Info about Godhood:

Official game description:
Guide your Disciples, create your own Religion, and obtain glory! Inspire growth in your Disciples so they may challenge the false gods and convert their followers. Defeat your rivals, and become the One Truth!
Key Features
------------
*   **Create your Own Religion:** From peaceful meditative monks to savage warrior-priests drenched in the blood of human sacrifice, mix and match religious Tenets & Traditions to shape your worshippers’ morality! What culture will your religion shape in the future?  
*   **Auto-Battler Ritual Combat:** Face other religions in turn-based auto-battler combat called sacraments. Use persuasion, brute force or even flirtation to defeat the false prophets and convert their worshippers in this unique system!  
*   **Guide Your Roster of Disciples:** Disciples are the heroes of your religion. Choose their class and level up their abilities to create your perfect team of mighty missionaries.  
*   **Plan your years as a God:** Collect tribute to expand your holy site with new temples and buildings. Use them to create Rituals that improve your disciples or upgrade your income and options.  
*   **A Relaxing Mythical World:** Vibrant hand-painted art and relaxing tunes let you fully immerse yourself in Godhood’s world of devoted worship and mythical Meso-American heroes.  
*   **Replayability:** Experiment with different combinations of religious commandments, tenets, traditions, classes, and holy relics.

Release date: Aug 11, 2020

Categories: God Simulation, Auto-battler, Religion System, Disciple Management, Turn-based Combat, City Building, Class-based Combat, Religious Themes


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price:
  - Community fair range: $15.00 - $20.00
  - Reasoning: The reviews consistently push back against the $27 base price and frame the game as fair value mainly when discounted. Several reviewers specifically name under $20, $15-$20, or about $15 as the right purchase point, while another says it is worth the asking price but still recommends a sale. Taken together, the community sentiment supports a fair base-game range of roughly $15 to $20, with $27 considered too high.
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: 12.0h
  - Story completion: 12.0h
  - Session length: 3.0h
  - Endgame: 40.0h
  - Reasoning: The 10-12 hour hard/all-missions report supports a practical game completion estimate near 12 hours. A separate 12-hour report to see an ending supports story completion near 12 hours. The 40-hour best-ending report on Hard indicates a much longer true-ending/endgame completion, estimated at 40 hours. The 'few hours' session comment supports an approximate 3-hour typical session length, though it is vague, so confidence is moderate.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: Reports mostly describe early charm that fades as repetition and slow pacing take over, though some players find the loop boring almost immediately. A minority value it as a contemplative management experience under specific genre and pacing preferences.
  - Stance: Fun then drops
  - Anchor: N/A
  - Time to anchor: N/A
  - Friction: Repetitive core loop with limited decisions; Slow pacing and click-heavy downtime; Tedious weekly disciple reassignment; Weak or overwhelming tutorial; Limited agency and unsatisfying randomness
  - Unlock drivers: Learning the system by playing rather than relying on the tutorial
  - Conditions: Liking idle or management games; Enjoying small decisions whose outcomes unfold over time; Valuing thoughtful management sims and character-driven progression; Preferring thematic expression over mechanical dominance; Tolerance for slow, meditative pacing; Not seeking high-stress strategy or constant micro-adjustment; Interest in religion and cultural development themes
- Player Archetypes:
  - Abbey Games Loyalist (deep sale)
    - Motivation: To revisit the trusted tactical god-sim charm of an established studio whose earlier games they already love.
    - Playstyle: Approaches the game through comparisons to prior Abbey Games titles and explores its systems with genre familiarity.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: deep sale
    - Labels: long-time fan of Abbey Games; fans of Abbey Games like me
    - Reference games: REUS; Renowned Explorers
  - Chill God-Sim Manager (buy)
    - Motivation: To relax with a lightweight god sim and enjoy watching their holy city and followers operate.
    - Playstyle: Low-pressure management and auto-battles, with optional tactical engagement when they want more challenge.
    - Experience: newcomer
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: N/A
    - Reference games: N/A
  - Hardcore Tactical Min-Maxer (buy)
    - Motivation: To master difficult tactical challenges, complete demanding achievements, and optimize successful runs.
    - Playstyle: Plans several turns ahead, uses self-imposed handicaps, and min-maxes decisions on higher difficulties.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: N/A
    - Reference games: N/A
  - Frustrated Auto-Battler Skeptic (no buy)
    - Motivation: To find meaningful god-sim agency and tactical decisions rather than RNG-driven auto-battles and grind.
    - Playstyle: Engages with management and auto-battler systems but becomes disengaged when choices feel constrained by randomness and repetition.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: no buy
    - Labels: N/A
    - Reference games: XCOM


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Rich religion customization and replayability (weight 0.5): Players highlight the extensive customization of religions, tenets, and traditions, along with high replay value from different combinations.
- Game is fun and enjoyable (weight 0.49): Multiple reviewers consistently describe the game as fun, engaging, and enjoyable, making it a core positive takeaway.
- Unique and deep strategy gameplay (weight 0.41): Many players praise the game for its original mechanics, strategic depth, and tactical decision-making that stands out from other titles.
- Good art style and graphics (weight 0.34): Reviewers frequently compliment the game's visual style, describing it as nice, cute, colorful, and fitting the theme.
- Engaging auto-battler and tactical combat (weight 0.22): The team-building auto-battler and turn-based tactical combat systems are praised for being fun and strategic.
- Engaging disciple management (weight 0.19): Managing disciples with their own personalities and growth, including aging and death, adds depth to the core loop.
- Good sound design and music (weight 0.17): The soundtrack and sound design are repeatedly praised as pleasant, excellent, and enhancing the experience.
- Interesting theme and concept (weight 0.16): The game's theme of building a religion and guiding followers is frequently described as interesting and appealing.
- Diverse mechanics and content (weight 0.16): The game offers a wide variety of classes, skills, buildings, and playstyles, providing lots of content to explore.
- Relaxing and immersive experience (weight 0.16): Many find the game relaxing, immersive, and a peaceful way to pass time, with a chill atmosphere.
- Customizable god and characters (weight 0.14): Players enjoy the ability to customize their deity, disciples, and religious symbols.
- Charming Abbey Games style (weight 0.14): Players note the typical charm, care, and attention to detail characteristic of Abbey Games' titles.
- Strategic depth in sacraments and battles (weight 0.11): The sacrament battles require careful planning and preparation, fitting the game's theme of indirect influence.
- Positive first playthrough experience (weight 0.11): The initial playthrough is often described as enjoyable and engaging, with a lot to learn and discover.
- Stable performance with no bugs (weight 0.1): Several players report encountering no crashes or game-breaking bugs during their playthroughs.
- Worth the price (weight 0.1): Reviewers feel the game provides good value for money and is worth the asking price.
- Easy to learn but complex (weight 0.1): The game is noted as easy to learn yet offering deep complexity once systems are understood.
- Promising and full of potential (weight 0.09): Some reviewers see many promising elements and believe the game has a bright future, especially given its early access status.
- Good developer support and community interaction (weight 0.07): The developers are praised for being responsive to feedback, handling bug reports well, and being helpful.
- Linux and Mac native support (weight 0.06): The game offers native builds for Linux and Mac, with no issues reported on Linux.

Common complaints:
- Repetitive and monotonous gameplay (weight 0.36): Players frequently describe the gameplay as dull, bland, and lacking exciting moments, with repetition becoming apparent after the first hour.
- Shallow and simple mechanics (weight 0.23): The game is criticized for being shallow, simple, and lacking depth, with insufficient gameplay to justify the price.
- Combat lacks player agency (weight 0.23): Combat is automated and heavily RNG-based, with players only selecting disciples and then watching, removing meaningful control.
- Auto-battler not god game (weight 0.18): The game is essentially a simple auto battler, which contradicts the god game expectations set by marketing.
- Overpriced for content (weight 0.18): Many players feel the base price is unreasonably high and not justified by the amount of content, even when on sale.
- Limited control over village (weight 0.13): Players report lacking direct control over the world or village, with limited management options.
- Overwhelming complexity (weight 0.08): Too many characteristics, stats, and mechanics make it hard to understand how they interact, overwhelming players at first.
- Boring innate talents (weight 0.07): Innate talents and abilities are seen as largely pointless and boring, adding little to the experience.
- Many bugs present (weight 0.07): Players encounter numerous bugs that detract from the experience.

Gameplay feedback:
- Auto-battler combat core (weight 0.55): Combat is resolved automatically with minimal direct control. This is a defining feature and appears in multiple clusters.
- Create and manage religion (weight 0.43): Players create a customizable religion, choosing traditions and tenets, and guide followers. This is a central theme.
- God simulation strategy (weight 0.31): The game is a strategy/management sim where you play as a god developing a religion. It emphasizes replayability with different strategies.
- Turn-based automatic battles (weight 0.23): Battles are turn-based and auto-resolved, often with disciples fighting in 3v3 sacraments. Players select disciples but do not control actions directly.
- Disciple roster management (weight 0.18): Players manage a roster of disciples, choosing classes, improving stats, and gaining experience. This includes resource management and development.
- Aging and generational mechanics (weight 0.18): Disciples age and eventually die, encouraging players to think generationally and recruit new followers. This adds a dynamic layer to management.
- Class abilities and relics (weight 0.12): Classes have unique abilities, and relics provide stat bonuses. This adds customization depth to disciple builds.
- Expand faith via conquest (weight 0.12): Players spread their religion by conquering territories or converting followers through missions. Disciples can be sent to convert others.
- Indirect control strategy (weight 0.12): The game is a strategy/management game with indirect control over followers, rather than a direct simulation. Players guide rather than command.
- RNG-driven combat outcomes (weight 0.1): Battles involve randomness, which affects outcomes. This can make combat less predictable.
- Stat and threshold focus (weight 0.07): The game is heavily stat-based, with thresholds affecting performance. This emphasizes min-maxing and strategic planning.
- City building feature (weight 0.07): The game includes city-building elements, adding a management layer beyond disciple management.
- Multiple difficulty levels (weight 0.07): Four difficulty levels scale from casual to hardcore, accommodating different playstyles.

Performance notes:
- Mouse clicks stop working (weight 0.1): Players report that mouse clicks become unresponsive during gameplay, when entering text in the religion creation screen, and after alt-tabbing back into the game. These input failures significantly disrupt the experience.
- Freezes during keyboard input (weight 0.07): The game freezes when players use non-English keyboard input methods, and it also freezes on launch. This makes the game unplayable for users relying on such input setups.

Recommendations:
- Wait for discounts (weight 0.38): Many reviewers advise waiting for a sale before purchasing, with suggestions ranging from 50% to 75% off or under $20, as the game is not considered worth the full price by several users.
- Not recommended in current state (weight 0.28): Multiple reviewers state the game is not recommended in its current state and suggest waiting for improvements before buying, indicating dissatisfaction with the current quality.
- Not a god sim like Populous (weight 0.21): Reviewers warn that the game is not recommended for those expecting a god-like sim such as Populous or Black and White, and it's better for hands-off god game fans.
- For Abbey Games fans (weight 0.18): The game is primarily recommended only for diehard fans of Abbey Games or those who want to support the developer, while it's not recommended for general players unfamiliar with the studio.
- Play Reus or Renowned Explorers instead (weight 0.16): Multiple reviewers recommend playing Reus or Renowned Explorers instead, citing them as superior in similar style or more polished experiences.
- Enjoyable for management sim fans (weight 0.13): Recommended for players who enjoy thoughtful management sims, character-driven progression, and thematic expression, as well as those who like sim games and autochess combat.
- Not for everyone (weight 0.11): Several reviewers mention the game is not for everyone, with some suggesting to watch gameplay first or noting it may be too repetitive or niche.
- Check out if interested in concept (weight 0.1): Several reviewers suggest checking out the game if you like the general concept, with one noting it's worth trying during a sale.
- Appeal to idle game fans (weight 0.08): Reviewers note the game is suited for players who enjoy idle games with small decisions, but not for those who dislike idle mechanics.
- RNG undermines strategic play (weight 0.08): Some negative reviews criticize the heavy reliance on RNG without options to play turns strategically, advising against purchase for those seeking a strategy game winnable by skill.
- Suited for thinking strategists (weight 0.08): The game is recommended for players who enjoy deep strategic and tactical thinking rather than direct control, indicating a niche appeal.
- Niche appeal to spreadsheet sim fans (weight 0.07): The game is recommended only for those who like dense spreadsheet-like puzzlers/simulators, indicating a very specific target audience.
- Difficulty and faction tips (weight 0.06): One reviewer suggests starting on medium difficulty until mechanics are learned and picking War or Peace as they are recommended and easier to play.
- Base building and strategy focus (weight 0.04): Recommended for those who enjoy light base building and strategy, but not expecting a traditional god game.
- Avoid unless defects interest you (weight 0.04): One reviewer advises avoiding the game unless its defects appeal to you, implying significant flaws.
- Store page is deceptive (weight 0.04): One reviewer does not recommend the game because the store page is deceptive, indicating misleading marketing.
- Not worth even on sale (weight 0.04): One reviewer states the game is not worth buying even on sale, indicating strong dissatisfaction.
- Too simple for adults (weight 0.03): One reviewer recommends the game only for a child because it is simple and you do not do much, implying a lack of depth.

Other player notes:
- Constant comparison to Renowned Explorers (weight 0.31): Many reviewers reference Renowned Explorers, generally considering it more polished, intuitive, and satisfying, while finding the current game lacking in comparison.
- Developed by Abbey Games (weight 0.26): The game is developed and published by Abbey Games, known for Reus and Renowned Explorers, and many reviewers mention the developer's typical charm.
- Early access state feels incomplete (weight 0.2): Reviewers frequently note the game is still in early access, under development, and feels incomplete or unfinished, with some negative reviews stemming from its early state.
- Comparison to Reus and other Abbey games (weight 0.2): Reviewers compare the game to Reus and other titles by Abbey Games, often unfavorably, noting that previous games were deeper or more polished.
- Misleading store page description (weight 0.18): The store page presents the game as a god game or city-builder, but reviewers note it does not match traditional god games like Populous or Black & White.
- Frequent discounts and price concerns (weight 0.17): The game is sold at full price but often discounted, and some reviewers suggest waiting for a deep sale or lowering the price due to content-to-price ratio.
- Game length is relatively short (weight 0.16): Reviewers report varying playtimes, with a single run taking about 8 hours, reaching the final island in about 9 hours, and completing all missions on hard in 10-12 hours, leading some to consider the game short.
- Not a traditional god game (weight 0.16): Multiple reviewers compare it to classic god games such as Populous, Black & White, and Dungeon Keeper, but conclude it is not that type of game and has little in common with them.
- Comparison to management games (weight 0.14): Reviewers compare the game to management titles like Football Manager, Motorsport Manager, and Crusader Kings, rather than traditional god games or dungeon crawlers.
- Incomplete localization support (weight 0.11): Reviewers report incomplete Chinese localization and poor Russian localization, while German is unsupported in the final version despite being available in an older version.
- Comparison to Darkest Dungeon and XCOM (weight 0.11): Some reviewers compare the game to Darkest Dungeon and XCOM, noting unexplained mechanics or similarities in indirect control.
- Developer downsizing affected development (weight 0.1): Abbey Games downsized during development, and the studio closed before the game could reach its full potential, which likely impacted the final product.
- Game had a rocky start but improved (weight 0.1): The game had a rocky start but is now fun to play, and developers handled bug reports and community feedback well during Early Access.
- Customization options for characters and deity (weight 0.09): The game offers dozens of customization options for followers and the deity, including appearance, names, and over 100 images for tenets, traditions, relics, and doctrines.
- No longer supported by developers (weight 0.07): The game is no longer supported by its developers, which may affect future updates and bug fixes.
- Polarizing review score (weight 0.07): The game has a polarizing review score, with some reviewers feeling it does not deserve all the bad reviews and others comparing it unfavorably to other titles.
- Lacks roguelike or endless mode (weight 0.07): The game lacks a roguelike element or endless mode, reducing replayability, and some reviewers hope for such features in updates.
- Game mechanics reflect religious economics (weight 0.06): The game's basic mechanics reflect religious economics models, simplified for gameplay, and are compared to concepts from the book 'The Rules of Faith'.
- Bugs remain nearly a year after release (weight 0.04): One reviewer notes that bugs remain numerous nearly a year after release, indicating persistent technical issues.
- Simple, colorful comic aesthetic (weight 0.04): The game features a simple, colorful comic aesthetic that some reviewers find appealing.

Emotions:
- Disappointment (weight 0.26): Players are disappointed by the game failing to live up to its premise, feeling shallow, repetitive, and lacking the depth promised by a god game. Many cite unmet expectations from the developer's previous titles, misleading store descriptions, incomplete content, and unresolved bugs as key sources of letdown.
- Frustration (weight 0.21): Frustration stems from heavy RNG in combat, lack of player control, and numerous technical issues such as freezes, unresponsive controls, and removed language support. Players also cite confusing systems, unbalanced difficulty spikes, and poor UI or tutorials as major pain points.
- Boredom (weight 0.09): Boredom arises from the repetitive auto-battler core loop, dull combat, and minimal player involvement. Many describe the gameplay as mechanical, predictable, and lacking engagement, with long stretches of idle grinding and little content variety.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.07): Players enjoy the strategic village building, team-building auto-battler mechanics, and meaningful small decisions that unfold over time. Fun class combos, religion customization, and a chill atmosphere contribute to a positive experience for some.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.06): Satisfaction comes from discovering deep strategic synergies, combining systems for powerful payoffs, and watching society develop with high replayability. The religion building system, meaningful choices, and improved stability after updates are also highlighted.
- Confusion (weight 0.02): Confusion is caused by unclear game mechanics such as initiative visibility, ability selection logic, and indirect feedback. The game's departure from traditional god games and unintuitive season progression also leave players puzzled.
- Mild disappointment (weight 0.02): Mild disappointment stems from shallow gameplay, lack of intense depth, and runs that feel long without permanent legacy. Poor polish, unbalanced features, and UI issues also contribute to a subdued letdown.
- Dissatisfaction (weight 0.01): Dissatisfaction is driven by an incomplete Chinese translation, a defensive playstyle that offers little way to avoid game over, and RNG battles with worthless resource spending on abilities.
- Annoyance (weight 0.01): Annoyance is caused by inaccurate tooltips, limited hero parameter visibility, and UI elements that hide information. Long-standing bugs without fixes and log file spam further irritate players.
- Appreciation (weight 0.01): Players appreciate the thematic clarity and sincere treatment of religion, as well as the game's competence and the typical charm of Abbey Games products. Responsiveness to feedback and bug reports is also valued.
- Amusement (weight 0.01): Amusement comes from fun options like creating a cult of pleasure and lust or summoning Cthulhu, the humorous RPG-strategy tone, and god customizability options such as a betentacled dark goddess of lust.
- Admiration (weight 0.01): Admiration is expressed for the game's complex systems and many customization options, appreciation for the developers' vision and depth, and wonderful gameplay and features.
- Hope (weight 0.01): Hope is based on faith that the developers will improve the game in the future, add features, and increase replayability.
- Affection (weight 0.01): Affection stems from love for the developer and their game design, with the game being one of the reviewer's favorites.
- Pleasant surprise (weight 0.01): Pleasant surprise comes from finding the game hooked despite disappointing reviews, and enjoying it despite having zero expectations.
- Fun (weight 0.01): Fun is derived from the depth and variety of decisions in growing the religion, and discovering absurd religion possibilities and small animations.
- Liking (weight 0.01): Liking is based on the general concept and gameplay of the game, and enjoying creative and hands-off gameplay.
- Excitement (weight 0.01): Excitement is generated by pulling off a chain of devastating combos in a battle through planning, and a combat system that is fun to optimize and watch.
- Disconnection (weight 0): Disconnection is caused by the game almost completely happening without the player.
- Engagement (weight 0): Engagement is due to the game keeping the player distracted from real life.}