by Christina Brzustoski

Created on: November 30, 2008   Last Updated: December 06, 2009

Total score 5/5

Grubby Games' "My Tribe" title may not sound promising at first, but it is a surprisingly fun and clever little game. The game begins as you and your "tribe" become castaways on a desert island and must begin to build a new society.

The survival component of the game isn't all that new. It consists of training your tribe to gather fish, wood and stones in order to begin building new structures, like a hut and a science lab. The buildings become more advanced in later game play, where you can construct storehouses, clothing works, flower gardens and upgraded huts with better roofs. But the charm in the game really lies in the personalities of the tribe.

They wander around the island until you assign a task for them. The more they perform the task, the more skilled they become at it. For example, I drag and drop "Shauna" in the water, where she learns to fish. Each one has a name (which can be personalized if you choose), a skill and emotions. If you interrupt a sleeping tribesman, you will see him emerge from the hut with a rather grumpy expression. You can also mate members of your tribe, by dragging a man onto a woman (or vice versa, as the game playfully suggests) and in just a few minutes, they will emerge from the hut with a new little one. The infants and children don't do much at first, but the real uniqueness of the game is that it continues even when you are not there. As I signed off at 10pm (to the chagrin of tribesman "Andy" who said he liked it better when I was around), I had two children and an infant. When I came back at 12 noon the following day, one of my children had already become an adult. Time certainly flies on this island.

The graphics are nothing spectacular, but add a certain sweet charm to the game. The music is forgettable, but pleasant enough as you play. While "My Tribe" isn't an innovative breakthrough of any kind, it manages to entertain and charm its players. Another plus is that the game claims to be home to "billions" of islands. As the technology of your tribe progresses, you should have the opportunity to travel to these new places (I didn't make it there in 60 minute free trial). The game's price tag of $19.95 isn't too much to pay for the opportunity to spend hundreds of hours on countless islands with Your Tribe.

Learn more about this author, Christina Brzustoski.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.