Spore is awesome! It is part god sim, part strategy game, and part sim. I think it is a game that is impossible to pigeonhole into just one genre and it is a huge reason as to why it is still popular ten years after its original release.
Spore is a kind of unique game, but there are some alternatives to Spore that offer you some fun creation tools, sim gameplay and also some strategy and those are the kind of games I am looking at today.
I am not saying that these games are 100 percent like Spore, but I do feel that if you had fun with Spore that these are games you need to check out. My personal history with Spore is kind of weird.
I did not have a gaming PC when it was first released, but I had heard the hype about the game. I did have a Nintendo DS so my first taste of Spore was the less than great Spore Creatures! Thankfully over the last few years, I have had the chance to play Spore, mainly with my son who loves to create and mess around with these creatures.
The Universim
The Universim is a game that was kick-started a few years back. It was supposed to be released a couple of years back, but like many indie titles it has had some struggles and it is still not in its final state.
So please keep that in mind as you play or look into this game. The idea of the game is that you need to guide a civilization from their early days all the way up to them discovering technology and beyond!
There are plenty of ways that your people can die such as invasions and disasters so you have to keep an eye on what is going on.
I really think that there is a lot of potential with The Universim and the trailer that they showed a couple of years back promised a ton of awesome stuff.
In its current state there is some fun to be had, but please note that you are not getting the full experience here. The Universim is not broken or anything like that (although there are a couple of glitches I have encountered) but there is not a ton of content here just yet, but it is coming. I think this is worth taking a look at if you like god sims.
Niche – a genetics survival game
When it comes to game alternatives to Spore I feel that Niche here is a game that is closer to it than most that are on this list. Niche is one of those games that I was not that interested in at first, but a buddy gifted it to me and I found myself hooked on it.
You need to create your own animal/creature kind of like in Spore. But what is really neat about this is that you do this with real genetics and you have a lot of input in regards to the kind of animal that you create.
You need to help your animal thrive and there seem to be about a million things that want it dead! What is really interesting is that this game is a mix of many styles as it has turn-based strategy elements, rouge like elements and of course there is the creative aspect as well.
Niche is the kind of game that you can easily spend a few hours playing and then wonder where all the time went.
Black and White 2
Let me admit right away that I am not a big fan of Peter Molyneux. He promises the world, does not usually deliver and then when he is promoting the next game he talks about how the previous one was disappointing, but this one will be different! If you ask me Black and White 2 is the game that he should hang his hat on as it is fantastic.
I remember my friend who was a hardcore PC gamer back in the day raving about this game.
It is a god sim style game and a follow up to the original Black and White. You play as a god and it is up to you what kind of god you will be.
Will you be a happy god who looks after his people and loves their praise? Or will you be a mean God who stomps on people, their homes and demands their love? When Black and White 2 was first released it was pretty groundbreaking.
I am not sure it has the same impact these days, but if you do like god sims I think this is a game you could have a lot of fun with.
No Man’s Sky
No Man’s Sky has become a bit of a punching bag for gamers, but to be fair the No Man’s Sky that is out right now is much better than the one that was originally released. I think this may seem a little out there to be on a games list.
However, I do think that if you like the kind of “do what you want” gameplay that Spore has you will have a lot of fun with No Man’s Sky.
No Man’s Sky is the kind of game that rewards exploration. There have been times when I have landed on a planet and found myself rather bored. But then there are times you go to a planet and find a really cool ecosystem and also a ton of stuff that you can collect in order to craft items.
No Man’s Sky I do think is an acquired taste, but I do think there is a lot of fun to be had here. One bit of advice I will give if you are somewhat interested in No Man’s Sky is to not read all the old reviews. Instead just watch a recent trailer, see if it sparks your interest and then take it from there.
Thrive
Full disclosure here, Thrive is a game that I do not know a great deal about, but a good friend of mine has said that there is a lot of buzz that Thrive is the game that Spore wanted to be.
The idea of Thrive is that you start life as a single-celled organism and you want to get to the point where you evolve to be so advanced that you can create and make use of technologies that give you almost god like powers!
The developers have spoken at great lengths about how they want Thrive to be a game where the player can pretty much do anything you want. The creation tools that the game has sound very interesting and make it seem like there are very few restrictions to the kind of thing that you can create.
The progress of Thrive seems to have really slowed down, but this is a game that I do have high hopes for and one that is worth taking an interest in. I know how hard it is for a smaller studio to make and actually get a game out there, but I am rooting for these guys!
EVO – Search for Eden
Oh hell yeah! Here is an old school game for the Super Nintendo and unless you are super rich save yourself the hassle of finding a real copy as it is one of the rarer and expensive games on the SNES. This was such an ambitious game for a console back in the 90’s and there really was nothing like it on the SNES.
I remember seeing previews of it in a game magazine I used to get called Total (it’s a UK Nintendo magazine) but I never saw a copy in any store.
Years later, thanks to emulation I played it and loved it and now I have it on my hacked SNES mini I can play it on my TV.
EVO is a lot of fun, you create a creature and then you need to survive and evolve through early history all the way to primitive man. What makes this different from most other games that are like this is that EVO is a 2D game.
You would think that this would really limit a game like this, but it does not. EVO is a blast and I highly recommend you play it and you will be amazed that a game like this came out for the Super Nintendo.
The Mims Beginning
Here is a game that I did not have high hopes for if I am honest, but let me tell you I had a lot of fun with The Mims. This is a god sim where you need to help your people by making structures for them to live in and go to, breeding animals and of course making sure there is enough food.
There are monsters and other disasters that you have to watch for, but I can tell you that the fighting monsters aspect is something that I really had a lot of fun with.
If you are new to god like sims I do think that The Mims is a great place to start as it is not too overly complex or difficult.
While it is not a hard game, you certainly have to pay attention as The Mims are not the smartest of folk and they need to you tell them to do even the most basic of things so there is a lot of micromanaging here, but I actually think that is part of the fun as it always keeps you on your toes.
Gridworld
Gridworld if you ask me is the weirdest game that is on this list. If you watch a video of gameplay you will be asking yourself what on earth is this I am looking at. Gridworld is one of the more intriguing games I have encountered.
Life starts off in its most simple form, but you need to make sure that the conditions are just right for life to not just survive, but also evolve into a more complex lifeform.
Each creature has their own DNA and when it is cloned there is a chance the new creature will be slightly different or even radically different. Before you know it you have created a world with all kinds of creatures.
Now the art style is super weird in that everything is represented with basic blocks. I think whether you can get past this or not is really going to be the deciding factor in how much you get out of this game or even if you stick with it for more than an hour or so.
I like what they were going for with Gridworld, but I do think this is one of those games that you either like or you hate, there is no in between.
Birthdays the Beginning
Wow did this take me by surprise! In my quest to find more games similar to Spore. Birthdays the Beginning was recommended to me and let me start by saying this is one of the most adorable god sim and creation style games that you will ever see.
This is something I really like as the fact that Spore went for creatures that were more on the cute side was something that I actually really liked.
This is a sandbox style game and you are tasked with making sure the world is ok for lifeforms to thrive. You can change the lay of the land, the weather and so on to make sure that the world is fine for life to thrive.
The kind of world that you create for your creatures will actually define what kind of creatures will survive. I had fun making a world that was underwater and one that was like a magical forest.
There are so many creatures and different types of worlds you can create that each time you play the game you never really know how your world is going to end up. I had so much fun with this game so much that it is very easy for me to recommend to you guys.
Imagine Earth
If you like your games to have a lot of depth to them then I think that Imagine Earth is just the kind of game you are looking for. This is a real-time strategy game where you need to colonize planets, build structures, make sure everyone is safe, your economy is solid and so on. You can then trade and deal with other people or take on threats and other societies that want what you have, but also want you dead!
There is so much going on in Imagine Earth that it is the kind of game that can easily take over all the gaming time you gave. The game starts off very easy and eventually you will be able to upgrade your buildings, crafts and so on.
There is a lot of micromanaging in Imagine Earth and I know that is not something that some of you may be into. However, if you like your god sims and city building style games to be really in depth, you are going to be really in your element here.
Microcosmum: survival of cells
Hmm, if you ask me Microcosmum is a game that actually has a lot in common with Gridworld. The idea is that you need to create a microorganism that cannot just be given life, but also thrive and win the battle of life.
In the world of microorganisms, everything is fighting for its survival and the one you have created is no different. You have a lot more control than you would think and you can use this to your advantage to make sure your organism survives.
I will be honest and say that there is not a whole lot to this game, but man is it gorgeous. This is perhaps the most casual game on the list and while there is plenty for you to do in order to keep your organism living, it is rather easy and will not cause you any problems.
If you are looking for a cheap game that is quick and easy to get into then this could be worth a look.
So there we have some fun games like Spore. While some may not be exactly like Spore, I do think we have looked at some pretty fun games today.
However, I do have three that I think are a cut above the rest and need to be on your list of games to play. First up is Niche.
I had a blast with this game and as well as creating a lifeform, there is a lot of other stuff to do here and I love how it mixes in other gaming genres.
The other game that I had a great deal of fun with is The Mims Beginning. This is a charming game that has the same cutesy style that Spore has, but there is a ton of stuff to keep you busy. The last game I want to recommend is Birthdays the Beginning.
What I loved about this was that I would start a new game with the intent of having my world be one way, only for evolution to decide something else!