The Humans
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| The Humans | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | GameTek |
| Publisher(s) | GameTek |
| Release date(s) | 1992 |
| Genre(s) | Puzzle game |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Platform(s) | Mega Drive/Genesis, SNES, Game Boy, Amiga, 3DO, PC, Jaguar, Lynx |
The Humans is a computer game published by GameTek, in which the player guides a tribe of humans through the course of evolution to modern man. Included on this quest is the discovery of spears, fire, wheels, rope, and torches. Anachronistically, one of the humans' main enemies are dinosaurs. The game bears a slight resemblance to the Lemmings series of games, even if this game is about direct control of the protagonists, rather than giving them tasks. The Jaguar and Lynx versions of The Humans were published by Atari, and were titled Evolution: Dino Dudes and Dinolympics respectively.
[edit] Gameplay
There are up to eight humans in a level, out of a possibly larger tribe. If a human dies, he is replaced by one from the tribe, if any are left. The amount of tribe members is set per game, not per level, thus it may be worthwhile to replay a level in order to get more humans through. If too few humans are left in the tribe, the game eventually ends as several levels require a minimum number of humans to be solved. Luckily, some levels have prisoners that you can rescue to add to your tribe.
The player controls one human at a time, and can switch back and forth. In many levels, the humans have equipment that they can pick up, use or throw.
[edit] Abilities
The basic ability of all humans is to form a stack by climbing onto each other's shoulders. This allows them to reach higher platforms, after accounting for wobbling. Flying pterodactyls can be used as transportation to get even higher.
The first item found is the spear. It can be brandished to keep enemy humans (or dinosaurs) at a distance, and can be thrown to kill such (which requires aiming similar to Scorched Earth games). However, the most important trait of the spear is using it to pole-vault over gaps (then throwing it back to let the next human vault over).
The second item is the torch, which is identical to a spear except that it cannot be used to pole-vault. However, some levels contain small bushes that are impassable, but can be burnt down with the torch.
The third item is the rope, which unsurprisingly can be used to climb down ledges.
The fourth and final item is the wheel, which is rather hazardous. It cannot be picked up, but a hapless human can mount the wheel and ride it. When rolling down an incline, this gathers enough speed to jump over large holes.
Some levels contain a shaman as part of the tribe. The shaman cannot use items, but can be used to conjure them after ritual sacrifice of a tribe member.
[edit] Sequels
Two follow-up games were made, Humans 2 and The Humans 3: Evolution Lost In Time.
