Humanity feels like the perfect sort of title to launch on a game subscription service. Experimental, weird, charming, the kind of thing that some will naturally gravitate toward but others might not feel compelled to drop money on, even if the consensus around the game itself is positive.
And in the case of humanity, it’s quite positive. Coming from some of the folks behind games like Rez and Tetris Effect, Humanity is another mind-bending, off-the-wall puzzler. This time, it sees players take on the role of an ethereal Shiba Inu tasked with guiding hapless humans around increasingly complex levels, issuing commands and trying to find the best course for the crowds to take. It’s like a mix of Lemmings, Pikmin and the Clank sections from Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart.
While we haven’t had the chance to check it out for ourselves prior to release, the verdict from overseas outlets has arrived and it’s sounding like a great time for puzzle platformer fans and anyone curious enough to snatch it for their PlayStation Plus Extra library. The game currently holds a very respectable Metacritic rating of 84, though the pool of reviews is still quite limited to that number may fluctuate over time.
Vandal awarded Humanity a 9/10 and said “We liked a lot. It’s a little reinvention of the Lemmings formula with touches from other puzzle games, but with so much personality and unique staging that it absorbs you from the first moment. This, added to how well-plated its level designs are and the options to create and share levels over the internet, leaves us with a title that is as fun as it is complete that lovers of the genre should, at least, try. As a note, it’s included in this month’s games for PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium subscribers, so if you’re one of them be sure to give it a shot.”
Checkpoint Gaming came in with another 9/10, saying “Humanity greatly succeeds across audio, visuals, puzzle design and more. It’s an unusual game at heart but one that uses its abnormalities to its benefit. Practically unforgettable, this experience will test you as much as it inspires awe through delightful sensory stimulation. This beautifully complete and polished game may lose a touch of its precision in its later stages, though it still captivates through a wild ride of absurdist depictions and satisfying design.”
IGN also gave it a big ol’ 9, saying “Humanity is a beautiful, modern reimagining of Lemmings that feels as esoteric and artsy as Enhance’s previous games, while ambitiously stepping onto new terrain for the action puzzle genre with the pitter-patter of countless little feet.”
Sitting just shy at an 8.5/10, Game Informer wrote, “Humanity strikes a delicate balance between challenging me at every turn and allowing me to feel like the god its narrative props me up to be. It’s an imaginative experience that provides a rush I imagine computer programmers feel when dozens of commands and lines of code finally work together to create a desired outcome. Its puzzles come wrapped in a beautiful package, from its minimalist visuals to its excellent clicky electronic beats. And best of all, these elements work together to emphasize a simple but effective message about what it means to be human and why life’s most intricate puzzles are easiest to solve when we work together.”
Push Square sat at the lowest end of the English-language reviews, still with a not-insignificant 8/10, having said “Humanity is a wonderfully different puzzle game brimming with ideas. It takes a few simple building blocks and combines them to create some surprisingly complex levels and challenges, keeping you on your toes as it constantly throws in new concepts. While the story mode has some inconsistencies in terms of difficulty, it still manages to keep you hooked all the way. And when you’re done, there’s an intuitive level editor and browser, in theory giving you all the puzzles you could want. If you’re after something a little different, give this a shot — they don’t often make them like this anymore.”
Humanity is out today on PS5, PS4 and PC, and is included in this month’s library of PlayStation Plus Extra game catalogue titles.
