Played On: PS5 (Original)

Difficulty: N/A

With so many big franchises hitting consoles and PC throughout 2023, it can definitely be tough for indie titles to stand out – especially those in the very niche puzzle genre. Yet, Humanity has arrived to not only be one of the best PlayStation Plus releases recently, but also one of the most unique games releasing in this first half of the year.

The game has players control a spiritual entity who takes the form of a dog, specifically a Shiba Inu, that’s tasked with guiding humanity through various landscapes and obstacles towards a brighter existence. While that’s a very philosophical way to describe Humanity, it’s actually warranted since there is a philosophical nature that’s prevalent throughout its story and atmosphere. As players progress through each puzzle, they’ll see an interesting narrative unfolding surrounding the evolution of humanity. Although the early puzzles act as simple building blocks of community and moving forward, they eventually evolve into greater conflicts and thought-provoking ideas surrounding what being human is all about.

Admittedly, the story approach might be a turn off for some and can struggle to hook players early on because of how abstract its direction and ideas are. But it does boast themes that build well throughout the game and eventually become clear. As the games heads towards its surprisingly epic finale, you can see this sort of cautionary tale starting to come to the surface. As much as Humanity is about defining what it means to be human, it’s also about understanding the dangers of our actions and intentions. There’s a good message about war and technological growth that feels relevant and timely. Plus, the themes and story moments seen later in the game stay simple and are more effective because of it, so it’ll leave players thinking as the credits roll.

Developer tha Limited has also built a great atmosphere for these themes to thrive as Humanity’s general aesthetic has this simple, yet profound feel. Although the color palette is mainly just these contrasting shades of black and white, the openness and seemingly endless nature of the world around you is very visually pleasing. Plus, the strong colors of the various people you’re guiding help add some splashes of color to the map and the levels have this pristine and clean look that’s heavily reminiscent of Glados’ tests in Portal. Honestly, the game has some shared visual DNA to Portal as well as a humorous nature that isn’t afraid to lean into its silliness.

There are also these stunning visuals seen in the game’s central HUB area that are tied to the themes of each chapter. tha Limited did a fantastic job creating these weird but hypnotizing visuals that evoke the scale and impact of what you’re doing. Humanity’s thematic narrative and intriguing aesthetics are something that make it stand out as both an artistic and surprisingly grounded experience. However, it’ll be Humanity’s incredibly fun and well-executed puzzle gameplay that’ll make players enthralled by the experience.

As the adorable Shiba Inu, players are tasked with guiding groups of people to beams of light as escalating obstacles and even enemies seek to stop humanity from progressing. With each bark, players will be able to dish out commands that can send the flow of people in different directions, make them hop over gaps, or pause them to escape the gaze of an armed enemy. If Humanity simply stayed in this simple puzzle concept, it would still be a blast. It would be easily seen as this kind of a spiritual successor to games like Flock! and Lemmings in how you essentially guide and give commands to a group of helpless NPCs as they head towards safety. And the simplistic level design from tha Limited generally offers a nice balance when it comes to challenging puzzle-solving.

Overall, Humanity’s puzzles deliver the right type of challenge where the solutions feel obtainable yet still take some adaptive thinking and skill to solve. Often, you’ll feel like that missing piece in the puzzle is right on the tip of your tongue and there’s nothing more fulfilling than figuring out that last little direction placement that completes the path. There’s such a distinctive satisfaction that comes from seeing the path be complete, and watching that endless stream of people walk through the path you’ve created is like seeing a living piece of art come to life. The level designs are perfectly crafted and varied in ways that keep the concept fresh. Plus, tha Limited has added some quality-of-life elements that really enhance the experience.

The ability for players to speed up the process of people walking helps keep things moving and lets the players control the pacing. If players want to restart a puzzle, they can keep commands that were already placed – which makes restarting less frustrating and tedious. Best of all, if players really find themselves stuck and are totally lost, they have the option to use a solution video to help them along. The videos are very easy to follow and are a good option for more casual puzzle solvers. What’s good too is that these videos generally don’t include the path to also obtain the Goldy so there’s still a challenge for players to go back and figure out.

Goldys – gigantic gold people who can be obtained by guiding the streams of people towards them – are a great layer to puzzle solving. The idea that players will have to get the Goldys in the same run for them to count towards the grand total makes collecting them more meaningful. It’s a legitimate challenge that forces players to think outside of the straightforward path and they end up being a very rewarding collectible. After obtaining a certain amount of Goldys between all the levels, players will earn new skins and styles for the people. Some of these changes can be absolutely hilarious and feel like the perfect kind of cosmetic reward that players would want.

What makes the gameplay of Humanity incredible though isn’t just the basic puzzle mechanics or the fun rewards – it’s really how the game evolves in later chapters. While the general idea of puzzle mechanics remains, the additions of an intriguing enemy faction, a unique form of combat, and technological terror give the last half of the game a different feel. The puzzles and challenges take new form in a way that revitalizes the experience and adds new energy that’s honestly a ton of fun. There are combat sections that are incredibly tense and force players to think fast on their feet as well as stealth sections that require good timing and creative movement. There are even some surprisingly amazing boss fights that feel epic and exciting as well, and some later levels really make the stakes feel incredibly high. Humanity’s second half is really where tha Limited’s vision shines and the ambitious nature of it genuinely feels unexpected and highly enjoyable.

tha Limited really went above and beyond in making Humanity a puzzle experience that constantly feels like its building towards something remarkable and exciting. But they don’t just stop at the story mode though as there are multiple ways that they’ve enhanced the game’s experience. Although I haven’t been able to play the game in VR, the third-person overview perspective is perfect for VR and the gameplay will certainly immerse players more into the experience – especially with the game’s great music. Also, VR will likely give players better perspective on the levels that they can build themselves. It’s great that tha Limited allows players to build their own levels and even play other players’ levels. There’s a lot of potential for a strong community to form and while there is a tough learning curve to level building, players who love to create will love what they can do with this content creation mode.

Humanity is a damn good puzzle game full of vibrancy and creativity that drives the great thematic narrative, evolving gameplay, and genuinely fun puzzle solving. Although it might look pretty simple on the surface, Humanity is something so much deeper and richer – which is what makes it incredibly engaging and surprising from start to finish. It’s easily one of the most unique games of 2023 and a fantastic steal for PlayStation Plus subscribers to obsess over.

Watch the Trailer Here: