Steam New Releases] Humans are guided by... a Shiba Inu!　Stylish puzzle action "HUMANITY" game review with unique design

Dear readers of Akiba Research Institute, how are you doing? This is Nero Hyakkabe, a writer who buys too many games. With many big titles being released one after another in the home video game market these days, I'm sure many of you are enjoying a fulfilling gaming life, but what you may be missing out on is the hot indie titles. We have selected two new Steam games released in May that we would like to introduce to you. This time, we will introduce " HUMANITY," a stylish puzzle action game with a unique design.

The humans are guided by... a Shiba Inu!　Stylish puzzle action " HUMANITY " with a unique design

Are you a dog person or a cat person?　Everyone may have their own preference, but there is no doubt that both dogs and cats are cute and righteous. The film " HUMANITY " is one in which the dog plays an important role.

HUMANITY " is an action puzzle game in which the dog is the main character. The creative director of the game is Yugo Nakamura, a well-known interface/visual designer. The title was also created in collaboration with Tetsuya Mizuguchi, the game creator of "Rez Infinite" and "Tetris Effect Connected," and has been attracting attention even before its release.

The first thing that catches the eye is the stylish and unique graphics. The visuals, which are somewhat fantastical yet cool and unforgettable once you see them, will inevitably excite you with a sense of anticipation that something interesting is about to happen in this game. Furthermore, although it is impossible to convey in this article, the music is also very memorable and unique, and is a must-listen.

The title of this film, " HUMANITY," means "humanity" or "human race," and the main character is a Shiba Inu. One morning, the main character "I," who woke up as a dog, is given a mission by the owner of the voice echoing in his head to lead humans, who have lost their will and purpose, to the "pillar of light. In a world where all humans have lost their ego, "I," a Shiba Inu, the last leader who remains the only one to retain reason and will, is to lead a crowd of humans who continue to walk. ...... is the story of this film. The story is as unique and mysterious as the visuals, and is gripping.

The player's objective is to control the Shiba Inu to guide the walking crowd to the goal, the "Pillar of Light. However, the crowd just keeps moving straight ahead and will eventually fall off the edge of the stage if nothing is done. Don't worry, however, the fallen crowd will not disappear, but will reappear through the door of light and start walking again.

At any rate, something must be done to correctly guide the crowd to the pillar of light, and the action to be taken by the Shiba Inu is simply to " bark.

By barking "Woof," the Shiba Inu can give various instructions to the people in the field.

With "TURN," the Shiba Inu can direct the direction in which people are walking; with "JUMP," the Shiba Inu can make people jump, and so on. The basic rule of the game is to lead the crowd to the pillar of light by precisely placing these instructions. It may be easier to understand if you imagine it like a toy train running on rails.

Incidentally, there is a height from which people can jump, and those who fall from a height higher than two blocks will disappear. It is important to pay attention to the height when placing instructions.

There are various gimmicks on the field, such as walls that people can climb and switches that turn on when people pass through them. Players need to find the best answer by combining instructions and gimmicks, which can be quite a challenge. However, once the instructions are given, they can be erased at any time, so it is possible to slowly get closer to the answer through repeated trial and error. The "fun of trial and error" that is the true appeal of puzzles is packed into this title.

In addition to ordinary people, there are " goldies" in the field, which are large, golden-colored people. When the crowd touches the GOLDY, the GOLDY begins to walk with everyone, and if you keep taking the GOLDY with you as many times as you clear the stage, you will gain various new powers that will help you in your strategy.

Although it is possible to clear a stage without taking GOLDY with you, you will want to collect as many as possible in order to gain new powers. However, if you aim to clear a stage by collecting GOLDY, the difficulty of the stage will increase dramatically. The game balance in this area is very skillfully designed, so that even players who are confident in their puzzle-solving skills can enjoy a challenging game.

In addition to the normal mode in which you clear stages, there is also a "STAGE CREATOR" mode in which you can create your own stages. The completed stages can be posted online. The completed stages can be posted online for players from all over the world to challenge themselves, so you can get really excited about creating stages.

If you are not good at creating your own stages, we recommend playing stages created by other players. USER STAGES" allows you to challenge stages created by players from all over the world, so the volume of the game is truly endless. There are more than 90 stages in the main game alone, and even after you have completed all of them, you can continue to play with "STAGE CREATOR" and "USER STAGES" for a long time, which is a very nice point.

HUMANITY " combines original visuals and world view with a simple yet profound game system to provide a one-of-a-kind puzzle experience. I highly recommend this game to anyone who enjoys puzzle games and would like to try something new.

  • Game Information
  • HUMANITY " (tha ltd.)
  • Genre: Puzzle
  • Release date: May 16, 2023
  • Price: 3,410 yen (as of May 17, 2023)
  • Copyright: (C) 2023 tha ltd.
  • #: (C)
Author：Nero Hyakkabe
Freelance writer who buys too many games. Currently has a stack of more than 300 games. Also a novelist. His works include "Yubisaki Kaidan: 140 Scary Stories" (PHP Kenkyujo) and "Goa-ken: Unrated Edition" (Kodansha).
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/KINGakiko
Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/nero100kabe
about.me: https://about.me/nero100kabe/

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