Welcome to the humanity review, a new video game published by ELZABURU and developed by Tha Ltd.. The first is the creative laboratory founded by Tetsuya Mizuguchi, a name that may not mean anything to younger people, but who is actually one of the most eclectic game designers in Japan.
Tetsuya mizuguchi He was born professionally at Sega, where he acted as producer of seminal games such as Sega Rally Championship and Manx TT Superbike, while in the Dreamcast era he directed the UGA (United Game Artist) division that would develop the deadly Space Channel 5 and Rez. After leaving Sega, Mizuguchi created Q Entertainment, with which he would publish Lumines on PSVita and that masterpiece for Nintendo DS called Meteos, which however will be unfairly snubbed by the general public. In the case of Humanity, however, Tetsuya Mizuguchi does not play the role of director, but rather a kind of talent scout who has put all of his knowledge in the field of video games at the disposal of the real creative behind the project.
Creative spark
The spark that led to the birth of Humanity does not come from Tetsuya Mizuguchi, but from the visual artist and designer Yugo Nakamura who several years ago created a tech demo to test how many characters he would be able to fluidly insert and manage in a digital environment at the same time. And it was during a public demonstration of this prototype that Mizuguchi and Nakamura met. The first sees in the second's idea, and in his creative approach, that opportunity that today, five years later, has been transformed into the irresistible Humanity, a fascinating video game born from the collaboration of limited (Nakamura team) and Enhance.
This is a game that mainly resembles two: Lemmings and Chu-Chu Rocket. Each level starts with a waterfall of humans that lands from the sky on the playing field and continues moving, regardless of the risks along the way. The goal of each level is to get the humans to the exit by setting commands along their path, but of course, things quickly get much more complicated than that.
All layers also hide the Goldy- Taller than normal men covered in gold who, if carried to the exit, will unlock golden rewards. The difficulty is that, unlike humans who are largely infinite and losing thousands of them is not a problem, once the Goldys are dead they will remain that way until we start the level again. Saving Goldy is important because the golden rewards include both minor cosmetic items and decidedly useful features like fast forward in time, a free camera, trying again while keeping the commands entered in the attempt we're about to discard. There are over 150 of these rewards, so if you want to unlock them all you will have to work hard.
However, if you don't like to push your brain too much, or a level is so difficult that it's not fun, each challenge proposed by Humanity will come with a video in which you the solution revealed. But be careful, watching these tutorials will be recorded in your game statistics.
A shiba for a friend
In Humanity the player is not an ethereal figure as in other similar games, but has his own very specific avatar: that of a dog, a Shiba, a ghost. Therefore, it will not be enough to move the cursor over the chosen area to place a command on it; Instead we will have to advance through the level until we physically reach the place where we want to place the different tools at our disposal. Fortunately, this Shiba is capable of great leaps and can take over crowds of humans and move among them like a disembodied spirit.
The Shiba figure is a plus that initially seems redundant: why do I have to move around the level when I could easily do it all through a more classic user interface? The explanation is in game, humans in turn become bridges that we will have to use to interact with other parts of the level, and in the subtle synesthetic effect that Tetsuya Mizuguchi seeks in every game he works on. By putting us in the shoes of the magical Shiba, he places us directly inside the game from which we can enjoy each vibration: sound, tactile, logical and perceptual. When we "fly" through humans, On the pad we will hear each head emergeand other effects will enrich what will soon become a rich carpet of sensory stimulation. However, this dog sometimes confuses ideas, making solving the puzzle more problematic than it should be; But beyond some annoyances, the presence of the Shiba is undoubtedly positive.
Lightsabers but not only
Orders to humans must be given on the ground, along their path. The simplest, which we will practically always have at our disposal, will allow us to make them change direction, another will make them less subject to gravity, other commands will allow us to prepare humans for battle, then there is the jump command. in different versions: the short one, the longest, the one that will allow humans to reach higher, although at the cost of other distances. Naturally, new commands will be added to each chapter, but they will never be present all together: each level will give us a certain type. The elements that we will find waiting for us from time to time will also vary: propellers that hold humans in the air, buckets of water to swim in but within which it is not possible to insert orders. Throughout the game humans will be contrasted with their negative versions: another mass of people, but faded in black and white, who will try to wipe out our stupid population. This opens up new commands that will allow us to have the two sides fight. with swords or laser guns, to allow other humans to reach the exit safely.
Always something new
The changes of direction of humanity are different, new functions and new ideas are continually introduced, and if this does not happen you will surely find new variations of what has already been introduced in previous levels waiting for you. In some scenarios we will have to rely on the multitude of humanity at our disposal, in others we will be called upon to divide it by sending small groups towards specific tasks that everyone else will benefit from later. The game sometimes feels more like a tower defense, other times a superpowered version of Lemmings, others still throw up memories of that classic that was Kurushi on the first PlayStation. Many of the levels present offer multiple solutions, but often it will also be possible to move some elements until the puzzle becomes unsolvable. Humanity warns the player when a key piece is lost, inviting them to start the level again; It does not do this when elements remain present on the map but in unrecoverable positions, and in these cases you will have to check it yourself although it would not have been bad to have a warning even in similar situations.
Symphonic gameplay
Humanity is fascinating to play with and it's also fascinating to watch. Yes, the graphics are simple, but it's a simplicity that serves to keep a ridiculous amount of people moving around the maps at once. Witnessing and commanding this enormous trail of humans, seeing them crash to the ground, dive and swim or take flight leaping for kilometers, all together, is a spectacle worth witnessing, a choreography that finds its beloved in such a hypnotic soundtrack. as decisive. , deeply electronic but with an orchestral and cinematic air. During their game, Humanity always transforms into a true audiovisual symphony deeply interactive, for a magic that we know well because it is now the signature of the artist Tetsuya Mizuguchi. In the construction of its metaphysical and optimistic story (together we are all, only no one), Humanity finds the square in a structure that looks a lot like Rez, with a central core that must be decoded, putting more and more people to safety. There are many levels, as well as extra challenges, but the game will find its consecration through the editor and the exchange of levels between users. For those who want to dramatically increase emotions, in addition to the synesthetic effect of the game, there is also an immersive virtual reality mode.
Conclusions
Tested version PlayStation 5 digital delivery PlayStation Store Holygamerz.com 8.5 Readers (16) 7.8 your voteThe return of Tetsuya Mizuguchi, this time accompanied by the artist Yugo Nakamura, could not be more surprising. Humanity is perhaps their best game since Lumines: fun, long enough, complete with editor, level sharing and VR mode waiting for us with open arms. And then it is a spectacle: these human chains, these improvised choreographies while looking for a solution, these cascades of bodies even a little dark if not downright disturbing, these thousands of people who challenge each other with lightsabers between labyrinths and falls. the vacuum. There are also some really unexpected bosses. Here humanity starts again, it is the arrival point that concerns us all.
PRO
- Great playability
- I have never seen so many people at the same time in a video game
- Level Editor and Sharing
AGAINST
- The dog, our character, should not fall into the void and be more visible
- Saving certain Goldys is definitely stressful, but not all of them are mandatory
- There are not many commands available...
