HUMANKIND Review

For decades now, the 4x landscape has been indisputably dominated by Sid Meier’s Civilization; however, a new challenger has approached to claim its spot in history. Developed by Amplitude Studios and published by SEGA, this game offers a very welcome addition to the genre.

While it makes an effort to step out of the shadow of the Civilization series, it ultimately falls short in key elements that can make or break a game experience. Is Humankind the civilization killer everyone claims it is? Let’s find out.

The game is unapologetically inspired by Civilization, and the parallelisms are more than obvious; after all, if your game is genre-defining little can others do to differentiate themselves. Once that concern has been addressed, we can move forward. Humankind is a turn-based strategy game in which you must guide your civilization through the ages and become the best of them all.

The most famous, but we’ll get to that in a moment. For those unfamiliar with these types of games, 4x stands for explore, expand, extract, and exterminate. This is, you’ll need to explore a hexagon tile-based map, expand the influence and reach of your civilization, extract the resources from the land, and exterminate those who oppose you.

You start with a blank slate, an avatar you can customize in terms of both appearance and personality traits. The very first era is the Neolithic, in which humans are still divided into nomadic tribes and, as such, must explore the land to survive, gather resources, and, eventually, settle.

This is the only time in which the game gives you such freedom and in which exploration feels so essential, as you get to scout the surrounding area of your starting tile and, eventually, determine which zone is potentially the best for your type of gameplay and the civilization you’ll become.

Once you develop your first settlement and advance from the Neolithic into the Ancient Era, the rest of the eras are the Classical Era, Medieval Era, Early Modern Era, Industrial Era, and Contemporary Era, so you’ll be able to see the evolution of your civilization, from primitive humans to the development of a nuclear program—civilization at its finest.

The main differentiator, however, is that your society can evolve into different civilizations and not be tied to just one, as with many other civilization builders. For instance, when you choose your first civilization, you can do so from a range of 10 different era-appropriate cultures. In the Ancient Era, you can choose from the Olmecs to the Egyptians or Babylonians.

But that decision is not set in stone, as each time you get to a new era, you’ll be able to choose a new civilization or stick to your old civilization. If you do choose a new culture, all the aesthetic elements of your civilization will morph, and your gameplay will change slightly. Different cultures give you different rates at which you can gather resources, different bonuses, and new diplomatic stances.

But nothing is lost, as your legacy prevails, and old traits of past cultures will be part of your society’s heritage. This is magnificent in terms of theme and immersion, as that’s precisely how the world works. It would be illusory to think the old Persians are the same culture as modern-day Iranians, and most cultures mix and match from those who came before into a melting pot of ingredients gathered throughout millennia.

In practice, however, the change is not that significant aside from aesthetics, and one could wish there would be so much more difference between your past and new civilization. Nevertheless, it is a welcome addition that feels a bit like wasted potential.

Now for the graphic and artistic elements of the game. It is beautiful. Starting from the art style, cartoonish but very much stylized, Humankind presents us with graphic elements that easily stand out, especially from its color palette, so vibrant yet elegant with just a touch of cell-shading. This is especially relevant during cutscenes, which could easily be part of an animated short film.

The map also looks impeccable. It does show the effort put into creating a credible world environment, full of life and impressive landscapes, from vast savannas to glorious mountain ranges. These also add to immersion when combined with the different types of unique buildings, from religious constructions, often the most elaborate in early civilizations, to wonders of the world.

These work differently than in other games, as anyone can build any wonder they want, even simultaneously, but each wonder can only be constructed once. Also, the music is beautiful. It is not so overwhelming that it becomes distracting or so dull that it becomes boring and repetitive—just the right spot to make you feel in the moment and help you relax and unwind.

All that said, Humankind’s biggest flaw is a big one: the combat system. On top of the strategy game elements, it layers a turn-based tactic minigame in which you need to resolve each battle. But it’s not as engaging as it is boring. The combat system is very time-consuming, and it feels more like a chore than an actual gameplay element you want to explore.

It serves as a disincentive to follow a military path, and that’s a very bad thing in these types of games. There is an auto-resolve option, but you risk failing in battles that would’ve been otherwise an easy win. Although we get that there are multiple ways to get fame, such as scientific prowess, deterring your players from engaging in combat just because of how tedious it becomes a burden in what otherwise could be a very entertaining title.

Humankind is not a civilization killer but perhaps it doesn’t have to be. It has enough complexity and differences to stand on its own. Aside from a rather dull combat system, the game does offer something for any kind of player, from strategy game veterans to newcomers who just want to leave the mark in humankind’s history.