RETRO DISCOVERY: Lost Version of Populous for NES Rediscovered After 33 Years

In an exciting find for fans of retro video games, a never-before-seen version of the classic 'Populous' for the NES console has been rediscovered.

This port, which had remained hidden for 33 years, was unearthed by the team at Games That Weren\'t, led by Frank Gasking.

Working in collaboration with Mark Greenshields and Darren Melbourne from Enigma Variations, they managed to recover and restore the game from old development disks.

Originally commissioned by Imagineer in 1992, development was halted as the NES began to decline in popularity.

Today, thanks to emulators like Nestopia and MESEN, enthusiasts can experience this piece of gaming history, with the game now available for download and a demo video on YouTube.

'Populous' was groundbreaking upon its release in 1989, developed by Bullfrog for Amiga and Atari ST and distributed by Electronic Arts.

This title not only pioneered the god simulation genre but was also critically acclaimed and awarded multiple prizes, including the Origin Award for Best Military or Strategy Computer Game of 1990 and the Best Game of the Year award for 1990 by Video Games & Computer Entertainment magazine.

Over the years, 'Populous' has been adapted to various platforms, marking the beginning of a series that includes sequels such as Populous II and Populous: The Beginning, cementing its place as one of the most influential strategy games of its time.