Humankind Reviews
Amplitude's big play for the historical grand strategy crown is ambitious and considered, but it's missing a little magic.
Humankind is an interesting but fairly safe riff on historical 4X that doesn't always rise to meet its potential.
A smart historical 4X that doesn't quite match the inventiveness of the studio's best.
Embracing player motivations from start to finish, Humankind refreshes the 4X genre – even with a couple of technical kinks.
Humankind is a flawed but fascinating attempt to reinvent the Civilization-style 4X strategy game.
Humankind is, by and large, exactly what I hoped: a heavyweight alternative to Civilization in the world of historical strategy. Its mechanics take some getting used to, but there's genius at its heart.
One of the most encouraging aspects of Humankind is its studio. Amplitude lovingly ushers its games from launch to DLC and expansions. It fixes issues, and it provides new content. I’m excited to see what this means for the future of Humankind, and I suspect I’ll be playing this more than Civilization and its ilk for some time.
There are some cracks in the shiny veneer, for sure, but on the whole Humankind is a great experience with almost endless replayability.
Humankind has been a surprise, a title of strategy and management by turns that has not only met the expectations generated, but, in my opinion, has exceeded them. The work of Amplitude enjoys a balance between depth and accessibility difficult to find, a proposal capable of hooking at least ducho in this type of video games and to satisfy the needs of the experienced player. A design that, in addition, comes accompanied by a large audiovisual section and an exemplary documentation work.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
A highly competent alternative to Civilization but the list of unequivocal improvements is disappointingly short, with an unfortunate lack of real innovation.
A 4X game like no other. Unique and innovative, full with interesting mechanics - and some weird ones. Humankind has some clear flaws, indeed, but kudos to Amplitude for pushing the genre forward.
Review in Italian | Read full review
HUMANKIND is as deep as you could possibly want from a 4X strategy game, but the constant addition of new things to think about never feels overwhelming because everything's explained so well, and often with a good bit of humour too. It's an excellent game, and if you've never delved into the 4X genre before, this might be your best chance to do so.
Humankind delivers on its promises and delivers a controlled and complete 4X experience. The feeling of freedom in our choices and our way of approaching our parts is real and the studio offers us a wide range of possibilities with many different civilizations and a well-thought-out heredity system.
Review in French | Read full review
Humankind is a very interesting 4X strategy game with a wide variety of elements, most of which are very detailed - though some, like religion, can feel a little undercooked. From city building, expansion and the urban sprawl over time, so much of the development of the world is well represented here. Science, influence, war, economy, growth - there's very little you'll find covered here.
While Humankind can’t compete with the current state of Civ VI with all that game’s major expansions and wealth of DLC, it should be remembered that at launch, Civ VI was a pretty basic product. Humankind is a solid, if not especially revelatory, take on what has become a pretty ossified genre. Its changes — in particular the opening Neolithic stage, and its combat systems — are not dramatic shifts, but they are enough to make an experienced 4X player pay attention. Just like our hunter-gatherer ancestors, Humankind (the game) is off to a good start.
Sadly, Humankind isn't Amplitude Studios' magnum opus. Its interesting concept of civilization mix-matching is constantly let down by an uncompetitive AI and all sort of balancing issues.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Humankind may not be the greatest strategy game of all time, but it certainly is a fantastic entry in the genre. Between the incredible feeling like I’m playing God over the entirety of humanity, and the ability to watch creation… my creation… evolve into the society I want them to be, I’m sure to be enjoying this for a while. If you’ve played an historical strategy game before, don’t make the mistake of thinking you know how this will play out. It may surprise you to see what it’s like when you start playing out your own plans for all of Humankind.
The new features simulate an essential aspect of humanity and do help Humankind feel more complete, but seldom have the impact you'd hope for from the 4X game's first major expansion.
Humankind is a classic turn-based strategy game that invites comparisons to the Civilization series. Its unique spin of allowing players to combine multiple cultures does differentiate it from its rivals, but Humankind doesn’t quite offer enough to push the genre into uncharted territory.
By and large, though, Humankind is still an exciting evolution for the genre. Its dedication to historical authenticity sets it apart from its largest competitor, and the new systems like war support and shifting cultures feel like the very first steps leading to something that’s potentially greater. It’s not quite the ‘Civ-killer’ it wants to be just yet, but hey, give it a few more iterations and it just might be.