Virtual Villagers (series)

Virtual Villagers is a series of village simulator video games created and developed by Last Day of Work, an independent video game developer and publisher released as shareware for Windows, Mac OS X and for convergent mobile telephone technology.

Gameplay
The games are based on puzzles and strategy and have an underlying motive throughout with a fusion of ethnic and cultural backgrounds surrounding a mythical island called Isola. There are four portions to the island, in which the game is set, being the cardinal points of the compass. In the first game, A New Home, islanders have lived in peace for many years on their island. But one day, a volcano erupts and destroys their home. The survivors flee and discover another island called Isola. The survivors make this island their new home. Now they must uncover the secrets and puzzles of Isola, and create a village. This game is based around organizing and growing a village to develop villagers with more skillsets, culminating in giving birth to a child with all five skill sets. The second, The Lost Children, entails a wandering pair of villagers coming upon a group of orphaned children, and creating a thriving village. The third, The Secret City, involves a group of villagers stumbling upon an abandoned, forgotten city, and attempting to restore it.

Reception
Virtual Villagers: A New Home has received a number of awards, including a Zeeby Award for Best Simulation game of 2006 and the Best Sim Game of 2006 Award from website Game Tunnel. The game received two "Highly Commended" awards from the 2006 GameShadow Innovation in Games Awards, in the Best Casual Game category and the ATi Crossfire People's Choice Award category.

Virtual Villagers 1 - A New Home


A few lucky survivors flee from a volcanic eruption that took place on their previous home. After drifting the sea for what seemed like endless days, eventually land onto the shore of a mysterious island with amazing beauty. As the people look around, they beheld what appeared to be an empty and isolated paradise, the island of Isola. The villagers must find sources of food to survive and solve 16 puzzles about their new home.

Virtual Villagers 2 - The Lost Children


Two curious villagers decide to adventure into the cave that had long taunted them. They find themselves on the western shore of the island with all new mysteries to solve, as well as watch over a small group of abandoned children, starved and scared.

Virtual Villagers 3 - Secret City


A group of villagers venture to the North Shore of Isola. Here they find an abandoned city which they must restore by recreating Alchemy labs and reparing huts, ancient structures and tools, but with no one to guide their progress, how will they survive?

Virtual Villagers 4 - The Tree of Life


The island's chief is worried that life is slowly diminishing on the island and has selected a tribe of explorers to find the source of Isola's troubles. They discover, and inevitably populate, the hidden eastern shore of the island. You can watch over a new group of villagers as they explore the eastern shore of the island, uncover fantastic mysteries, unravel the story of Isola, and save the Tree of Life.