marshamudpuddle
1 review liked by marshamudpuddle
Humanity
2023
Humanity's greatest achievement is the manner in which it iterates on and bends its mechanics. It's a puzzle game with a nice contour that moves in surprising directions.
Controlling a little dog and placing down commands feels more intuitive than it probably should, and the general aesthetic is attractive and very readable. Further still, it lays out mechanics at an even pace, combining and remixing so relentlessly that the game bends under the weight. It warps into different genres altogether.
While at first it certainly resembles Lemmings with gradually introduced powerups and hazards, it then suspends its flow of time before a stage so that orders become law, then it begins to resemble an RTS or MOBA, some levels even play like a game of Snake, where the trail of humans form the body. The wild thing is that the rules remain the same throughout, and previous structures reappear and interact with the latter regularly. It's a reminder of the fluidity and possibility of game design, that the simple goal of 'get something to this point' can take drastically different forms within the same rules and aesthetic.
Its aesthetic of masses of humans pouring over obstacles, soaring into the air, doing battle, should inspire awe, but the omnicience of the perspective and remoteness of the camera makes it all feel puny. I never believed in a single human, and often times they're presented more like particle effects than anything else. Other games that have aimed to be big or represent large events can feel small (Into the Breach for example), and I think this result can weaken what the game is trying to say.
And on that topic, I sort of have to throw up my hands. It's an abstract thing about evolution, creation, consciousness? I'm not convinced it has anything valuable to say about humanity (or dogs for that matter), but it's in keeping with the creative legacy of Mizuguchi's games that aim for profundity by appealing to a sharp, spectacle-driven aesthetic and vague 'we're all connected' assertions. Seeing a group of bodies soaring around like a school of fish makes us want to find meaning in it because it's so striking, but the puzzles don't really create much in the way of meaning and the cinematics are ponderous and unspecific. Solve the puzzles and don't think so hard about it (outside of the puzzles) and you'll have a nice time.
Controlling a little dog and placing down commands feels more intuitive than it probably should, and the general aesthetic is attractive and very readable. Further still, it lays out mechanics at an even pace, combining and remixing so relentlessly that the game bends under the weight. It warps into different genres altogether.
While at first it certainly resembles Lemmings with gradually introduced powerups and hazards, it then suspends its flow of time before a stage so that orders become law, then it begins to resemble an RTS or MOBA, some levels even play like a game of Snake, where the trail of humans form the body. The wild thing is that the rules remain the same throughout, and previous structures reappear and interact with the latter regularly. It's a reminder of the fluidity and possibility of game design, that the simple goal of 'get something to this point' can take drastically different forms within the same rules and aesthetic.
Its aesthetic of masses of humans pouring over obstacles, soaring into the air, doing battle, should inspire awe, but the omnicience of the perspective and remoteness of the camera makes it all feel puny. I never believed in a single human, and often times they're presented more like particle effects than anything else. Other games that have aimed to be big or represent large events can feel small (Into the Breach for example), and I think this result can weaken what the game is trying to say.
And on that topic, I sort of have to throw up my hands. It's an abstract thing about evolution, creation, consciousness? I'm not convinced it has anything valuable to say about humanity (or dogs for that matter), but it's in keeping with the creative legacy of Mizuguchi's games that aim for profundity by appealing to a sharp, spectacle-driven aesthetic and vague 'we're all connected' assertions. Seeing a group of bodies soaring around like a school of fish makes us want to find meaning in it because it's so striking, but the puzzles don't really create much in the way of meaning and the cinematics are ponderous and unspecific. Solve the puzzles and don't think so hard about it (outside of the puzzles) and you'll have a nice time.