It is Humanitythe action and puzzle game where a shiba leads a strange human crowd developed by that Ltd. in collaboration with Enhance Games (Ground Infinite, Tetris Effect). A totally offbeat trailer and an article from the PlayStation-Blog indeed come from set its release date to May 16, 2023 on PC, PS4 and PS5, which will be compatible PSVR And PSVR2and therefore to specify that it would be added to Games Catalog since its launch. If you don’t quite grasp his concept yet, executive producer Mark MacDonald described it in these terms.
Get ready for a May 16th of anthology, which will mark the day of the release of Humanity! Best of all, the game will be available upon release through the May PlayStation Plus Games Catalog at no additional cost to PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium subscribers. Whether you own a PS5 or PS4, only play on PS VR2, PS VR or even TV, want to create your own levels or enjoy puzzle and platform games, you have every reason to look forward to May 16.
So…any questions?
What did I just see, exactly?
We wanted to announce the release date of Humanity through a trailer that reflects the game well: funny, a little weird (in a good way!) and with an adorable little Shiba Inu. Oh, and most importantly: in the purest Japanese tradition.
What could be better than recreating the crazy and mind-blowing advertising campaigns of the PS1 and PS2 eras in Japan? (If you’ve never seen them, look them up on YouTube: you won’t be disappointed!)
We are flattered that we compare Humanity to classics of the time, such as Intelligent Cube, Echochrome or even Devil Dice (to name a few), or even to Katamari Damacy and Parappa the Rapper, which are all games with a unique design straight out of Japan and which have imposed a whole new style. Whether or not you played those games then or since, we hope you enjoy that same spirit in Humanity. The game aims to be different and displays a neat style, while offering a deep and rewarding experience.
Good, but what kind of game is it?
In Humanity, you control a luminous Shiba Inu and must place orders on the ground for a giant horde of humans. Rotate them, jump, float in the air, swim, climb, etc., all to achieve the objective (or objectives) of each level. The game introduces these mechanics gradually, combining them and adding new elements to add to the challenge as you progress. You want to know more ? Don’t forget to check out the gameplay trailer we revealed during February’s State of Play.
But, why did you choose a dog?
Well, the real question is rather why not? The development team tested several approaches, including a simple generic cursor or a human guiding his own. But given the powerful bond that unites men and dogs in real life and the story we wanted to tell, this choice seemed obvious to us. If the humans in the game have lost their free will, minds, and souls, who could they blindly follow? A dog, of course! When we tried it, everything fit together perfectly.
What is the dog’s name ?
He has no name: the Shiba of the game is you! You wake up as a Shiba Inu, with no memory of what happened before, or even your name.
Why PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium?
Obviously, we want as many people as possible to discover the approximately 90 levels of the single-player story mode that Humanity offers. But the whole point of launching a game through the PlayStation Plus Games Catalog is that it guarantees a huge audience for user-created content. A large number of players will be able to create, share and play in the levels of other users from day one!
Wow, is that a boss fight?
Absolutely. Humanity’s story mode has all the ingredients of the action-puzzle style, from action levels studded with platforms that test your reflexes to brain-teasing puzzles that will test your brains, among others. The game is constantly adding new mechanics and blending them with what you’ve already unlocked to provide you with a constant challenge. You will never know what to expect.
And so, what’s next?
There’s still a lot to say about Humanity: single-player story mode narration, optional VR compatibility (with PS VR2 or PS VR), unlockable rewards, our ultra-intuitive level editor, everything people created and shared in user levels during our time-limited demo, etc.
So stay tuned for more in the days to come and until May 16, a big day to celebrate the release of Humanity!
You can subscribe to PlayStation Plus Extra for 99.99 per year: gift cards are for sale on Amazon.co.uk to allow you to fill your wallet in order to subscribe to the offer.