Godfinger is silly. It's repetitive. It often feels like more of a job than a game. It's also the best thing I've played on the iPhone so far.I really don't see the appeal of games like Farmville, Fishville, Frontierville, Yoville, Townville, Crackville, or VilleVille. The managing of all these little things in order to harvest, feed, and eventually level up just feels boring and contrived.
Now, I can't complain anymore. I get it.
Godfinger removes a lot of the crap you have to deal with in Farmville type games and instead charges you with being an actual god over a small planet. You have followers and the power to make them do your bidding. This usually ends up with you forcing them to farm for gold until they are exhausted, at which point you can let them rest at a tent, tavern, or fishing hole. Rinse, repeat.
The thing that makes Godfinger different are its charm and ability to visit other planets. I say charm because the game is long on cute little things that, by themselves, wouldn't matter, but taken as a whole show a nice attention to detail. The noises your followers make when you toss them or while they are resting is adorable. When they are at a tavern drinking you hear them burping and farting.
Hey, Godfinger. You had me at burping.
Visiting your friend's planets allows you to enchant one follower on their planet. Doing this nets you a gold bonus for you and your friend. It's simple, and it gets you out there seeing what other people have done with their little patches of terra firma. Once a certain amount of time has passed, you will get a postcard from your friend with the gold attached. That is unless they've allowed the gold to rust by letting it sit too long.
What Godfinger does exceptionally well is keep the carrot on a stick placed firmly in front of you. At any time I usually have a few different goals to accomplish. Each goal you accomplish gives you a reward. The reward could be more gold, another follower, or an expansion of your planet. And, with a few exceptions, they are goals for things you were probably going to do anyway, so they don't feel forced.
In the long run, I don't know what will happen in the game. I don't know what the level cap is or what happens when you hit it. I'm at level 29 now and still have some buildings to unlock. Until then, I'll keep collecting gold, tossing my followers, and just playing god. Not bad for a free game.
