Abbey Games quietly makes very clever, playful strategy outings, like unconventional god sim Reus and tactical exploration game Renowned Explorers, and now it's back on religion, showing off the first footage of Godhood. It puts you in the divine shoes of a newborn deity who has to nurture their tribe of believers while taking on other gods.

It seems to be taking a different direction from Reus, which was more about using your powers to transform the environment, shaping the world for their human followers. While you can’t control them directly, Godhood tasks you with manipulating your followers through religion. As their god, you can tell them what’s important—what vices they should avoid and virtues they should try to emulate—as well as getting them to worship cats or carry out some human sacrifice.

You’re not the only god, however, and you’ll have to compete with others by pitting your poor humans against their tribe of adversaries in ritual combat. These rituals are called ‘Sacraments’ and it looks like they’re turn-based tactical fights, a bit like Renowned Explorers. Humans have free will, though, so maybe they won't all be interested in dying in your holy war. Smart.

Godhood is due out next year.