Humanity review: solutions more triumphant than puzzles

Humanity’s biggest draw is not mechanical. Almost all of the game’s dozens of puzzles would work identically if the player directed streams of liquid or colorful marbles or a few nondescript automatons. But Humanity’s defining feature, the gears of its puzzles being made up of thousands upon thousands of individual human beings, serves a purpose higher than simple gameplay novelty. The visual splendor of HumanityIts sheer visual size elevates the otherwise conventional challenges.

There’s a scene in Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 film High and lowIn which a group of detectives are briefed about a crime in progress. This sequence does not have any major plot points. The scene has been framed so it can fit almost 40 people. This means that each reaction to a new piece of information is amplified and mirrored 40 times. This composition transforms a simple script into an intense, sweaty cinematic experience. This scene is visually engaging due to the sheer number of people.

Humanitytha (a Japanese creative company) and Enhance are collaborating to produce a video.Tetris Effect, LuminesThe original goal of the technical experiment was to see how many people were possible on a screen simultaneously. Even before there was a video game, Kurosawa’s knowledge was acknowledged: people at large scale are visually fascinating.

It is important to understand the scale. Humanity. Many levels are only completed after hundreds of players have taken the same route to their goal. In the stage-select screen, thousands of bodies mill about as you choose what you’d like to play. A digitized chorus, which is the soundtrack to the game, adds a sense of human presence. But despite this overwhelming human presence, the game’s tone is cleverly detached. Players control a dog that only speaks with faceless spheres. Nobody in the crowd speaks. It is up to the players’ interpretation of what they should do with the collective, even though it has a visual and audio presence.

Image: tha/Enhance

You can start by solving the first few puzzles. HumanityStart with a door that is white, and an unending stream of people will pour out. Children and adults alike walk out of the white door and keep walking until the player gives them an instruction. Almost immediately after encountering this procession, I made a mistake — I accidentally gave the people a wrong direction. They turned around and jumped off the cliff without hesitation, instead of going in their direction. The casual killings will continue to occur. HumanityThe game informs me that more than 478,000 players perished during my playthrough. This number is not stated if it should be interpreted as a criticism of the players or just a statistical figure.

It is for this reason that HumanityFeels similar to Tetris EffectOr even KatamariGames that both are intimately human You can also find out more about the following: The game is almost alien in that it abstracts the social trappings to a point where they are no longer recognizable. Both games are similar. HumanityThe abstraction creates an impression of profundity, and can function like a Rorschach infinity complex for the society. The game can be read as an enlightenment statement, conflict or technological advancement. Humanity’s theme, like the endless stream of people in each level, is yours to control.

Image: tha/Enhance

Puzzles are just as diverse as the possible meanings they can have, but thankfully, not nearly as complicated. While the game always has the same basic structure of “lead the humans to a goal,” each stage of the game centers on an idea. Stages themed around “fate” might ask you to lay down every instruction in advance. Stages themed around “war” hand every person in your parade a gun and tell you to wipe out your opposition (seriously!). Each level includes a goal and video to help you complete the bonus.

Although the first levels can be a lot of fun to play, HumanityLater on, the game stumbles by adding more unpredictable and sensitive elements. During and after “war,” the game occasionally leans toward RTS-style levels, with quick commands and direct control of weapons required for completion. These puzzles, while still striking in their visual beauty, are much harder to predict. It is possible to have multiple restarts even after you know the answer. This game is also not as well-designed as a classic like Baba Is YouThe following are some examples of how to use The WitnessOr requires too many out-of the-box ideas. Thankfully, though, it doesn’t require the same genius from the player as either of those titles either; I was able to reach 100% completion in HumanityI am not particularly good at playing puzzle games.

Ultimately, focusing too closely on any puzzle solution misses what’s special about Humanity. In the days since playing, I’ve found myself most often thinking not about a specific mechanic, but what each level looks like once completed. By removing my ability to influence the stage, the completion screen presents the purest form of the game’s beautiful aesthetic: an unending river of people jumping, swimming, climbing. Ordered, yet overwhelming. The goal is to move together, towards one common objective.

Humanity Released on 16 May on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and Windows PC. Enhance provided a code for a PC pre-release to be used in the review. Vox Media partners with affiliates. Vox Media earns commissions from affiliate products, although this doesn’t influence the editorial content. Find out more about affiliate links. additional information about Polygon’s ethics policy here.