RomWize
Populous
▶ gameplay

Populous (USA)

Super Nintendo (SNES)
🇬🇧
Reviewed in
1991
72
Ad
✪ Reviewed on May 30, 2025
64

The Bullfrog god game ported to SNES, functional but pad limited. Still interesting for its historical god sim cachet.

Your verdict
Category
Simulation 1 player 7+
Description
God game in which the player shapes terrain and guides the evolution of a people. Published by Bullfrog Productions, released in the USA in 1991. Terrain sculpting with the divine finger, guiding believers to prosperity, wars against rival peoples and natural disasters to trigger. SNES port of Peter Molyneux's PC classic.

Populous review

3/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Polished"
3/5
Music
★★★★★
"Memorable"
2/5
Story
★★★★★
"Classic"
Gameplay
"Solid"
Fun
"Pleasant"
Addictiveness
"Engaging"
Difficulty
"Balanced"
Lifespan
"Long"
Technical info
💾0,35 MB 📅01/11/1991
Published by Bullet-Proof Software

Populous (SNES) price, value & rarity

Notable
Q1 loose
 $7 Q6 complete
 $25 Q10 new
 $141 !
Compare prices
Loading eBay listings…
Other versions
Populous
Europe
01/11/1991
🇬🇧
Populous
Japan
01/11/1991
🇯🇵

Is Populous still worth playing in 2026?

Populous brings Bullfrog's founding god game to the Super Nintendo, where you sculpt the land to guide your people's prosperity against a rival. The concept stays fascinating, but the move from mouse to controller clearly weighs down the handling, hurting comfort. Its appeal today is mainly historical, that of a cornerstone of the genre. For the curious about divine simulation and gaming history, it is worth the discovery more than long playing sessions.

Similar games