Virtual Villagers: A New Home

Virtual Villagers: A New Home, also known just as Virtual Villagers (and as Virtual Villagers: Origins on mobile), is a simulation game created by the company Last Day of Work. The game follows the villagers of a tribe that, following a volcanic eruption on their previous home, has been stranded on the east side of the mysterious island of Isola.

The villagers are hungry, tired, and clueless. The player needs to help them survive! The player can drag a villager over many spots which all have an effect on the game-play, such as an increase of food or a completion of a puzzle. Regardless of the action, every little bit helps!

Gameplay

Tech Points

Tech (Technology) Points are earned by the villagers when they research at the table just below the long hut. The more experience a villager performing research attains, the higher their rank becomes (Trainee, Adept, and Master) and the more Tech Points they earn. Tech Points are similar to currency, as they can be used to upgrade aspects of the game. There are six different technologies, namely: Farming, Medicine, Fertility, Construction, Science, and Spirituality.

Farming Technology allows villagers to seek new sources of food, aside from the Berry Bush, and the occasional mushrooms, which can be gathered by children. Farming at the second level will cost 6,000 Tech Points (12,000 in Origins), which will enable the player to plant crops on the dark area of the sandy beach—the field. The third and final level of Farming will cost 50,000 Tech Points (100,000 in Origins), and will enable the villagers to fish and crab in the ocean.

Medicine Technology allows the villagers to live longer and to lessen diseases and their risks. The secondary medicine level, which will cost 15,000 Tech. Points, allows the villagers to perform laundry tasks, upon the completion of the fifth puzzle. Meanwhile, medicine at the third level costs 250,000 Tech Points (500,000 in Origins), and would significantly lessen the risk of having a villager die of disease, plus increase the longevity of the villagers.

Fertility Technology increases the chances of a new baby each time two villagers get together in an attempt to create a child. Level 2 Fertility will cost 11,000 Tech Points (22,000 in Origins), and will higher the chances of twins when two villagers get together. Level 3 Fertility, which will cost 240,000 Tech Points (480,000 in Origins), will increase the probability of triplet birth.

Construction Technology allows the builders to solve complex problems and build various types of structures. Level 2 and 3 Construction, which cost 2,500 and 80,000 Tech Points (5,000 and 160,000 in Origins) respectively, will allow the villagers to build more huts to house a bigger population.

Science Technology allows villagers to gain more Tech Points more rapidly. Level 2 and 3 Science, which will end up costing 12,000 and 150,000 Tech Points (24,000 and 300,000 in Origins), would allow the villagers to gain more Tech Points faster upon researching.

Spirituality Technology affects villagers in every aspects of their daily lives. Level 2 and 3 Spirituality, which cost 5,000 and 80,000 Tech Points (10,000 and 160,000 in Origins), are key to aiding the player in solving a couple of puzzles and some of the requirements in some puzzles.

Food

At the beginning of this game, the only way to find food is to teach a few villagers to forage through the berry bush. However, as the game continues on, the berry bush will eventually run out of berries, leaving the player with the decision to buy more farming levels with their Tech. points to prevent villagers from starving. These options include fishing, which can occur in the ocean after gaining Level 3 of Farming, or growing crops to harvest in the field, which can happen upon buying Level 2 Farming. Another way to get food, though minor, is to have the children pick mushrooms that appear at random times. The player will need to be quick in getting the children to gather the mushrooms, since they wilt, disappearing shortly in the sunlight.

There are 2 types of mushroom: brown and red. Brown are more common, and give less food than the rarer, more bountiful red variety.

Building

The player may start out with a few simple buildings in the game, including the long hut that can be converted into a school with a Master Scientist, as well as the hut in which couples can go to for the sake of possibly creating a baby. As more Tech Points are earned, more buildings can be constructed upon buying more levels, leaving the population able to grow.

Puzzles

There are 16 puzzles to solve in this game. Each one may require more skill from villagers, or upgrades from the usage of Tech. Points. Sometimes, more than one villager may need to help, or there must be a completion of another puzzle before specific puzzles can be completed.

Breeding

In Virtual Villagers, the villagers will sometimes create babies when the player drops a male villager on a female villager, or vice versa. They will go indoors, should either villager not refuse, and if the player ends up lucky, the female will walk out of the hut holding a baby. The mother will have to nurse the infant for a few minutes, depending on the game speed set by the player. See the list below to see how long the baby will be nursed until two years of age, in game time. After this, the mother may either continue working, or produce another child- this will depend on how the player decides to continue their game.

At half-speed, nursing takes 400 minutes (6 hours and 40 minutes); at normal speed, it takes 240 minutes (4 hours); and lastly, at double-speed, it takes 120 minutes (2 hours).

Island Events

Main article: List of Island Events#From Virtual Villagers: A New Home

Occasionally, when the player enters the game, they might find a window pop up that tells them about something that has happened to their villagers, or a choice that they will have to make, chosen by the player. This is an island event, which can change the course of the game, resulting in either a good outcome, or something that harms the villagers.