‘HUMANITY’ Makes Gameplay from Massive Crowd Simulation, Coming to PS4 & PSVR in 2020

By
Ben Lang
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10

HUMANITY, a undeniably unique looking title from Tokyo-based design studio Tha LTD uses massive crowd simulation with an apparent focus on on puzzle and RTS-like gameplay. The game was revealed today and announced to be headed to PS4 in 2020 with optional PSVR support.

Though the studio is being intentionally vague about exactly what kind of gameplay players can expect from Humanity, the reveal trailer shown off today is enough to pique our interest. Road to VR editor Scott Hayden suitably described the snippets of gameplay in the trailer as “like Lemmings and a tower defense mixed with existential angst.”

With an original style and hordes of simulated crowds, the game looks like it’ll involve elements of physics-based puzzling and maybe even some RTS-like combat. Studio Tha LTD is being intentionally vague about how the game will actually play, though it promises to reveal more next year.

Developer Tha LTD is working with creative studio Enhance—founded by Tetsuya Mizuguchi, known as the mind behind Rez (2001)—which is aiding in both publishing “as well as contribut[ing] to level design and general gameplay consulting.”

“From the first early demo I saw, I couldn’t get HUMANITY out of my head,” says Mizuguchi. “The whole look and feel of it—manipulating these teeming masses of people—was mesmerizing, especially in VR. I knew right away it could be something special, which is why I couldn’t be more excited to help a visionary like [Tha LTD founder] Yugo-san realize its full potential.”

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Image courtesy tha ltd.
Image courtesy tha ltd.
Image courtesy tha ltd.
Image courtesy tha ltd.

It’s a seemingly natural fit thanks to Mizuguchi’s experience in realizing games with stark visual-audio styles, including VR-optional titles like Rez Infinite (2017) and Tetris Effect (2018).

Humanity is due out in 2020 on PSVR and will include optional PSVR support, though we’re expecting it will be a controller-only game.

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Ben Lang
Ben is the world's most senior professional analyst solely dedicated to the XR industry, having founded Road to VR in 2011—a year before the Oculus Kickstarter sparked a resurgence that led to the modern XR landscape. He has authored more than 3,000 articles chronicling the evolution of the XR industry over more than a decade. With that unique perspective, Ben has been consistently recognized as one of the most influential voices in XR, giving keynotes and joining panel and podcast discussions at key industry events. He is a self-described "journalist and analyst, not evangelist."
  • Darshan

    ha ha ha…. this is bound to happen if world population is not controlled. All must foresee this. Certainly not suggesting war or mass killing or any stupid way… but effective and strong birth control across the globe is prime necessity …don’t know when humanity will wake up… Should before too late.

    • Jonathan Winters III

      Agreed.

    • Typical child’s response. If you were more aware, less selfish, perhaps better educated, you might have heard that population rates actually drop as the standard of living increases. As the 3rd world becomes more closer to the 1st, we’re seeing rates drop across the board. Here’s some reading, if you ever feel like getting educated… https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jan/27/what-goes-up-population-crisis-wrong-fertility-rates-decline

      But as always, I’m keen to hear exactly WHO you think needs to go, since talk of population decreasing always has a ting of racism around the edges.

      • Darshan

        No specific race need to go, all are nature’s wonderful creation and each is unique in it’s own way, not just from laymen point of view if you look from biologist or geneticist point of view, genetic diversity is key of many immunities and special abilities. So I want all of them on Earth but in number that does not deprived Earth from all resource and it’s other habitants tree, birds animals or even bugs. Current population blast is wiping all in hunger of land, I hope you know Amazon forest fires….so there is alarm, hope someone will hear.

      • gothicvillas

        Gurdian lol. You must have swallowed a red pill if you read Guardian. Whats next, you going to tell Greta is a nice girl? :D

  • polysix

    Looks like trash

    • Darshan

      Portraying horrible future…when human end all resources and food and increase in number when nothing else is left, they will race for last bit of what is left…thus masscar or cannibalism will be outcome…both are super horrendous.

  • But what is the game actually like to play? This is all so vague.

    • Dayset

      Lemmings (video game)

  • vtid

    For once, couldn’t we just talk about the game instead of politics, race or religion?! I think the game could potentially be decent, but as someone else commented, the video is very vague. I’d like to know more.