# Populous

Hacker Approved page: https://hackerapproved.com/p/populous/

6 people recommended Populous in Hacker News comments, 1 had mixed feelings and 1 criticized it, November 2025 to October 2026. It was recommended in 2 of 12 months, in 3 threads. It does not meet the Hacker Approved badge rule.

4 of the 6 people who recommend it commented in one thread, “The Lost Treasure of Sid Meier's Pirates”.

**Verdict:** People recommend it for its unique, distinctive feel and the charm that has kept it memorable for years. The recurring caveat is that it is not very replayable.

Summary written by Claude from 8 comments.

## Why people recommend it

- Unique, distinctive feel (2 comments in the sample): "the whole feel of that game was just so unique and fantastic" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49387733)) "All of the big Bullfrog games were unique" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49386379))
- Charm and lasting affection (2 comments in the sample): "Populous has been the first game to wow me and will forever have a place in my heart." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49392290)) "There’s some charm in the first one that I love." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46038129))

## What people warn about

- Not very replayable (1 comment in the sample): "Populous was also quite decent but not quite replayable" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49562162))

## Other strategy games people recommend

- [Battle for Wesnoth](https://hackerapproved.com/p/battle-for-wesnoth/): 32 recommend, 7 mixed, 3 criticize
- [Sid Meier's Civilization](https://hackerapproved.com/p/civilization/): 17 recommend, 6 mixed, 8 criticize
- [Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri](https://hackerapproved.com/p/alpha-centauri/): 15 recommend, 1 mixed, 0 criticize
- [Heroes of Might and Magic III](https://hackerapproved.com/p/heroes-of-might-and-magic-iii/): 14 recommend, 2 mixed, 2 criticize

## The badge

A product earns the Hacker Approved badge when at least 10 people recommend it, recommenders outnumber critics at least 2 to 1 (mixed feelings count toward neither side), it was recommended in at least 4 of the 12 months and in at least 5 different threads, and no single thread supplies more than half of the people who recommend it. Health and money products are never badged.

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Populous", https://hackerapproved.com/p/populous/ (6 recommend, 1 mixed, 1 criticize; Hacker News comments, November 2025 to October 2026).

Counts updated 2 Nov 2026, with data through October 31, 2026.