Barbara
As gamers, we all remember the downright strange and designer-led games that made PlayStation history. From dancing rabbits to deadly cubes, these classic experiences have fallen out of favor in recent years. But a new game called Humanity, a collaboration between Enhance and designer Yugo Nakamura, is bringing back that unique and compelling style.
Humanity is an introspective game about a dog guiding a sea of humanity through puzzle-like mazes, where the goal is to guide huge crowds of mindless people to an end point. As the dog, you bark commands at the people to get them where they need to be. Each level is a puzzle, and new elements are introduced as you progress, such as switches, fans, water, and boss battles.
The game has a stripped-down visual style that leads to lots of surreal moments, and there’s even something of a story about humanity, told through the chapter names and themes of the levels. Beyond the campaign from the developers, Humanity also has a robust level creator, which the team hopes will extend the game’s life.
Although the game is odd, it offers lots of room for creativity, both in terms of level design and player solutions. Players can experiment freely to find the right commands to complete each level, and there’s no need to worry about death much. If one path doesn’t work, players can easily tweak as they go.
The game will launch on May 16th, and will be available on PS5, PS4, Steam, and will have VR support for all three platforms. Its developers hope that its unique premise, clean visuals, and clever puzzles will channel those classic PlayStation experiences and evoke feelings of nostalgia in gamers.
