The Humans is a puzzle game developed by Imagitec Design and released by GameTek in 1992. The goal of the game varies from level to level, but usually the player must bring at least one of the humans he controls to the end area marked with red tiles. In order to achieve this, the player must use the ability of men to build a ladder from their bodies and use tools, for example: spears, torches, wheels, ropes, and at the last levels - the magic of a shaman [1] .
| The humans | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer | Imagitec Design [1] |
| Publisher | GameTek [1] , Atari [2] |
| Date of issue | 1992 [1] |
| Genre | puzzle |
| Creators | |
| Game designer | Rod Humble |
| Technical details | |
| Platforms | Mega Drive / Genesis , Super NES , Game Boy , Amiga , Amiga CD32 , 3DO , PC , Jaguar , Lynx , Atari Falcon , Nintendo DS |
| Game modes | single user |
The game has been released for many systems. Versions for Jaguar and Lynx were published by Atari under the names Evolution: Dino Dudes and Dinolympics [2] . Two sequels were released, The Humans 2: The Jurassic Levels for Amiga and PC, and The Humans III: Evolution-Lost in Time , also for Amiga and PC [3] . In 2009, the game was re-released for Windows under the name The Humans: Meet the Ancestors! [4] .
The game was positively received by critics, who called originality, as well as the quality of graphics and music, among its advantages [5] .
Gameplay
The player must, by controlling a given number of people and using their abilities and tools, achieve a level goal, which usually involves finding a certain tool, killing a certain number of dinosaurs, or moving at least one person to an endpoint marked with a red tile. Each level is held independently of the others and includes its own goal, tools and the number of people who can be present on it. The total number of men in the tribe and the total number of points are transferred from level to level [6] .
A player can only control one man at a time, however, he can switch control to any other at any time. To complete a level it is often necessary to use certain tools or abilities. For example, a spear (a tool that a player receives after passing the first level) can be thrown through gorges to other men, used to jump over ravines. Throwing a spear kills dinosaurs or other enemies; it can also be used to hold them at a certain distance. At some levels, there are NPCs , for example, pterodactyl, which can be saddled in order to reach platforms inaccessible by other methods. It cannot be controlled, but can be used. Several types of enemies are present: from dinosaurs that eat unarmed humans who came too close to them, to spears of representatives of other tribes [6] .
A level can contain up to 8 men controlled by a player, although some levels contain a lower restriction (up to 3 men). Although only a limited number of men can be present at the level, there can be as many of them as possible in the tribe. If a man dies, he is replaced by someone from the tribe, and so on, as long as the little men remain in the tribe. During the game, the player can save other men and add them to the tribe. If the player’s tribe has fewer people left than is required for the next level, the game ends. However, the game can be started from any level by entering the appropriate password [6] .
Game editions
The Humans partly copies the series of Lemmings games released by Psygnosis : the player must also force each controlled character to perform various actions in order to achieve a common goal. However, unlike this series, the player can directly control individual people, and not just give them tasks. GameTek released the game in 1992, a little later Lemmings , wanting to consolidate the popularity of games in this style. The pre-game screen is also borrowed, in particular the presence of a code that allows you to start the game from a certain level, which was present in both Lemmings and Populous . [7]
The game was ported to the 3DO , Amiga CD32 , Game Boy , Genesis , and DOS platforms [3] . The version for Genesis differs in the order of levels.
Since the first version of the game was a success, in 1992 an add-on was released containing 80 additional levels. In Europe, it was distributed under the name Humans 2: The Jurassic Levels , and in the United States - The Humans: Insult to Injury . In 1993, both games were released together for Amiga and DOS called Humans 1 and 2 [8] . This release included the English, French, German, Italian and Spanish versions of the game. The DOS version was distributed on CD-ROM and was improved over previous ones, including the addition of the ability to save the game. In 1995, GameTek released The Humans 3: Evolution - Lost in Time (for Amiga and DOS). The third part of the series retained the original idea of the game, but differed from the original in the plot, game style and transitions between levels [9] .
In 2009, a revised version of The Humans was released by Deep Silver for Windows under the name The Humans: Meet the Ancestors [4] . The gameplay style was preserved in this version, however, the graphics were improved and more interactive objects and enemies were added [10] .
Reviews
| Reviews | |
|---|---|
| Foreign language editions | |
| Edition | Rating |
| Amiga mania | Amiga: 93 out of 100 [5] |
| Abandonia | PC: 4.0 out of 5 [1] |
| Allgame | PC: [7] |
| Mobygames | Game Boy: 2.9 out of 5 [2] Lynx: 2.6 out of 5 [2] |
The versions of the game for Amiga and PC received excellent reviews, but the perception of versions for other systems was cooler. Ashley Cotter-Cairns, a columnist for Amiga Mania , rated the game 93% and the highest rating, indicating that “ The Humans has it all: great graphics, including a variety of backgrounds, nice sound ... it's nice to say that these long months have been behind the keyboard for everyone spent playing seconds ” [5] .
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 5 Humans, The . Abandonia. Date of treatment May 12, 2011. Archived January 9, 2013.
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 The Humans . MobyGames Date of treatment May 14, 2011. Archived January 9, 2013.
- ↑ 1 2 Gametek . IGN. Date of treatment May 14, 2011. Archived January 9, 2013.
- ↑ 1 2 The Humans: Meet the Ancestors! . MobyGames Date of treatment May 15, 2011. Archived January 9, 2013.
- ↑ 1 2 3 Cotter-Cairn, Ashley. The Humans Review (unknown) // Amiga Mania. - Mirage, 1993. - T. 7 , No. 4 .
- ↑ 1 2 3 The Humans Instruction Manual for Sega Genesis . - GameTek, 1992. - P. 26. (link unavailable)
- ↑ 1 2 The Humans . Allgame. Date of treatment May 14, 2011. Archived January 9, 2013.
- ↑ Humans 1 and 2 . MobyGames Date of treatment May 15, 2011. Archived January 9, 2013.
- ↑ The Humans 3: Evolution- Lost in Time . MobyGames Date of treatment May 15, 2011. Archived January 9, 2013.
- ↑ Dinosaur Games: The Humans Meet the Ancestors- Windows PC (link not available) . Dinosaur Games (March 26, 2011). Date of treatment May 15, 2011. Archived March 24, 2012.
Links
- The Humans on Abandonia
- The Humans on Lemon Amiga