The Humans is a puzzle-platform game developed by Imagitec Design in Dewsbury, England and originally published by Mirage Technologies for the Amiga in May 1992.
The player controls one human at a time, and may switch between any human at any time. In order to complete a level, it is often necessary to use certain tools or abilities, such as stacking to reach a high ledge. For instance, the spear, a tool obtained in the first level of the game, may be thrown across gaps to other humans, used to jump chasms, thrown to kill dinosaurs or other enemies, or brandished to hold off dinosaurs temporarily. Certain levels also feature NPCs like the pterodactylus that can be ridden in order to reach otherwise unreachable platforms, that cannot be controlled, but can be used to the player's advantage. Several forms of enemy appear and can range from dinosaurs that eat a human if he is unarmed and within its walking range to spear-wielding members of enemy tribes. Coding on the project started in December 1991, with Suspicious Cargo programmer David Lincoln being responsible for the Amiga version, although design work originally started on the Atari Lynx under the working titles Dino Dudes and Dino World. Atari Corporation reportedly liked the game and commissioned Imagitec with two additional conversions for their Atari Falcon and Atari Jaguar platforms respectively.
The Humans creation process was overseen by co-producers Martin Hooley and Simon Golding, the latter of which oversaw all versions of the game.
Release
The Humans was first launched in Europe for the Amiga in May 1992 by MicroProse offshoot Mirage Technologies, serving as their first title to be published, shortly after Lemmings was released hoping to capitalize the popularity of this style of game. Atari Lynx, Atari Falcon, Game Boy, Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo Entertainment System. A Nintendo Switch port featuring three versions of the game (SNES and Game Boy initially, with the Genesis version unlocked once the player completes either of the initial games, even when using a password to start on the last level) was released by Piko Interactive and QUByte Interactive on February 3, 2022. The Jaguar version was included as part of the Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration compilation for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Steam, and Xbox One.
Cancelled ports
Ports of The Humans for both Game Gear and NEC PC-9801 were under development by Imagitec Design, although the latter never materialized. The Game Gear version was reviewed by Sega Pro magazine in their May 1993 issue, obtaining a 75 out of 100 score, but ultimately went unreleased for unknown reasons.
| AmComputing_AMI = 92%
| AmFormat_AMI = 72%
| AmPower_AMI = 70%
| AmUI_AMI = 91%
| EGM_SMD = 7/10, 7/10,7/10, 6/10
| GameFan_SMD = 70%, 74%, 72%, 69%
| VGCE_SMD = 6/10
| rev1 = Amiga Mania
| rev1_AMI = 93%
| rev3 = CU Amiga
| rev3_AMI = 84%
| rev4 = Mega
| rev4_SMD = 81%
| rev5 = Mega Action
| rev5_SMD = 71%
| rev6 = Mega Drive Advanced Gaming
| rev6_SMD = 80%
| rev7 = MegaTech
| rev7_SMD = 76/100
| rev8 = The One Amiga
| rev8_AMI = 80%
| rev9 = Sega Force
| rev9_SMD = 83/100
| rev10 = Sega Power
| rev10_SMD = 88%
| rev11 = Sega Pro
| rev11_SMD = 86%
| rev12 = Sega Zone
| rev12_SMD = 68/100
The Humans garnered generally favorable reception from critics. Electronic Gaming Monthlys four editors commended the game's take on the Lemmings formula and the high level of challenge in later levels, but found its slow pace aggravating, especially since a single mistake can force an entire level to be restarted. AllGames Michael L. House praised the game for its fun graphics, soundtrack, and replay value, but noted that some of the puzzles were devilishly designed and criticized the lack of unique sound effects. Computer Gaming Worlds Chuck Miller found the game charming and liked the background music, but felt that the limited color palette of its visuals was more like that of a console title than a PC product, and that the difficulty increases too quickly. David Sears of Game Players PC Entertainment considered it a very playable game, commending its soundtrack and the fluid animation of the humans, but expressed mixed thoughts regarding the overall graphical presentation and felt that it borrowed heavily from Lemmings. VideoGames & Computer Entertainments David N. Eadington proclaimed that "Lemmings succeeded largely because it combined constant action with solid puzzles; the lack of speed and the repetitiveness of The Humans should limit its appeal".
Nintendo
The Game Boy version was met with average reception.
| EGM_LYNX = 6/10, 7/10, 6/10, 6/10
| GameFan_JAG = 85%, 84%, 85%, 82%
| GMaster_LYNX = 80%
| Hyper_JAG = 62/100
| IGN_LYNX = 7/10
| STFormat_JAG = 78%
| STRev_JAG = 81%
| rev1 = Atari ST User
| rev1_JAG = 89%
| rev2 = Bad Influence!
| rev2_LYNX = 4/5
| rev3 = Electronic Games
| rev3_JAG = 90%
| rev4 = Game Zero Magazine
| rev4_LYNX = 85/100
| rev5 = Game Zone
| rev5_LYNX = 87/100
| rev6 = Games World
| rev6_JAG = 64/100
| rev7 = Go! Hand-Held Video Games
| rev7_LYNX = 77/100
| rev8 = VideoGames
| rev8_JAG = 5/10
The Atari Lynx version was generally received favorably.
The Atari Jaguar version was met with average critical sentiments. According to internal documentation from Atari, the Jaguar version had sold 18,771 copies by April 1, 1995.
The Atari Falcon version was generally well received. Atari Worlds Nial Grimes praised the Falcon version for being a "perfect" conversion of the Jaguar version, but questioned the game's long-term playability, stating that it would take a special kind of person to play it from start to finish. Kay Tennemann of German publication ST-Computer commended the Falcon version for its overall visual presentation, but faulted its soundscapes for being lacking. Tristan Collet of the French ST Magazine gave the Falcon version positive remarks for its engaging gameplay, good longevity, and humour, but criticized its overall technical performance.
Legacy
Following the success of The Humans, a sequel titled The Humans: Insult to Injury was launched in 1992 as both a stand-alone release or as an expansion pack. In 1993, the two games were combined and released for both Amiga CD32 and PC under the name Humans 1 and 2. In 1995, a third entry in the series titled Humans 3: Evolution - Lost in Time was released, keeping to the original game idea but differs from the original entry in storyline, gameplay style, and level continuity. Between 1994 and 2001, the trademarks for the Atari Jaguar version were abandoned and cancelled respectively. About a decade after GameTek declared bankruptcy, Deep Silver released a fourth entry for Microsoft Windows and Nintendo DS under the name The Humans: Meet the Ancestors!, retaining the same general gameplay style but improved the graphics and added more interactive objects and enemies.
Notes
References
External links
- Dinolympics at AtariAge
- Evolution: Dino Dudes at AtariAge
- The Humans at GameFAQs
- The Humans at Giant Bomb
- The Humans at MobyGames