THE GOOD

The graphics are wonderful, as usual.

I like the additional background on the storyline, although I have one question for the team: are the totems in this game derived from the totems in VV2? (Still living in hope that those totems are going to make a comeback, you know!)

I love the Hand of Bloom and Grant Youth powers.

I also love the Master Heathens, although this could just be because they're some of the (very) few who don't chase me around and make me drop stuff :P But I like the way of converting them (no wearing them down by preaching, no nasty divine tricks to make them believe; they're just convinced by the skills of my little people).

Likewise the conversion of the Sick Heathen.

THE BAD

Kids dropping collectibles/mushrooms. I actually don't object to them doing this because of heathens; it makes a certain kind of sense. However, there have been several times (not just in this game, but in all the others) where I've been moving around on the map, a kid with a collectible/mushroom has scampered under my mouse at just the wrong time and I've lost it. There are plenty of other village sim games (Farm Tribe, Gemini Lost etc) where you can pick people up without making them drop what they're carrying; isn't it about time VV joined that list?

Toward the end, there's a lot of sitting and waiting while you build up enough power to convert those last few heathens. (Alright, I know I can leave it running in the background. It's still boring!)

I really don't like the concept of 'Convert the heathen', although I've nothing against it on religious grounds. Yes, I know it's 'just a game' and I know it's conversion to the Isola religion of the Guiding Hand as opposed to any true-life religion (that really would open up a can of worms)! It still doesn't sit well with me. I mean, let's face it; I've never converted a heathen who is weak from lack of food, so they're obviously taking better care of themselves than my little people, who don't seem able to think without me If the heathens had been enslaved and needed rescuing, or something like that, I'd have been far more comfortable with it.

There's not enough of a story; you convert the heathens, destroy the totems (which I also don't like; totems are cool :P) and that's it. There's nothing to really take pride in, such as restoring that giant statue or planting the orchard in VV3. And no, restoring the lake doesn't count; you don't have to work at that, you just click a couple times and it's done.

Nursing moms STILL can't do anything! C'mon LDW, this has been requested right back to VV2; isn't it about time it was implemented? At the very least, they ought to get a pretty big Parenting boost at the end of it. And what about converting; they convert that nursing mom, why not other heathens? As someone else remarked; surely you can stand and talk at people while holding a baby?

The conversion of red masked heathens doesn't make sense to me. Why is it only an earthquake can shift them? I know people say they've managed it with the fog, but it's never worked for me. Inexplicable phenomena like butterflies and a swarm of bees appearing out of thin air, adults coming back from the dead and turning into children, lightning striking one of them on a clear day (okay, maybe that one IS explicable; I don't know, I'm not a meteorologist ;))...that's not enough to make them even wonder. But throw in a perfectly natural disaster like an earthquake, and suddenly they're not so sure. Put it this way: if someone was trying to convert me, getting hit by lightning would be far more of a convincer than a tremor.

AND THE JUST PLAIN MISC

God powers. There have been times when I've been grateful for them (especially the Hand of Bloom) and I LOVE the Grant Youth ability, although I haven't tried Revive yet. I just don't like the rest; for me, it takes away the whole research-discover-explore element of the games. I'm really hoping there's going to be a VV6, but I also hope that god powers won't be included in it.

I like the clothing hut, but can't there be something similar for heads (a barber's shop, maybe? :))