTunes StoreUS/UK

GodVille is a fantastic game, but you never really quite play it. It's billed as a "zero-player game" and yet it's one of the most compelling, engaging, and addictive little bits of software out there. Who knew that having barely any interaction could be so interactively entertaining?

GodVille is, essentially, a self-updating diary. The fully text-based game tells the story of an RPG hero who goes on a multitude of quests, collects heaps of loot, and defeats monsters to level up. His diary entries automatically update to keep you abreast of his progress, and it makes for quite an entertaining read.

The big conceit is that your hero is a religious fanatic who is doing "brave and stupid things" in the name of his God. That God, of course, is you. As your hero's deity, you don't actually have a direct influence on the game, but you can choose to reward or punish the hero, and can even send him full messages which he may or may not understand. Although the game plays itself, the hero will need signs of your existence to keep going, so checking in and sending down the occasional lightning bolt is crucial, lest the hero get lazy and give up questing.

One of the biggest draws in Godville is how you can instantly help to improve the game. Godville is constantly connected to the Internet and you can send your own suggestions for monsters, diary entries, and even typo corrections. In this way, the game consistently gets to remain fresh and interesting and, above all, amusing.

Godville is totally free and a lot of fun, and is highly recommended for anybody with an imagination and a sense of humor. It demands no money, and not even much effort. You literally have nothing to lose.

Aug 20, 2010