One of the best games of the year has just arrived.
The problem with Humanity initially arises if someone happens to ask what is it about? "Okay, so, you control a sort of heavenly ghost dog in a kind of purgatory where you control the ever-arriving souls of human beings across a series of geometrically confusing levels so they can reach the white beam from the sky, which will take them to... heaven? Sort of."
Admittedly, that does sound all kinds of odd, and to be fair, playing the game won't make it any less weird. From the earworm'y but sometimes creepy synth'y soundtrack, to the harshly minimalistic visual design, to the overall vibe of God-like beings delivering instructions and new abilities... everything about it is a little bit off.
Having said that, give it any amount of time whatsoever, and you'll discover Humanity's blend of classic puzzles like Lemmings and Portal, mixed in with strategy elements from Command & Conquer, from the geniuses behind the now iconic Tetris Effect, it all comes together magically to deliver something unique and unforgettable.
Kicking off, you're granted simple abilities - turn, jump, float, etc. - but before long, you'll find yourself controlling THOUSANDS of souls on screen, the scale of it at times seeming way too much and too complicated to fully process at once, but it does all click into place for the player very quickly.
As the controls and abilities get more complicated, so do the levels themselves, each of them granting access to that particular section of your brain that unlocks a specific rush of endorphins when you crack a tricky puzzle. The main game itself has about 90 levels to play through, with the majority of them coming with an extra layer of difficulty for you to add at your own accord, but tackling that higher difficulty will unlock more of the game, so it comes with a fair reward.
And then there is the user-generated levels, which is already overflowing with some spectacular options at launch, and will only increase as more players get involved with the very user friendly level-builder. It is, in effect, a game that could essentially be played forever, along the lines of LittleBigPlanet or Roblox.
While this won't generate the kind of awareness that something like Elden Ring or Tears of the Kingdom will, don't be surprised if you see this title ranking high among the best games by the end of 2023.
Humanity is available on PS5, PS4, PSVR and PSVR2 right now, priced at just €29.99, while some players will actually be able to get the game for free. Full details on that right here.
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