From Dust

I really wanted to like From Dust, I very much wanted it to be a modern Populous.
Sadly, there's just not enough to it; the first couple of levels introduce your divine powers - the ability to shape the land to help your tribe repopulate the ancient islands - thennnnnn, that's it.
A couple of minor variations on the same theme (e.g. building rock from lava) but nothing that really adds any depth or complexity.

In fact, therein lies the biggest problem with From Dust. There isn't really much room for interpretation, style or doing things your own way. As far as I could tell, there's one right way to do each level (certainly the later ones) and if you don't get off to the correct start, you're essentially fighting a doomed rearguard action. There's no scope for valiant recovery with imaginative use of your powers and snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. Which is a shame.

The unlocked "challenge" levels don't add much more, just shorted timed challenges along the same themes - these are more honest in the fact that they're just puzzles.

All in all, it's just too shallow and too short - more of an experimental puzzle game than a true god/strategy.