Piraknights Games, the studio led by Eric Le Ru and Hadrien Greef, is reimagining the god game genre with Sintopia. Inspired by classics like Black & White while borrowing from management titles such as Two Point Hospital and Factorio, the game sets players as divine overseers of a civilisation made up of anthropomorphic chickpeas, and at Gamescom 2025, I was given an entertaining rundown.
Unlike traditional city-builders, these villagers are fully autonomous and want to live their lives. You cannot directly control them — they live, work, and even die on their own terms. Their actions, however, generate sins based on the seven deadly categories. “Everyone goes to hell in our world,” joked Le Ru. But in Sintopia, hell isn’t eternal suffering; it is a resource loop you must exploit.
Punishing Sins And Profiting From Them
Souls of the deceased pass into hell, where players design layouts filled with “punishment buildings.” Each structure specialises in cleansing a particular sin while simultaneously earning resources. Some punishments are darkly comic: gluttonous souls might be turned into grotesque food demons, while the slothful are forced to binge-watch endless Netflix sessions until disgust sets in.
Deviants — villagers overwhelmed by sin — can become highly profitable but dangerous. “An envious deviant might start murdering people to steal their jobs,” explained Greef. If left unchecked, they evolve into demons, spreading chaos across resource nodes and spawning armies in Sintopia.
Such invasions, whether demonic or of other nature, will need to be dealt with, so it’s best to make sure you have the right villagers and leaders to cater for the possibility. The fun lies in the balance of whether to exploit deviants for profit or risk the collapse of civilisation.
Strategy, Spells, And Synergy
Beyond management, Sintopia layers in spell-casting and tactical decision-making. Simple spells like a gust of wind can push villagers around, while lightning can kill enemies, revive allies, or spread across water to devastating effect. The design philosophy ensures that every spell is versatile, creating synergies with the environment.
Players can also subtly influence civilisation through monarchs with randomised personalities or by founding cults. A warfaring monarch will ensure your town is full of warriors, whereas a scholarly leader will adopt a more peaceful way of life.
Similarly, impressing your followers with magic can turn their belief into something more. A cult leader might perform rituals at night to boost resources, commit murder in your name, only to blend back into normal life by day. “It’s technically possible to turn everyone into cultists,” admitted Le Ru, “but balance is crucial.”
Modes And Replayability
At launch, Sintopia will feature three main modes:
- Sandbox Mode: Endless experimentation without victory conditions.
- Campaign Mode: A narrative filled with lore, plot twists, and onboarding for new players.
- Challenge Mode: Randomised objectives and impactful boons that reshape gameplay.
Originally slated for Early Access, Piraknights revealed that strong demo reception convinced publisher Team17 to shift directly to a full 1.0 release. The team is now targeting the first half of 2026 for launch.
A Darkly Comic Love Letter To God Games
From its chickpea villagers to its parody demons, Sintopia doesn’t take itself too seriously. Yet beneath the humour lies a complex system of progression, resource management, and moral choice. For Le Ru and Greef, the goal is clear: to honour the legacy of god games while pushing the genre into new, irreverent territory.
Whether you’re micromanaging punishment layouts, experimenting with spell combos, or simply watching chickpeas dance to music, Sintopia promises a fresh spin on divine management when it arrives in 2026.
