It’s hard to believe that it’s already been three years since the launch of the original series. The 2010/2011 season was a great one, with 11 very different teams from all over the world taking the stage. We were thrilled with the wide variety of gameplay that was available, and with the engaging stories behind each team.
The very first strategy games appeared in ancient Mesopotamia around 3000 B.C., and an entire industry began to evolve around the game. Players developed new strategies, and when they played with others, they developed new strategies. The industry eventually reached its peak in the 1700s and 1800s, and by the mid-1800s the game was mainly played by wealthy men. The industry began to die out as the 20th century began, and for a long time strategy games were considered obsolete, but the game’s popularity has been on the rise in the last few decades.
If mankind was a strategy game, how long would it take for the whole world to catch on? How many years would be left for the rest of the world to realize that we’re all playing the same game? The World History Game, developed by internationally renowned game designer Reiner Knizia and released in 2010, gives players a chance to experience the history of mankind up close and personal.
Empires aren’t built overnight; they take years to grow into something much bigger than their founders could have dreamed. These early beginnings shown in Humankind hint to what they will become at the game’s conclusion. Depending on your early interactions with them, the journey to the eventual conclusion of several empires bordering each other is entertaining, interesting, and a rollercoaster of emotions.
Your empire will not be the same every game, even if you choose the same starting position. There’s enough diversity to allow you to try new things in a fresh gaming session without feeling restricted. In Humankind, you may change your emphasis much more easily than in other strategy games, but if you don’t adapt for the future, your history will come back to haunt you.
The beginning of a new age
Every empire starts with a tiny tribe establishing an outpost, which ultimately grows into a metropolis. I chose a seaside area in order to get some early food and profit from the fish. I planned to follow the scientific affinity path and outsmart my rivals with better technology, but my next-door neighbor had different ideas.
Every empire in Humankind advances over seven periods of history, and you gain stars through studying technology, fighting troops, expanding your population, and building districts around cities, among other things. These stars are crucial for development, since they decide the victor depending on how well-known an empire grew as a result of its accomplishments and being “first” to perform actions.
Because of the UI, the quantity of fresh information may be overwhelming when you first start the game. The overlay for Humankind is very crowded, with hardly enough space to view the digital board. This occurs repeatedly, even when choosing and attempting to click on units or cities.
I intended to concentrate on infrastructure and technology inside my towns at the start of one of my gaming sessions. Despite the fact that my neighbors fired the opening shot in a major war, I swiftly regrouped in the Medieval period, moving from the intellectual Greeks to the powerful Franks, and cutting off my enemies’ troops fiercely. To provide them nimble horse units, my neighbors chose to become the Mongols. They were easily vanquished, and my fledgling scientific society was suffocated by conquering methods.
It was never an option to live in peace.
AMPLITUDE Studios provided this image.
The first half of a Humankind session will be spent securing footholds for your empire before the rest of the world does. Trading eventually becomes a necessary component and a fast method to make friends with others. Conquering, on the other hand, seems to be the quickest method to expand your empire. With increasingly sophisticated technology, the possibilities got much more challenging later in the game.
Even if it gets more deadly later on, war between several of the bigger nations seems to be unavoidable. Throughout the game, the Soviets were my most formidable adversary, and they had almost a whole continent to themselves. This provided them an edge in advancing to the Contemporary Era, the game’s ultimate technical accomplishment. They were, however, a whole epoch ahead of me.
The delicate balancing act
Image courtesy of AMPLITUDE Studio
Every time an Empire advances to the next level ahead of the others, everyone below them earns a Competitive Spirit Era Star to guarantee that the person in first position doesn’t go too far ahead of the pack. It’s a terrific method for keeping everyone involved. Plus, by concentrating on manufacturing, research, commerce, or exploration, players may gain even more accomplishments, deeds, and Era Stars.
I played lesser games when empires leapfrogged me. Trying to keep up seemed like a huge struggle, and I couldn’t do it most of the time. Based on the RNG of the terrain, the resources, and who’s near you, a unique snowball effect may occur.
The final decision
Image courtesy of AMPLITUDE Studio
Humankind offers players a lot of options when it comes to gaming. Players have a variety of strategic options to choose from, giving them a feeling of freedom. Of course, there is no one-size-fits-all solution to your gaming style, but adjusting is critical.
While the concept seems familiar, Humankind adds enough fresh elements to make it stand out as a unique experience. It does not reinvent the wheel, but it does include a novel itinerary that will allow you to see all of the tourist attractions along the way.
| + | A fun empire growth game with lots of flexibility for a variety of playstyles. |
| + | With a variety of tactics, there is a lot of replayability. |
| + | Satisfying gameplay that didn’t feel like conquest and fighting were the only options. |
| – | Aggression in AI seems to be simple to elicit. |
| – | A vexing UI overlay obstructs your view. |
| – | There’s a chance that a snowball effect may suffocate players and send them to last place. |
We’ve all played the board games. Chess, checkers, Monopoly, Scrabble. But those are just fun games that promote connection with friends and family, right? Wrong! Humankind is an engaging strategy competition that takes you throughout history. It challenges your intellect, your strategic thinking and your commitment to historical accuracy. It does this by requiring you to move your piece across the board in an ever-changing world.. Read more about humankind cultures and let us know what you think.
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