Masters of Albion is "a true God game," Peter Molyneux says as he unveils a fully manipulable world halfway between Populous and Fable

A god hand in Masters of Albion spews flames onto enemies across a bridge — (Image credit: 22cans)

Masters of Albion, due in Early Access on April 22, just received its first gameplay trailer, and I think we've seen this before. That doesn't have to be a bad thing – the malleable god game looks a lot like director Peter Molyneux's greatest achievements.

It's something of a blend between his original god game, isometric Populous from 1989, and Molyneux's sarcastic British fantasy RPG Fable, from 2004. Considering the fact that Molyneux bills Masters of Albion in a press release as "a true God game" like the former, and it's technically set in the same, uncopywriteable world as the latter, I'm not surprised. You can get a peek at it in the nearly seven-minute gameplay trailer below.

Masters of Albion | Extended Gameplay Trailer - YouTube

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Notably, the trailer shows how Masters of Albion players can control everything in their miniature world from its buildings, to its dessert recipes – and even the minds of its heroes, with a little benign possession. You play as what characters call a "big hand," a wiggling, disembodied god hand with an armored wrist, and there seems to be a lot of magical zapping involved.

The press release says, "From constructing buildings and designing armour, to solving quests and fighting off the chaos of night, the experience of playing Masters of Albion begins to feel tangible and fully realised." Molyneux adds, "This is where the game truly comes alive."

"Seeing all of these systems working together – building, crafting, exploration, and conflict – finally delivers the feeling of power, creativity, and responsibility," he concludes.

Fable lead Peter Molyneux will "admit now that I did overpromise on things," refuses to call his next game "great," but says upcoming city builder Masters Of Albion "is a redemption title for me."