Game: The Mims: Beginning

Call me narcissistic, but sometimes it just feels so good to be a god - in a godlike video game that is! For you see, the god life actually chose me, when a stray asteroid careened into a spaceship carrying a crew of funny-looking orange creatures called the Mims. When the Mims crash-landed on some foreign planets, I just happened to be watching, and the next thing you now, these guys start depending on me to get them home safe. It's just good for them that actually doing so is nothing short of a godlike great time!The Mims: Beginning has been in development over the past 18 months by the three-man studio of Squatting Penguins, and although the game is about 90% complete at the time of this writing, they've decided to turn to Indiegogo for one final push of crowdfunding support. I recently had a chance to go hands-on with an early beta build of the work in the progress, and I have to say there are plenty of reasons to donate to the Mims' ambitious (and adorable) adventures."From the moment you first boot up The Mims: Beginning, you'll immediately get a feel for the game's lighthearted sense of humor and whimsical island settings. The titular orange creatures are always a delight to behold, whether it's in their cutscene dialogue referring to the player as "you, behind the screen," or just from watching the little guys meander around the greenery and wildlife that make up the main game's terrain.Playing an all-powerful god to the Mims is certainly fun, but it's also a big responsibility. The game weaves a number of classic strategy mechanics into its gameplay, and the main items on your god itinerary are usually getting the Mims to build various structures and power sources to harvest more Bio Mass for further exploration and discoveries. The Bio Mass substance itself is derived from island fruit, which must first be planted and extracted by your little orange colonists.