Bolt Creative’s Pocket God [App Store] has had a seemingly permanent spot on the top lists of both overall paid apps and paid games since its release nearly a year ago. As a pioneer of episodic content updates, the “Good Will Haunting" update marks the 26th addition to the original game.
The free “Good Will Haunting" update introduces the Pygmy Ghost:
If a Pygmy dies in the graveyard, it will reappear as a ghost and float around. You can direct the ghost and have it mess with the other live Pygmies. You can do possession, scare a Pygmy to death, pickup a Pygmy and fly away, phase through the ground and pull a pygmy into the ghost dimension, and even do a banshee scream that bursts the eardrums of all the Pygmies listening. You can make all 6 Pygmies into ghosts if you want and to get rid of them, you just send them into the light (ala Poltergeist).
This update also marks the beginning of a new era of in-app customization via optional downloadable content (DLC) packs. For 99¢ in the latest update you can customize the look of the T-Rex on the island with various skins, hats, and even tattoos. Developer Dave Castelnuovo hopes to ideally include one additional DLC pack alongside each free update to the app, provided it doesn’t slow down the release of said update. The reason to include these optional paid upgrades is, of course, to fund future development of Pocket God, but as a result, the latest version requires OS 3.0 or higher.
If you’ve never heard of Pocket God before, the premise is simple– You play as a god watching over a small tribe of pygmies. The amount of interaction you have with these characters and their environment is insane, and you can do everything from flick one of your guys in to a volcano, bury them alive and turn them in to zombies, as well as play little mini-games inspired by Doodle Jump [99¢] and Harbor Master [99¢ / Free].
Pocket God‘s army of fans is a phenomenon that many developers have attempted to duplicate. The amount of spinoff sites and communities all because of this one iPhone game is absolutely mind boggling. I admit I don’t really get it myself, but the number of people who are in love with Pocket God borders on unbelievable. If you’ve never played the game before, it’s worth picking up, especially since with 26 updates under its belt it will likely take you a very long time to discover all the different things that can be done.
App Store Link: Pocket God, 99¢
