If I mention the words Black & White, what comes to mind? Maybe memories of feeling like a God, using your powers to lift your subjects to decadence, or crush them into the dirt? If you’re like me, the answer is yes. I, like many, spent far more hours than I care to admit figuratively, and literally, playing God, and while many games have tried to recreate that experience, I’ve failed to find anything that truly compares. But I think that wait is over.
If you have yet to hear about the buzz surrounding Ubisoft’s From Dust, then you have to take a look at the tech demo which is now available.
When we first reported details of the Eric Chahi-developed project, I went through the roof. I’ve had an itch ever since B&W, an itch that other titles just haven’t been able to scratch. However, taking a look at the From Dust tech demo makes me think the title may just blow me away.
Check out the tech demo below:
The manipulation of sand, lava, water, and vegetation is one of the only elements that was lacking in B&W, but it seems like From Dust isn’t just using the tools as just additions to gameplay, but real aspects of storytelling.
The idea of using divine powers to bring a tribe from the brink of extinction to flourishing is certainly interesting - and all we’ve seen so far is a brief slice of how the game works. The idea that the world can be manipulated, as well as acts on its own to threaten your people with natural disasters, has been a fun idea since Sim City and I’m sure the stakes will be raised here.
I don’t know if I’m alone on this one, or if my affection for one of my favorite gaming experiences is forcing me to see From Dust through rose-colored glasses. If nothing else, I have to think a lot of gamers out there will simply be happy to hear that Ubisoft is hard at work on a PC game. And hard at work they will be, until the game is releases on PC, PSN, and Xbox Live Arcade some time in 2011.
