Humanity: Xbox Series X Review

Developed by THA
Published by Enhance
Platform: PS5

Reminiscent of both Kula World and Lemmings, Humanity's power lies in its deceptively simple premise and execution.

Playing as a Shiba Inu, you have to bark commands to an endless stream of people and guide them round structures into the light and their ascension. It's as simple as that - but what this third-person, crowd-bossing game hides is an addictivity that proves to be as confounding as it is welcome.

The puzzler game puts you in a 3D room during each level and then throws obstacles in your way as you try and guide the wandering masses to their ultimate resolution. A mysterious power grants the occasional extra ability, ranging from jumping, floating and more later on - but it's largely up to you to consider the best route for survival and to achieve future unlocks.

There's also a twist in proceedings that makes Humanity more than just a puzzler, but to reveal more is to spoil the game's dynamics and also its desire to keep you in its thrall.

Graphically, it's simple stuff that's well executed, and with camera work that largely supports your goals the game is very easy to dive into. But what becomes increasingly harder aside from the puzzles, is the desire to detach from its grip.

The designers have included solutions videos to help on trickier levels (though this saps your success rate and sometimes simply watching the start can provide an answer) but what works best about Humanity is its god powers as you move the masses around. It's fascinating to see, and horrifying in later levels, but what Humanity does is much more than throw puzzles at your mind.

It has a way to get into your subconscious and burrow deep within, a rare puzzle game that will keep you awake for hours, and will burn itself into your life, resulting in "Eureka" moments when you least expect them.

A clever and cerebral way to tickle the grey matter, Humanity is well worth a deep dive.