The Villagers Are Back!
Quite easily one of the most comprehensive and enjoyable casual games ever produced was Virtual Villagers, a simulation title that tasked you with helping a group of tribes people re-establish their community and re-learn the skills that they need in order to survive. It was an instant classic, winning audiences over from clear cross the globe, thanks to its intricate storyline, satisfying adventure, and very simple-to-use interface. If you liked the first Virtual Villagers (or even if you've never experienced the simulation genre before), you will absolutely LOVE this hotly anticipated sequel, Virtual Villagers: The Lost Children.
This time around, you find yourself on a whole new part of the tropical island of Isola with all new items to discover, skills to develop, and villagers to meet. While there are puzzles that you need to solve, the primary task here is to simply lead the villagers in such a way that they can be self-sustaining, in such a way that they can, at the very least, survive. Teach them to fish, build huts, and much more. But what's different for this addition to the Virtual Villagers series?
Help the Young Ones Find Their Way
As the title implies, the main characters here are a group of young children who have apparently lost their parents. In the first game, you oversaw a tribe as they made themselves a new home. This time, you only have two adults from that group that will actually do any work! This is the increased challenge because while the children are great at exploring and finding unique items (seashells, mushrooms, butterflies, and so on), they are not particularly useful when it comes to fishing, building, researching, and parenting. This adds a whole new dynamic to the game, forcing you to better manage your resources as you wait for these children to wake up.
Underlying this whole adventure, of course, is the question of what happened to the little ones' parents. You will slowly encounter clues to this puzzle, but first you must ensure their safety and survival. Build a fire. Research new technologies. There is just so much to learn and explore that you will never run out of things to do. Best of all, the world that the virtual villagers inhabit does not lie dormant when you exit the game or turn off your computer. Quite the contrary! They will continue to learn and evolve based on the skills and abilities you taught them. Don't worry. The single mouse click-and-drag interface couldn't be easier. The challenge lies in the strategy.
Puzzles to Solve, Technologies to Discover
There are 16 puzzles in all to solve, in addition to the primary task of simply helping the tribes people survive. Moreover, you must get the children to collect the wide variety of island treasures. Naturally, each villager is completely unique with a set of skills (which you can help improve), likes, and dislikes. Exploit their strengths and minimize their weaknesses to achieve the greatest success.
A Completely Open-Ended Experience
Just like in real life, there are no set goals per se. Life is what you make of it, making sure that you address the primary needs of food, shelter, and safety above all. The game world continues to play out in real time after you've shut it down, so you'll have to check in on your tribe members from time to time to make sure that everything is still as it should be.
If you won't save the children, who will?
