Maxis released Spore in 2008, and it was a revolutionary game in many aspects. As one of the earliest examples of a “God game,” Spore allowed the player to control every aspect of life on their creature’s planet. Spore was split into five life stages. This made it feel like five games, with the complexity of previous choices impacting those later on.
The player began life as a single-celled organism struggling to survive. Each decision directly impacted the player’s creation as it evolved into a creature, then developed intelligence, formed a civilization, and finally entered the frontier of space. Many gamers fondly remember playing through the five stages.
If you’re looking to relive the glory days but want to switch up your game choices or even discover new favorites, here are ten games that you need to check out, roughly in order of the Spore stages they mimic.
Cell Stage
This is the first stage, which will continue until you guide an entirely new species cell through primordial ooze. You begin with a young, mobile cell.
1. Multicellular
Multicellular, a cell-vs-cell game that is visually simple and yet intricate, offers many of same elements as Spore’s cell stage. Players are encouraged to design unique organisms using a full spectrum of body parts that determine the cell’s purpose.
The ultimate goal of the game is to survive, evolve and find food. You can play in a variety game modes and even compete against other players in an all cell match. Multicellular allows you to use your imagination.
Visuals and gameplay
The game’s visuals are not too distracting, but it has a compelling story. You’re tasked to survive as a group of cells in the harsh environment of mother nature.
There are many enemies to be feared. As a cell group, your goal is to alter your DNA to the point that you can fight and defeat most of your foes. The visuals could be improved, but the game can still be played on older platforms.
What Can You Expect?
You’ll be going back in time to personalize your arsenal of 100+ cell types. Therefore, you’ll need to keep track of your hunger levels, while protecting yourself against the most dangerous and poisonous enemies.
At the time of writing, there are currently four game modes:
- Evolution
- King of the Puddle
- Football
- Genetic Superiority
There are seven maps available across all the game modes, and they can both be played single-player or multi-player.
Creature Stage
This stage encourages you to hunt other animals in order to get DNA points. It is also possible to try to befriend them but this can prove difficult.
Once you reach sapience with the creature, the stage concludes, and you’ve transcended to higher stages.
2. Niche
Niche is the perfect game if you like to watch genetic change take place in real-time. Much like the creature stage of Spore, this “God game” allows you to fully control the fate of your creatures, beginning with their design. Make your own unique creature and watch how new individuals impact your initial population.
Your job is to make sure that natural selection results are positive. As your creatures struggle to survive, you can observe genetic flow.
Visuals and gameplay
Niche is more like a mix of Digimon and Minecraft in terms of visuals. The graphics look great and are not out of place. Luckily, Niche can be run on lower PCs as well – purely because of its lax graphical requirements.
You will also have a HUD that lets you control all aspects of your game. Plus, it’s an exploration-based experience, so there will always be something to experience.
What Can You Expect?
Your primary goal is to defend your tribe against the threats that lurk in the vast jungles and wastelands. Although the primary goal is defense, you will need to grow as fast as possible to keep up with Niche’s ever-increasing pace.
The game is fun and easy to learn, despite its clunky nature. Ultimately, it’s a game based on evolution. Therefore, you would find solace in it – given you enjoyed playing Spore.
3. Eternal Cylinder
Eternal Cylinder, much like Spore’s creature stage, begins with the player creating a new creature. The area is extremely dangerous and the creature must flee from the enormous entity.
The player is required to fight off other creatures and find food. They also have to learn how to stop the deadly circular. The creature acquires different mutations along the way that enable it to survive and explore Eternal Cylinder’s vast open world.
Visuals and gameplay
Eternal Cylinder is near-AAA in terms of visual fidelity. Its alien-like environment is fascinating to see. An in-game map will help you navigate.
It features simple single-player controls and helpful instructions as you go. The combat is minimal as the game is mostly exploration-based.
What Can You Expect?
There will be many labyrinths, caves, and other exploration opportunities. Although the puzzles can be challenging, the game’s difficulty is designed to be accessible to all ages.
Eternal Cylinder can be graphically challenging. To enjoy the games, you’ll need at least a GPU. You also lose time because of the way color grading works.
4. No Man’s Sky
Despite an initially rocky release, No Man’s Sky has since been updated to a substantial level and has earned a spot on this list. The game is somewhere in between space and creature stages, with interplanetary travel and endless planets full of unique fauna and flora. The most successful players are drawn closer to the center to discover the source of an unknown, possibly dangerous, energy pulse.
Survival depends on outsmarting local creatures, upgrading your gear and ship, and determining your character’s future through careful choices and alliances. You will be blown away by the beautiful graphics and endless exploration options.
Visuals and gameplay
While No Man’s Sky isn’t specifically known for its stunning visuals, the game still features a unique aesthetic that draws you into its world. The entirety of No Man’s Sky has this Blueish Violet theme to it that makes you want to keep going on.
The gameplay is very similar to Eternal Cylinder. The story is optimized and updated regularly with new features and bug fixes. From launch till now, No Man’s Sky has experienced a phenomenal improvement.
What Can You Expect?
No Man’s Sky is a game that lets its players decide about the progression. You can explore everything from lush green forests to dry tundra if you’re looking for adventure. However, the vast wastelands are a great place to explore if you want more information about the world.
Everything can be done – given you have enough curiosity and patience to explore it. You should always be moving, whether you are looking for the gathering of elements or small towns.
Tribal/Civilization Stage
This stage deals with the species’ independence. You’re tasked to form societies that can survive simple natural conditions while progressing ahead of the competition.
Since the main premise is to exercise competition, you must formulate unity that can outperform other societies – even if your society members are not as good. You will fight for conquest against other society.
You can claim Geysers in spore. But, since each game has its own path to conquest, it is important to start the game full throttle if you want spore to win.
5. The Universim (Tribal and Civilization).
The Universim, which is a match for Spore, allows the player to guide a species through its evolution from something like the creature stage, to the tribal stage, then to the civilization and space levels. The player directs their Nuggets (creatures), as they collect resources, do research and face threats from other species.
Unlike Spore, this game offers some added complexity, as players’ choices directly affect the planet’s health. There are limited resources, overharvesting can cause disasters, and the development of cities can contribute to global warming. Every decision is a consequence, and the player plays both the creator as well as the sustainer role in this game.
Visuals and gameplay
This world-builder combines visually appealing graphics with a compelling storyline. You’ll be able to build houses and progress through the skill tree, as well as expand your village.
You can expect the world builder to have some of the most beautiful visuals in terms of raw visuals. However, the game still retains some of its backward compatibility – meaning it can be played on relatively older devices.
What Can You Expect?
You’re the one in control here. Your choices will determine the fate of your counter and village, as well as the fates of the planet. Spore is a very similar game, but the gameplay has many unique twists and turns.
The game was released in 202. It has everything, from the bizarre to the mysterious. You’d wonder why there’s a monolithic meat-grinder while sitting on the edge of the caverns roasting a piece of meat. There’s so much Universim overflowing that you’d always be busy planning your next move for your civilization.
6. The Sims 4
The Sims 4 is another cult favorite, offering hours upon hours worth of original gameplay and content. Since Sim City’s 1989 release, Sims games have been entertaining players. Taking the “God game” to new heights with the release of The Sims eleven years later, Maxis continued to build on the foundation of customizable cities and theme parks by creating a game that might remind you of the tribal and civilization stages of Spore.
The Sims 4 is unique because of its intricate features like character design, building detailed buildings, exploration of local locations, and the possibility to form friendships with computer-generated people.
Visuals and gameplay
Sims 4 has become a mainstream product at this stage. Therefore, you won’t have to worry about the graphics or gameplay being subpar. Instead, the game is designed to expand on the basic elements of a worldbuilder by allowing you interact with your characters and encourage their growth.
Sims 4 is a great worldbuilder. Moreover, the controls are simple enough to understand – even for players foreign to the genre.
What Can You Expect?
Sims 4 features emotion-based gameplay. Every action and decision you make will impact their moods and behaviors. You can’t make discrimination without being prepared for the consequences.
You can also expect smooth gameplay due to the constant updates and hotfixes to the game. Keep learning new skills while making your Sims look as idealistic as possible, and you’d never have a stale moment!
7. Ark Series
Ark’s players are left stranded on an unknown island after customizing their characters. To survive, players must hunt for resources, build shelters and tame or kill the local animals. The ability to level up gives you resource points that can be used to acquire new knowledge and create new crafting techniques.
Players must provide a safe environment for their characters, much like the Spore civilization and tribal stages. You have the chance to find high-tech gear and create complex bases to keep unwanted visitors out and your pets tamed.
Visuals and gameplay
The series’ graphical prowess goes beyond just being compelling. It’s a game that has experienced an insane boom in recent years, and it continues to boom amidst the heavy world-building competition.
It is very simple. You must care for your dinosaurs and build your base. You have a lot of choices and the game is well-proved. You can also play with your friends in multiplayer, which is a great feature.
What Can You Expect?
There is plenty to do, including competition against other players and companionship with your pet dinosaurs. Ark’s world is as realistic and beautiful as you can get when depicting prehistoric environments.
Once you begin the game, there are a lot of stats and statuses. There are islands, dinosaurs, and weird creatures that you’ve never seen before. It’s up to you to survive to become the king of the wild.
8. Banished
Banished, which plays very much like Spore’s civilization stage, requires players to create a city for the population of banished citizens. The characters help to build and maintain the community, as well as collect resources.
Banished is different from other city-building games. It doesn’t limit the amount of structures that players can build based upon their experience. Instead, Banished makes every structure possible at the start of the game as long as they have the materials to build them.
The availability of resources varies from one map to the next, so players must make decisions to save their communities from disasters and ensure their happiness, safety and survival.
Visuals and gameplay
While the visuals aren’t necessarily ‘stunning,’ they’re good enough to give you the information you need. Banished is a lightweight game that can be easily played right after purchase.
You will enjoy every moment of the gameplay. Everything is there for a purpose, but the game doesn’t go out of its way to restrict you to a single build path. In a way, it forces you to use your head to make strategic choices.
What Can You Expect?
This word-builder is simple in its truest meaning. There are no annoying payment walls, restrictions, or bothersome skill trees. It’s a classic game, but with all the modern mechanics.
Although it can be difficult at first, creativity can take over the overall meta concept. Therefore, as long as you’re creative enough, it can be pretty easy to find avenues for constant success and fun.
9. Driftland – The Magic Revival
Driftland, an innovative take on the city-building game of civilization stage, allows players to create and expand magical realms, gain power, and control. Driftland, once an entire planet, was destroyed in battle by mages. However, new mages emerged over time to rebuild the planet.
Players can use mage power to increase their realm and power. They can reattach floating islands to gain access to the resources. Players must protect their territory from other mages as they explore the realm and strive to become the victorious power that restores Driftland.
Visuals and gameplay
Driftland offers next-generation graphics in a compact and simple game. With your governing and strategic genius, you will see this fairytale-like kingdom come alive.
Pair that with one of the most easy-to-understand gameplay, and you’re set up for a long and fun journey. Plus, everything is laid out with helpful instructions, so it’s pretty hard to lose your way here.
What Can You Expect?
The narrative is simple and compelling, which will keep you interested from day one. It shares many similarities to Spore but the game is on a different trajectory.
It offers a refreshing change of pace, but allows you to relive the same stories with new twists. Although the graphics are stunning, we suggest you be careful before entering this world of fantasy and ash.
Space Travel Stage
The final stage asks you to leave your home planet to discover the amazing wonders that exist in outer space. Since you’re essentially tasked to control an empire, the mechanics from here onwards can be extremely similar to a generic world-builder.
Your reach extends beyond a single domain. You can now see Interstellar civilisations and initiate cosmic trade.
10. Starbound
Starbound’s two-dimensional graphics might remind some of Terraria and Spore. But, a closer look reveals that this game is firmly in the space stage category. After being attacked by a vicious attack, players are forced to orbit an unknown planet. They must find supplies to repair and rescue their ship.
Space travel, character design, base and resource mining, as well as interactions with other races allow players to form alliances and create their own paths. Players can embark on unique quests that take them from one planet to another. They might seek out ancient artifacts or build a base on distant planets.
This game is great for both novice and experienced gamers. It allows you to choose between storyline tasks, and also lets you set the pace.
Visuals and gameplay
Despite being extremely fun to play, the visuals of Starbound can – at times, look a bit outdated. It has Terraria-style worlds with similar mechanics. There are also enemies to behold. While you can’t make many changes here, it’s still an addictive experience nonetheless.
Together with your trusted gun, you are given the task of crafting your way to outerspace. While the tutorial levels are helpful and fun, the game can admittedly get redundant with time – specifically if you’re a fan of Terraria.
What Can You Expect?
It is extremely enjoyable to learn the gun shooting animations and fighting mechanics. Starbound had a shaky start, but since then – the game has managed to ride on the high horse to improve is an exploration to the point where every area is a unique experience.
You’re going to enjoy this game – no doubt about it. The traditional routines can be challenging in a sub-interstellar space. This makes it addictive. You can also make progress by introducing crafting mechanics.
Conclusion
It’s admittedly difficult to find a game that truly compares to Spore. Spore is a timeless classic thanks to its complex design and control. Providing five unique gameplay options at once, Spore ensures that you won’t be able to find another game quite like it.
The games listed above are close to each other, but they all have their strengths. They might inspire you to explore far-flung lands and find joy in character creation.
