Humankind is preparing for launch and in this preview we will see how the title has behaved in this closed beta before the release
When it comes to turn-based strategy games, it’s hard not to think about the various ones Civilization that have always distinguished the genre. A solid structure like that, which manages to keep players glued to the screen, it is definitely a good starting point and the developers of Amplitude Studios they know it well. That’s why they adopted almost the same style for their new masterpiece. Let’s start this preview now and see how it behaved Humankind durante questa closed beta.
Before continuing, however, we would like to make a mandatory clarification. The one tested during this beta period of course it is not the full game. In fact, in this version there was only one mode and many other limitations, such as the maximum shift limit of 200. We could not expect anything else of course and therefore, the ones we tested here for you are only some of the mechanics that will characterize the actual game from the moment of its release.
A style already seen …
As the title suggests, Humankind doesn’t differ much from Civilization, at least not if we pause to take an ephemeral look. Of course, if you look at the first start, just after launching the game, surely doubts can assail anyone. The visual impact in fact recalls a lot the titles of Firaxis Games, but apart from this and a general setting – which by the way is typical of every video game of this genre – very common, there is not much similarity.
From Civilization, therefore, it takes the graphic layout but not only. Some small and important similarities are also based on the progression regarding technology, the expansion of the city as it happens in chapter VI of the saga and religion. But it all stops there. Humankind is in fact a title in itself which in a certain sense could also revolutionize a genre that was now in danger of becoming repetitive in the mechanics.
… But with notable differences – Humankind preview
One of the first differences that is also one of the most characteristic mechanics of the game is the management of the city and outposts. In fact, in the Neolithic period men did not always settle in one place. Nomadic life was very popular and humans were forced to travel to hunt if they wanted to eat. In this the developers wanted to emphasize this aspect and therefore, at least during the early stages of the game, you can only build outposts.
Outposts and Cities – Humankind Preview
These may be itinerant, that is they can be moved from one point to another on the map according to the requirements. In the outpost it will not be possible to build structures, other than those related to the extraction of precious materials. The only action allowed is the one that will allow it to be transformed into a city. However, it will not always be convenient for us to activate this option. Although it is good because it guarantees the expansion of the settlement through the construction of new buildings, there is a maximum cap of cities that you can have under your control.
Going beyond this number will be counterproductive because you will lose Influence points indicated by the purple star. These will be very important because they will allow us to build new outposts, upgrade them in the city or even connect the outpost directly to the city. Obviously then they will also be used for other tasks, such as in the Civics Screen where we will choose the ideological route that our empire will take, but for now let’s focus on the possibility of connecting outposts to cities.
This option, unique of its kind, is very important because it allows to unite these settlements. In this way it will be possible to exploit the food and the labor of both to carry out projects which could be challenging for a single city. This will then allow us to build structures even in the territory controlled by the outpost, although these are then added to a single construction queue.
Map and territory – Humankind preview
The differences aren’t just mechanics. The outposts are also distinguished from the cities as regards the line that delimits their borders. Cities are characterized by a solid line, while outposts are characterized by a dashed line. However, contrary to what happened in Civilization, the border structure is structured differently. This is because of the map.
The latter in fact is divided into several regions, each delimited and with well-defined resources within it. Each region can be occupied by a single city or a single outpost. In this way it will be possible to grab a piece of map made up of certain squares simply by building an outpost. This then it eliminates the concept of “expansion” of the territory box by box as it was in Civilization.
Each region will therefore be made up of a number of pre-established boxes and each one it will be more or less rich depending on the position and the type of terrain that composes it. There will therefore be completely desert regions and others rich in precious stones.
Advancement of the ages and civilization choice – Humankind preview
Advancement to a later era, a bit like in Age of Empires, will allow us to unlock new features, ranging from new technologies to research to a series of upgrades to apply, as well as the various resources to unlock. Progressing through the ages will be easy enough, however you will need a few stars to do so. These can be obtained by completing small missions such as collecting a certain amount of gold, or researching a certain amount of technologies.
Once you have acquired all the necessary stars you can safely advance to the next era. During this stage you can also select a civilization from those provided. Unlike other titles of the genre, in fact, you will not have to choose your civilization at the beginning and make it progress during the game. Instead you will be able to choose a civilization each time you advance an era. The civilizations provided to us will change with each advance.
You can then mix several peoples into one nation, or you can decide to always continue with the same. However, if you opt for this decision, the elite troops of your civilization they will tend to become obsolete and you will not be able to equalize the military might of other nations.
Relations with other nations – Humankind preview
We are almost at the end of this preview of Humankind, but a doubt arises spontaneously after learning about the subdivision of the map. Do we need to conquer the richest regions right away? Although it is true that whoever arrives first stays, at least as far as the initial stages are concerned, subsequently it will be diplomacy to move the course of the game. Although it is not possible to request outposts or cities directly, thanks to diplomacy, in some very specific moments of the game, it will be possible open a “crisis” between the two states and request a newly colonized neighboring region or “independent city” that we were protecting.
It will also be possible to request some cash payments for the encroachments of the opposing troops. Let’s go back to independent cities for a moment. In the early stages of the game, these cities will not exist. So don’t expect to find city-states like in Civilization. In fact, initially we will only find animals to hunt with our troops and the relative shelters to plunder.
However, as we continue with the turns, these wild animals will give way to independent armed troops which may be either aggressive or peaceful. They will be distinguished by the special icon in the shape of a lightning bolt for the former, while with the one in the shape of a dove for the latter. These populations will build their cities just like us, so you may find yourself surrounded in a few turns by aggressive or peaceful populations.
Lots of news for a non-definitive version
We are nearing the end of this preview on Humankind and therefore it is time to take stock. There are still many news regarding this title that have been unveiled in beta and many more that probably have yet to arrive. However, the game is already very solid in this initial phase, giving the title an important solidity in view of the launch.
The mechanical sector is really very nice and we can immediately denote a clear project that was masterfully executed by the developers. There are so many small details that renew the turn-based strategy genre. Just think of the automatic subdivision of the map into regions, the fact of being able to connect cities to outposts, but also the same city cap that you can have at a given time. This will allow you to play more “safe” and will prevent you from building too many cities in very few turns.
Of course, not all that glitters is gold. A sore point in our opinion comes from diplomacy that is not “free”, but bounded by poles that make it impossible to start real negotiations about some agreements or not. On the other hand, commercial agreements are well managed, which also include a surcharge for the transport of goods, even if in other respects they remain all too simple.
In short, a title that certainly promises well and certainly it will not disappoint those who choose to buy it. That’s all for this preview on Humankind. We remind you that the full game will arrive on August 17th on PC, but it already is Orderable at the recommended price of € 59.99 as for the Digital Deluxe Edition. However, on Instant Gaming, you can find the same version at a slightly discounted price. To not miss further news and previews from the videogame universe, keep following the pages of techgameworld.com!