Humankind Review - Why It's Amazing AND Disappointing

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Humankind is finally here! This is a completely new strategy game series which aims to assume the throne after Civilization. But the question remains; is it good enough to even be a pretender? There's enough here for us to dig deep into, and that's why I decided to make a review of this game.
Humankind is a strategy game in the traditional 4X genre, meaning that even though it is indeed a strategy game, it's fairly close to the Civilization series, but very far removed from the Total War or Paradox games (Crusader Kings II, Europa Universalis 4, Stellaris, Hearts of Iron 4, Victoria 3). I personally prefer the latter two strategy series, but I really do feel like Humankind has managed to innovate enough that this genre has become exciting again. Even there's a lot of great things to say, Humankind is not perfect. But honestly, I'm just happy Civilization finally has some real competition. Here's to a great and inspirational strategy game future! Cheers, mates.
PS: Let me know if you find out what I believe the secret ingredient is ;)
#Humankind
#Humankindreview
#HumankindvsCivilization

[@randompillow5146]

This game looks like it has potential to be quite great if the developers continue to support it. I hope they do.

[@AndysTake]

My thoughts exactly, and I really think they will!

[@2fat4airborne44]

The have supported their other games quite well in the past. Updating and introducing new mechanics, if you wish to have them. So i guess its fine to be optimitic about it :).

[@punishedbung4902]

They have a pretty great track record of supporting games post-launch with the endless series.

[@LyonPercival]

Looks like you haven't seen Endless Legend and Endless Space 😏😏😏

[@jegerslvjegers5380]

IMO Endless Legends&Total war series >>> Civ

[@sandsiren4840]

Hopefully competition will push civilization to reinvent a little bit! With this game, I love the idea of cultures developing!

[@AndysTake]

Me too, it’s the best part :)

[@sunnyjim1355]

I haven't really enjoyed a Civ game since IV, I didn't even bother buying VI. Very decent video, but it doesn't look to me like there's enough innovation in this to bother with either. Maybe I'm just burned out with x4 games, I've been playing them for 30 years after all. But hey, enjoy.

[@AndysTake]

@@sunnyjim1355 I get that. It’s not my favourite strategy genre, I’m personally more into grand strategy. But this is a step in the right direction. I just need more complexity from these games, they’re so damn similar to how they were years and years ago.

[@thegaijin3753]

thats what i hate the most about it. romans suddenly transforming into japanese? yeah no.

[@maxpowers4436]

@@thegaijin3753 The Romans period ended. How exactly do you continue playing the Romans past 500 ce? Modern Romans with guns? Makes no sense

[@DuoMaxwellDS]

The war support mechanic really make you feel like you're govern a country, than playing a board game like Civ. Now I can actually prevent a war by getting on a good side of someone's people. I always have a beef with the war monger system from Civ, since they basically did nothing against some players that focus only in military despite me having my culture heavily influent their people.

[@AndysTake]

I do really like the idea of war support but it needs some work and more complexity :)

[@antedadic6382]

The only thing i do not like in the game is that game forces u to make peace with one u are in war with i do not think this should be in game otherwise amazing game beteer that civ 6 by miles

[@AndysTake]

@@antedadic6382 Completely agree.

[@Historyfan476AD]

Oh Dear I get you man, In CIV 6 for example I am declared war on by two to other powers and so I defend myself and get called a Warmonger.

[@antedadic6382]

@@Historyfan476AD fuck civ 6 is garbage of a game

[@danielkjm]

*I Agree, it needs a lot of balance. Some skills are useless some are Overpowered, same thing with units, i still have nightmares on the Hunnic Horde 40+ Units Spam.*

[@gamesmaster1060]

What's it like now?

[@piglin469]

@@gamesmaster1060 same shit

[@ranbanbam]

The art department has blown the roof off. Hats off one of the most beautiful looking game i've played in recent history

[@AndysTake]

Indeed!

[@thelordoftime803]

And the soundtrack is on point too, they got well over 8 hours of OST for this.

[@ScytheNoire]

Great review. Very detailed and concise. When comparing this review against a site like IGN, it shows how much more professional you are, and how unprofessional they are. I couldn't believe how bad their review was, it was like the reviewer barely even played the game.

[@AndysTake]

Damn, bro, that’s awesome to hear! Thank you! Means a lot. Did you get to play the game yet?

[@firilockz]

This is a great review indeed. Check partyelite review as well

[@AndysTake]

@@firilockz Thank you 🙏

[@ScytheNoire]

@@AndysTake Watched the tutorial videos last night, and thought I'd just pop into the game for a few minutes before heading to bed. Wife had to come get me two hours later. :) So it definitely has that Civilization "one more turn" addiction down.

[@LyonPercival]

I agree, IGN review felt as rushed as possible and kept on comparing it to Civ, that's it - what a damn shallow review... there wasn't even any mention of the Battles

[@ClanHawkins]

Man this is the best review / overview of the dozen I’ve seen on this game! Clear, detailed, expressive and cohesive!

[@AndysTake]

Thank you so much, Mr. Clan Hawkins, Sir! That’s so nice to hear! Have you picked up Humankind yet or are you planning to?

[@chellybub]

Nice review! Most of the things you pointed out as being new features are rehashed features of Endless Legend, which was developed by the same company. So it's not that surprising. I'd be interested in seeing a review comparing Humankind to Endless Legend instead of Civ. If you get the time, it might be worth investigating and producing another video comparing the two games. I really loved Endless Legend but it doesn't appear as though they have added much to Humankind... More of a re-skinned game than an innovative spiritual successor. I'd be interested in your views on this, again, only if you have the time. Thanks again for your wonderful video, you have a voice that is easy to listen to, and I can hear the excitement and fascination in your narration which keeps me listening ^_^

[@AndysTake]

Thank you so much, Chelsea! That’s so nice to hear! :D you know, I tried Endless Legend when it came out, but I just couldn’t get into it; it was a bit too complex or confusing to me the way the map and UI worked. But maybe I should give it any other try? Last time I tried was like when it came out so it’s definitely been a while. Definitely sounds like a worthwhile comparison. Thanks for the suggestion, and thank you for watching and leaving a comment!

[@chellybub]

@@AndysTake You're most welcome! I hope this time around you can get some more enjoyment out of Endless. The game may make more sense now that you've played some Humankind. It is a bit of an odd game, but much like you said with Humankind, Endless has this interesting complexity, which can be a bit overwhelming (at least I felt overwhelmed by it all), but when you figure it all out it can be a lot of fun. Thanks for the reply 😊 Take care!

[@freedom2663]

@@AndysTake If you can't get into Endless Legends (like me) yet like this game. It seems like a tall tale sign that we have the same taste. So I take this replaces Civ 6 and with it Civ 5. Is it better than Stellaris? I know that's much farther.

[@AndysTake]

@@freedom2663 No, it doesn’t replace Stellaris, they’re completely different. They can coexist though, not at all being mutual exclusive :)

[@freedom2663]

@@AndysTake I won't take much more of your time, if you had to chose what is your current top 4x titles which would it be? (perhaps a video idea for you to do if you like it)

[@Max-zs6ur]

Good job, this review was so clean and nice to listen to.

[@AndysTake]

Thank you so much, Max! Much appreciated! :D

[@FekalKilla]

like Endless Legend - beautiful and perfect soundtrack. Also, I am baffled with the artwork there. nice review

[@AndysTake]

Thanks so much! I LOVE the artwork!

[@ThefamousMrcroissant]

This is a good review, but the title doesn't really reflect the content. As far as I'm aware you're almost entirely positive about the implementation, minus a few minor shortcomings. I was expecting a much bigger contrast.

[@AndysTake]

Thank you! Haha well for what it’s worth, the things I mentioned to be negative really did disappoint me a lot.

[@skepticalextraterrestrial2971]

Yup. Clickbait.

[@charlesguillergan8759]

@@skepticalextraterrestrial2971 he literally says what’s disappointing in the video if you actually watched it

[@skepticalextraterrestrial2971]

@@charlesguillergan8759 I watched it. The title/thumbnail is unsupported clickbait. End of story.

[@charlesguillergan8759]

@@skepticalextraterrestrial2971 tell me what he said is disappointing about the game then i’m waiting

[@501877934]

Love your outro song! Is it Jasmine? Great review btw!

[@AndysTake]

Thank you so much! I love the outro as well, glad you enjoyed it :) actually I don’t know, I got it from a stock footage service where they also provide music, so maybe? What’s Jasmine? If it has the same vibe I’d be very interested in listening to it!

[@501877934]

@@AndysTake Check out DPR - Jasmine! I believe the instrumentals of your outro is from there, let me know what you think :)

[@AndysTake]

@@501877934 Haha YES that DEFINITELY is the same sound, so someone has either sampled or given permission to sell this tune. Haha that’s so fun, thanks for making me aware of this! I love the sound so it’s interesting to know that it’s used (or indeed comes from) an actual song!

[@501877934]

@@AndysTake You're welcome! I'm glad you enjoyed it! :)

[@Sorain1]

I appreciate the wider view of the genre you take in this review. The genre has been stagnant for way too long, among others. It's good to see real competition coming up and giving it their all.

[@AndysTake]

Thank you so much, that means a lot! And you’re completely right, Humankind may not be perfect but it’s really nice to see a new competitor doing SOMETHING different for a change.

[@aranox]

Just wanna point out Amplitude studios are amazing at UI design and getting rid of too convoluted designs i have SO many hours in Endless Space 2 and it was the first actually accesible 4x game for me solely because it doesnt have that ridiculously annoying paradox studios bullshit UI design

[@happycompy]

Holy cow, this video is blowing up! Congrats, Andy!

[@AndysTake]

Thank you so much! :D

[@thebeck1012]

if you compare civ 5 to civ 6 it's pretty obvious the sales people took over civ 6 and tore it the fuq up to sell as DLCs lol so yes competition is REALLY needed otherwise shit will end up like blizzard

[@Ggdivhjkjl]

Could you please make a follow-up on how you think its changes have impacted the game?

[@DamienThorn999]

Good review, I think the evolving culture is a groundbreaking idea in 4x games. Missed a comparison on this and how it compares to their previous 4x game, Endless Space 2. Best part with that game is how vastly different the mechanics work between the different species. Humankind looks it has more superficial bonuses as in Civ6. Also do I detect a scandinavian accent , either Swedish or Norwegian I think ?

[@AndysTake]

Thank you so much! And you’re completely right, I totally could’ve digged a bit deeper and compared it more to the Endless games. Sadly I don’t have THAT much experience with them (even though I played and liked Endless Space 2 which feels like sooo many years ago now). And your Scandinavian Detecter (TM) is right on! I’m Norwegian ;)

[@2fat4airborne44]

Bonuses are not as superficial as its shown here. To show everything would be a little much for a review. There is lot to it and to optimitze

[@2fat4airborne44]

@@AndysTake Endless Space? Endless Legend would be more of a fair comparison. But that would be quite the task. That game is something of its own and simliar enough to a space 4x with hyperlanes ENdless Space as you can get on a planet. With feature like every faction has its unique mechanics. moveable giant crab cities, one city factions, people that lives on lava and ash (terraforming everything) etc.

[@AndysTake]

@@2fat4airborne44 Jeez, that sounds awesome. I tried Endless Legend once, but I found it rather hard to get into. Maybe it’s just about getting through that initial hill.

[@happycompy]

We live in a society.

[@AndysTake]

Indeed.

[@user-yu7pl2rr7v]

Worth a subscribe button. Good job, and see you in next review.

[@AndysTake]

Dude, THANK YOU! Means a lot, and I’ll see you next time too hopefully!

[@cmdrchilperic6706]

Thanks for this informative review! I'll definitely give Humankind a try. Despite having spent countless hours on Civilization II, IV, and V ... what I always missed there was some type of organic cultural development throughout the ages, as real-life civilizations and countries don't exist for thousands of years as monolithic entities. The solution here, to have a choice which historical cultures to build on top of each other, is an interesting one. If I may daydream, one day I'd like to see a game with procedurally generated and evolving cultures, maybe even languages. So that you can trace back cultural developments, them not only being shown after the game ends, but as well being observable during the game, for example as an effect of migration, or after the fall of empires, when successor states are formed, and stuff.

[@AndysTake]

That sounds awesome. At least I feel like this is a major step in the right direction, and which I believe more developers might just take inspiration from! Thank you so much for watching and commenting, means a lot! :)

[@cmdrchilperic6706]

@@AndysTake Yes, absolutely a major step in the right direction! I'm looking forward to playing Humankind :)

[@Zeroyue622]

Personally I doesn’t like the combat system, I’m more type of use units as wall guy. The rest I like a lot, and can see a lot of moding potential( if they will open workshop).

[@Apokalypse456]

currently playing multiplayer with a friend, and we have essentially a wall stretching across our borders. and yeah, that wall is made of arquebusiers.

[@Gcrow_well]

yeah i hate that i have to end a war when the enemy runs out of war support!

[@AlexanderArts]

I'm in the middle of Final Fantasy 1 and Zelda, Skyward Sword, but after that I might have to check this game out. I have 688hrs in Civ5 and 439hrs in Civ6 but haven't played since 2019. I did enjoy 6 but kind of burned out on it faster than 5. Interested to play a similar game with lots of unique twists on the conventions. I hope the competition will drive Firaxis to try some new things on Civ7.

[@AndysTake]

That’s exactly what I hope for too.

[@TheDanorte]

Civ 6 after 2019 really picked up steam. They really nailed it with the updates. Every time a new Civ 6 update came around, the whole game felt different. You should pick it up again. The game modes completely change the game.

[@jamaly77]

@@TheDanorte Nah. They released overpriced DLC and low-effort civs that most modders could've done a much better job.

[@TheDanorte]

@@jamaly77 No, the content from the Season pass was pretty good. I was skeptical at first, but it was very much worth it. Nothing like their usual DLC, the gamemodes and new civs from the season pass were amazing. The expansion packs were also great, but kinda overpriced when standalone.

[@DarthFiscus]

i hate it when strategy games get mixed with tactical combat. The player always finds ways to cheese the AI. Total War is the perfect example. No challenge, only exploits and stackwipes.

[@tamiloxd7168]

I play this type of games but i hate doing that. I don't like to cheese and do all of that stuff.

[@Noschool100]

Competition never hurts. Even if it flops hopfully it'll at least push civ to adapt.

[@AndysTake]

Exactly

[@Jesse-cx4si]

Best Humankind review I’ve found to date. Thanks! The cultural development and options concept is really pulling toward this game. I LOVE the Civ series but one of the things that feels flat to me is basically being stuck in specific cultural ideals from the first turn. I hope humankind proves to be interesting and fun, but regardless, it’s a breath of fresh air in the genre.

[@AndysTake]

Thank you so much, that’s awesome to hear!! Completely agree, the cultural development is the best part, and I hope more games take inspiration from this! What are your biggest hopes for CIV VII when it eventually comes out?

[@Cipher_8]

Amplitude's Endless Legend game already was what Firaxis utterly copied with Civ VI's district play. So to see their next foray into 4X and battling Firaxis's Civ franchise - Humankind - be no surprise to me a great game isn't that surprising. I still like Endless Legend too. They both are good games. Hope the games furthered content and expansion(s) are good.

[@quismachina857]

Really loved the video. I recently tried the game and you hit all the points I loved about it. Though I am hoping for deeper things like a more in depth religion system. This game focuses on what it is to be human and cultures and to me religion is right there with us as a people. Imagine being able to have a religion system similar to CK3 choosing if you are dogmatic or more open minded. I also hope for some deeper government style mechanics. Maybe some kind of liberty vs control kind of thing where as time goes on some kind of evolving monarchy into totalitarian or early republics into democracy and with your choice on tradition or progressive really making that whole system come more alive. And I completely agree with the diplomacy I had no idea you could even have vassals because my only neighbor and I were friends and I was hoping because they were so dependent on me economically that I could diplo vassalize them EU4 style. But overall great review and I hope we see more from this game.

[@AndysTake]

Thank you so much! I completely agree with what you said. What’s kinda funny is that I was so charmed by what the game offered that I kinda didn’t even consider as much what could be done better, as, like you said, a more fleshed out religion or government system, and perhaps how enacting certain laws or religion tenets affect your populations and various cities. It would be so cool if we had more unique systems implemented for both the religion and society mechanics, and perhaps also even more cultural things, remnants from old cultures or upheavals when going from one time period to the next. Diplomacy definitely needs a rework, it’s way too barebones as it is right now, and like you stated, it’s just weird that we can’t diplo annex other factions, it’s seemingly only possible through total domination in wars. Also, I desperately need the infrastructure buildings to be visible on the map 😭

[@quismachina857]

That was the other thing I was thinking! The whole cultural change mechanic is something very awesome and a fresh take on the genre but the idea of “Transcendence” and keeping your current culture needs more than a point bonus IMO. Kind of like how during the Neolithic era you can get a legacy trait I think something similar should happen if you stay your current culture, not just “Oh boy here’s a +10% score.” I don’t really see a reason to stay your current culture except for maybe roleplay currently. I also agree with the points you brought up of your center building just staying the same way that needs a revamp and it would be amazing to see like industry and heck maybe even little citizens walking around say city centers. Maybe an option for people who may not have powerful enough systems like if you have it on you can see farmers in the field, little markets and what not going on and factory workers. Making your larger cities feel more alive. I also would like the option for city names to become like culturized if you change for example “Constantinople” becoming “Konstantiniyye” if you become the Ottomans. It’s not a huge thing I just think it’d be a nice little thing. I think it’s an option in EU4 and CK3 actually so maybe take notes from them.

[@AndysTake]

@@quismachina857 you’re right, the culturalized name is an option in Paradox games, definitely needs to be a thing here as well! There’s so much we can think of adding to this game and I really hope the developers see and hear that, I know for sure we’re not the only ones ;)

[@datbo1]

what I really wanna see tho, is a game that mixes THIS with stuff like Age of Empires. you know, no turns, no select tiles. you go to a random place at random times and can start building stuff, and if attackers come, you build defences. basically, I wanna see a militarized city builder that also focuses on stuff to do if playing as a pacifist, unlike war selection or age of empires.

[@AndysTake]

Yeah dude, a combination of so many strategy series would be so cool. Like I still get why a mix of Humankind/Civ and Total War isn’t possible.

[@matteomoccia2005]

Finally! Somebody with common sense that sees Humankind as a strong start!

[@AndysTake]

Better late than never, Matteo! :D

[@Stingrae951]

The question is... Would you recommend this game in it's current state? I am a huge CIV fan and on the fence about giving this a go. Plus its $80 tag in NZ is seeming like a lot right now. Appreciate any recommendations!

[@M.Ghilas]

Short answer No ,it may look promising but it will lose its charm after few games . I advise you to wait until the improvements coming into the game if the developers are planning to

[@SmashRxX]

Well if you have gamepass i suggest downloading it on thatg for pc

[@AndysTake]

Personally, I would say yes, but you’re right, 80 dollars is a lot (even though I don’t know the value of the NZ currency). Love your country, by the way, really want to visit. You COULD pick it up “for free” on Gamepass for PC if you have that.

[@TheDanorte]

If you're a huge CIV fan try Endless Legend. That's the game I wish Humankind was.

[@NafiSsya]

great job Andyjoon!

[@AndysTake]

Thank you ❤️❤️❤️

[@RAWxxx07]

I agree the artwork and soundtrack is just 👌👌👌

[@heroesofthegreeks215]

Total war has a lot of the same type of monopoly. It has improved, but each doesn't Improve much. There is also not much creatief in the game or changes.

[@AndysTake]

I agree. Total War needs a real challenger, but sadly, I don’t see anyone coming anytime soon.

[@user-fb9sm7nn2x]

Total War even go backward now regarding gameplay ( wich is becoming more and more arcadish ), faction management and above all, animations ( no more sync animations, just soldiers hitting the air )

[@IgorPCabral]

Great Video :D

[@AndysTake]

Thank you so much, Igor! :D

[@rockthekazbah]

Great review Subd

[@AndysTake]

Thank you, Kaz!! Much appreciated!

[@aggrisabernathy8770]

Thanks for creating this video to showcase the game. :D

[@AndysTake]

My pleasure, Aggris! Thanks for watching! 🙏

[@Blackreaper95]

@@AndysTake they supported all the games in their Endless franchise so I'm sure they will do the same with this.

[@AndysTake]

@@Blackreaper95 That’s great news. I really liked Endless Space 2, even though it’s not my favourite genre.

[@MetnePoKa]

Something that I found when playing the game, in the late game, some of you resource will be always idled and at max number

[@adumbassroomba367]

A retrospective on this one could be an interesting take really. By now I've stopped playing the game for many issues that patches made visible for me, stuff like the new "requirement" of quickly pushing through the eras rendering the ONE BIG THING that made this game unique, its different civs split among different eras, completely neutered and useless, at least so it was when I left the game about a month and a half ago.

[@em4706]

Someone else mentioned this, but this is a very food professional review. well done buck.

[@AndysTake]

Thank you so much! Bon appetit ;)

[@em4706]

@@AndysTake LOL RIP.

[@mcpanzer4637]

Thanks for the review!

[@AndysTake]

My absolute pleasure! Thanks for watching!

[@joeldykman7591]

I've only played a couple games, but here's the issues I've had so far. 1) building queue in cities has no way, or no intuitive way of changing order. 2) turn limits seem a bit a short.

[@AndysTake]

You can just drag and drop your construction queue to change it :)

[@khanhnguyen-tt3ff]

I think next dlc let you select leader while in a culture you got a new leader when you get new culture and he will die of when you reach you culture main star and you get to pick his successor. I also wish they let pick what when want when we take over a city I need more outpost then I need city after a major war

[@MyFunnyVids888]

One thing I'm hoping for the game is that if they add mechanics and such its an update not a dlc. Im tired of companies like paradox and civ trying to basically fleece every coin they can from their player base for game mechanics that should be in the game in the 1st place. I dont mind if the dlc is like additional cultures that don't effect the mechanics of the game but in general I would prefer no dlc

[@SilentS0lid]

Culture mixing sounded fun at first, then I realised the things that carries over to the next culture are passive stats only (correct me if I'm wrong). Maybe it's for the better it works that way for balance reasons tho, i dunno.

[@AndysTake]

Does anything really carry over other than buildings? You’re right, more should carry over, hopefully they update it and flesh it out a bit more.

[@TriAzF]

@@AndysTake I thought most things carried over? Buildings, units (though obviously only until they become obsolete) and the passive traits. The main thing that changes is the conditions to get Era Stars. I could be wrong though.

[@adavis5926]

Thanks for the great review. I just have a couple of hours of play and I am enjoying it. I'm looking forward to mods and dlcs to offer more ways to tweak the game.

[@AndysTake]

Thank you so much! Yes, can’t wait for some patches and expansion packs, very excited to see how they will expand and improve it!

[@MassMoment]

This was a very helpful review, thank you! The biggest thing I've wanted from a Civilization game is more complex diplomacy options. How does Mankind stack up on this?

[@AndysTake]

Thanks for watching and commenting :) sadly, diplomacy is always a lacklustre in these 4X games, but at least Mankind has layers of diplomacy, meaning that you’ll get more and deeper options if you’re allied to a nation rather than just being peaceful. So there’s that, but I hope this gets expanded in the future!

[@fallenunder]

Love the game but can never get to modern time to use Nukes before it's finished. Not enough rounds. They just need to tweak the winning conditions.

[@jaydenshepard7928]

Yeah the game set up options are way too restrictive and the customization outside of the map is pretty lacking and possibly the most jarring flaw. They need to get that up to civ standards asap. Forced Turn limits are annoying, even if you can keep playing when its “over”. Pollution flat ending the game and being irreversible and hard to mitigate at all even in the future is just anti fun too.

[@LitlBlackDragonNinja]

Venetians being the arch nemesis of the ERE? You got to be kidding me.

[@TheBritMonk]

I had a weird brain glitch moment because your first image is the same culture that I took, the same city position and districts haha very weird

[@AndysTake]

Damn! Great minds AND great randomizer!

[@GrafStorm]

I'm going to give this game a try. ty Andy.

[@AndysTake]

All good, Tristan, thanks for watching and leaving a comment! I hope you enjoy the game 😎

[@nathannorton5013]

amazing review!

[@AndysTake]

Thank you, Nathan!!

[@illusivec]

This selecting a new culture at every era change reminded me of "classless" or "no holy trinity" MMOs. It sure sounds good on paper but what ends up happening is everyone being able to do everything and once a meta is found, everyone playing the same strat. I appreciate developers trying to push new systems but this one doesn't sound appealing to me. If i started as the Roman Empire, I better finish as the Roman Empire.

[@jamaly77]

One thing is for sure, after trying Humankind I cannot play any Civ game again. They're just too shallow. Humankind needs a lot of work though.

[@AndysTake]

Agreed, AND agreed! :D I’m really excited to see where the game will be in 1-2 years time!

[@att7364]

The game is like a improved endless legend, and endless legend is almost a decade now but still gets updates

[@AndysTake]

That’s amazing!

[@williamgreenough8350]

ive been hearing a fair bit about this game. ive been playing civi since it first came out back in the 90's, it will be interesting to see if this can be called civ xii or not, lol

[@AndysTake]

Civ XII, eh? Are you from the future? ;) how do you find Civ now? Like V compared to VI for example.

[@williamgreenough8350]

@@AndysTake i have played just about every civilization game, the latest one was just a bit better than the last, except there was always one thing missing, compared to the last one. civ 5 is my favourite, it plays in the classic civ style. that i remembered, i hated civ 6, until i learned how to get around in it, and realized the graphics was the only difference between 5 and 6, then they added canada, and that was the game changer for me literally, being canadian myself i havent played any other character since, but even with that change i will still play civ 5 longer than any other civ game. ive been thinking about the new humankind as the lastest civ game and figured i would never see another civ game made in my lifetime. i will be interesting to see how this game plays out, i miss the old days when you could get the game on a cd and play it forever and still have something to show for it, nowadays, you only get braging rights, no fold outs and flow charts to follow get from one level to the next you have everything on the screen, im still a little old school i guess, lol.

[@AndysTake]

@@williamgreenough8350 I feel you. There’s something special about those boxes and actually owning something physical. Even though I love digital for its simplicity, I do miss it. Canada, eh? I’m Norwegian, but I actually live in Canada now for the time being, being engaged to a Canadian girl :) where in Canada do you live?

[@williamgreenough8350]

@@AndysTake you are one of the few i will welcome to canada, i grew up on the 45th parallel, in a district called muskoka, but im living in toronto now, where are you?

[@AndysTake]

@@williamgreenough8350 Aw, thanks man! I actually studied for four years at the University of Ottawa until 2018, but I live in Calgary! Definitely prefer Calgary, although I loved visiting Toronto when I went!

[@dogameda]

I dont get exactly what I called "disappointing" But there's one thing I know it's disappointing is the loading, I had several problems to get to play with a friend of mine. We talked for like, half an hour and the loading screen was still running.

[@AndysTake]

Yeah if it takes like more than like 2 minutes you need to restart lol

[@darthxerxes5468]

Him talking about the Zhōu; "🦙🦛🦘🦡🦚🦒🦓🦁🦏"

[@AndysTake]

Hahaha truuu

[@sayuh7420]

Im sorry I think i Miss it but what was disapponting?

[@mejdlocraftci]

I love the city building in this game

[@AndysTake]

Me too, man, it’s awesome

[@tonastytogrimey3888]

i dunno why but i can never get the Mycenaeans in the ancient era. Seems like the ai get all the era stars faster

[@dracotey]

There’s a bug where if you put your starting unit on auto explore it will find every food or curiosity nearest to you, I assume that’s why ai gets the first stars very quickly

[@someonlinepersona]

I welcome an innovative challenger to the CIV series. Hopefully Humankind sticks around longer than Call to Power did.

[@rizkyarieframadhan4893]

Yup, the UI and notification is not informative enough that I don't know what really happened, suddenly I forced to surrender....

[@TheDanorte]

I am kinda disappointed with the game. The game doesn't feel as satisfying to play as Endless Legend or Civilization. Humankind looks gorgeous but lacks gameplay, a ton of features and replayability.

[@freedom2663]

Africans burning and tearing down roman statues? Is that a subtle whistle of the BLM riots last year? Anyway, great review. Feels like Endless Legends was a mix bag for me. It didn't have the combat I wanted or depth. This seems to have the depth that Civ 5 had (didn't play 6). And the addiction. I like how you pick a civ and then a new one later with some perks carrying over the course of the game. That is really cool. It would be cool if a few unique buildings (not your main gov central building) carried over but weathered and aged. Maybe that pyramid you built several ages later crumbled and looked like pyramids today? An idea that the devs would never read. But very in depth review. Thanks.

[@AndysTake]

Thank you so much for the great comment! And I love your idea about the buildings aging over time, that’s an actual really cool idea and would really only require a small reskin or recolouring of each Wonder, for example.

[@freedom2663]

@@AndysTake Your review was very good. I echo the other guy. You put IGN and Gamespot to shame. Keep it up dude. I'll keep this game on my radar when it becomes cheaper in my budget.

[@AndysTake]

@@freedom2663 Thanks again, that means a lot 🙏 yeah for sure, keep it on your radar, I’m sure it’ll be updated in the future!

[@Sam-ux7cn]

I don't get de disappointing part but ok, great review.

[@manofmartin]

Well, shit. You sold me. This is a must have.

[@AndysTake]

I hope you enjoy it, Man of Martin!! :D

[@jamiegladwin]

What about paradox games?

[@AndysTake]

What about them?

[@jamiegladwin]

@@AndysTake I think they stand up to the civ games

[@AndysTake]

@@jamiegladwin I think they’re MUCH better. They’re just in a completely different genre which is why I didn’t compare them that much

[@grumpydinosaur2347]

Civ isnt monopoly by a far. There is age of wonders planetfall, bunch or similiar yet more complicated paradox games, like EU4 or CK3, or turn based Warhammer total war.

[@AndysTake]

I don’t think it’s right to compare Civ to Paradox or Total War, I feel very much like Civ owns it’s own sun genre within the strategy genre. Total War is another, and Paradox is another still. That’s why I feel like Humankind challenges Civ specifically (and not Total War nor Paradox) because they’re so similar.

[@LyonPercival]

calling it Sid Meier's Civilization from an alternate universe is derogative - it existed HERE NOW right? why is it treated as a copy of civ but different regardless of better or not seems disrespectful to the ORIGINAL Ideas which even appeared as early as Endless Legend/Space... It's EL made for Humans' history, not Civ clone set to be EL-reskin

[@AndysTake]

It’s not derogatory at all, in fact it was meant as a cool compliment. It looks like CIV, feels like CIV, mostly plays like CIV, and Civ was first. So that’s why. Humankind is its own thing which is what I attempted to spend a lot of time telling you, but I’m not gonna say it’s not like CIV. Endless Legend is way less like CIV than this, wouldn’t you agree?

[@LyonPercival]

@@AndysTake I see, thanks for politely clearing it up!! And also, i forgot if this is the review that feedbacked how the Capital is permanently unchangeable - on the contrary if one researches Imperial Power they can change Capital Cities :)

[@AndysTake]

@@LyonPercival No worries! And no, I didn’t mention the thing about the capital, but thanks for telling me, that’s good to know :D

[@Antalya-]

I try it, and I’m proud to say…it’s a very nice game

[@AndysTake]

It is indeed :)

[@ShadowDogProduction]

This game ain't for me (I HATE the war support mechanic. No way I'm letting an arbitrary algorithm determine when I have to stop fighting) but I have a lot of respect for the game designers. They really approached this with out of the box thinking and this will drive the Civ team to innovative

[@DuoMaxwellDS]

War support is a real thing. Vietnam war was stopped mainly because the American protest. If you don't have the support from your own people, war would never exist. The idea that one person on top can move the whole's country mindlessly is weird to begin with.

[@ShadowDogProduction]

@@DuoMaxwellDS I'm aware its real. And I actually think it's cool they included it. Like I said, these developers think outside the box. I'm just saying I don't want that limitation in my game. Personal preference, that's all. I am curious though if people will tire of that mechanic after a year of playing it. "Damn man! Every time I really get going War Support shuts me down!" If that doesn't happen then I'm probably putting too much emphasis on it. We'll see.

[@AndysTake]

I personally think War Support is a good mechanic, BUT it needs to be made much more complex and with more mechanics added to personally influence it. Right now it’s way too simplistic, and way too bad in the diplomacy face which just makes war and the peace treaty not be fun at all. But I do like the idea of the mechanic, it just needs some more work.

[@ShadowDogProduction]

@@AndysTake that's fair.

[@38limaK]

So what is disappointing? 🤔

[@L6Jeremy]

I’ve played all day and I like ir

[@AndysTake]

Awesome to hear! Is there something special you like about it or just everything?

[@infostorm618]

So it looks like the took a lot of the mechanics of their other game, Endless Legend, and turned them into a Civilization style game.

[@AndysTake]

That’s exactly what I hear from Endless Legend players! Did you play it yourself? Is it worth taking for a spin?

[@infostorm618]

@@AndysTake Yes, I've played many hours of Endless Legend. The combat mechanics look identical, as does the territory grabbing. I haven't acquired Humankind yet (payday not here yet). The tech tree, and civics are completely different from E.L. at first glance. I'll have to play it to tell you the differences. (and I mean gameplay differences, not Magic vs no magic ;-) )

[@1kvolt1978]

The most disappointing thing in Humankind IMHO is Orbital Satellite Lag, which makes the game absolutely unplayble on my not-so-much-potato-PC. I mean, my PC handles the game on maximum settings just fine, including like third of a map open, bunch of units, big battles, huge cities, etc. No problemo. Also no problems when I can see whats up on my ally's territory (we share intel). But as soon as I have built stupid sattelite, only first part which opens one third of the map (remember, I already can see same territory if not more!), my framerate goes elsewhere. I get like 2-3 fps! Why? WTF is with that stupid satellite view? O_o Disappointing and absolutely outrageous!

[@exilestudios9546]

One thing that really bugs me is the unskipable animations they really bloat the play time. Civ has a setting to turn off animations so why doesn't humankind. My guess is it really is to bloat the play time stat so positive reviews on steam seem like they are from players who played longer than they really did

[@tigoman9214]

Title says it's disappointing but the video never said why

[@AndysTake]

Talked about it throughout, kinda. I felt it lacked building models for the “infrastructure” buildings, which I felt was a big immersion breaker, and I talked about how the diplomacy is lacklustre.

[@M.Ghilas]

culture mixing sounds promising but disappointing in this game.

[@AndysTake]

I do admit it is a bit lacklustre, and that most of the fun comes from the simple action of changing cultures. In the future, I hope they add more mechanics to this, and flesh it out more :)

[@dnaseb9214]

The game got much better

[@Makofueled]

C'mon 2k

[@Zelaphiel]

And it's only going to get better! Amplitude is a great studio, love Endless legend

[@AndysTake]

I can’t wait for the updates and expansions!

[@gamingmoment1061]

Civ 5 with dlc was amazing, I would say humankind is slightly worse in the current state. Civ 5 was so so good, especially compared to civ 6.

[@AndysTake]

Yeah CIV V was great!

[@gamingmoment1061]

@@AndysTake Definitely my favorite 4x game!

[@paxromana9709]

Looks interesting but honestly I personally am not very interested in this game. I'm much more excited for Old World (except it's on epic).

[@AndysTake]

Yeah Old World looks interesting too! What are the main reasons you’re more interested in that game?

[@paxromana9709]

@@AndysTake In short it seems to deviate more from the Civ formula, it's in a shorter time period (which is more fitting for "choose your culture") and it has some interesting mechanics (like limited actions). I'm not too hyped for it just optimistic, I'll judge it on realise. What I am hyped is Knights of Honour II.

[@KeimpeJ]

@@paxromana9709 Eventually it will come to Steam :) I am waiting for that game as well.

[@sunnyjim1355]

I've not even heard of this, so thanks for the info.... yes, this looks more interesting to me too.

[@AndysTake]

@@paxromana9709 I’m looking sooooo much forward to KOH2. I can’t express my hypelevels tbh.

[@dragoon6551]

endless legend is great if you havent played it

[@danielkjm]

*The Civilisation Change is terrible, how can Romans turn into Japan... It would be much better if Cultures would have a Set like Asian, African, Natives, European... and once you go for a Culture Set, you can only Choose other Civs in that Set.*

[@unserkatzenland8884]

Egypt doesnt have modifies for CATS? *Katzenland has declared war on Humankind*

[@AndysTake]

HAHAHA

[@user-fv7jd4xj5n]

Not having to make workers and being able to claim wonders to you are AMAZING additions.

[@user-cp3ju4zs8c]

The crazy culture swapping is the only thing that keeps me from trying it.

[@KingOskar4]

Heey, dude, red flag here! You did not said why Humakind the game is dissapointing! Is it because of the culture swaping system "why no one has though of this before"? To be frank changing factions mid-way trough the game or match was possibly only by cheating or hacking (for example Age of Empires 2's switching to Gaia or Civ 5/Civ 6's In-game editor mod or hack) So far the game Humankind has NO NEGATIVES to it anywhere on the internet! I have a copy of the game myself and can't see any negatives too. A perfect game. Where is the dissapointment dude?

[@AndysTake]

No 3D models for the infrastructure buildings which there are so many of. Mediocre diplomacy, especially very bad peace treaty system as of right now solely dependant on the enemy’s war support. And what I didn’t mention in the video, certain aspects could be even deeper, but I hope we’ll see more from future patches and expansions.

[@KingOskar4]

@@AndysTake Oooohhh 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♂️ my bad🙂. Yes you did mention these two things in the video! Thank you for your time. I am sorry if I insulted you I did not mean to...

[@AndysTake]

@@KingOskar4 no worries man, thank you for watching :)

[@horus7732]

Feels more like an overview of the game features than a review. Didn’t get any sense of what works or doesn’t. And what about the AI, is it any good? You didn’t share anything about the AI competition

[@AndysTake]

That’s true, I thought the AI was fine, although a bit lacklustre. You’re right I should’ve mentioned that more. What’s worse we’re the diplomacy options, but that’s something I feel plagues the entire 4X genre.

[@johnmcafee9663]

im just about to refund this game

[@AndysTake]

Oh how come? Which parts disappointed you?

[@Knight7562]

this game is not as good as civilization its just BBB game nothing more it needs a lot more games released to even compete with civilization

[@cvexreos]

early

[@dom8286]

Why would say it's amazing AND disappointing and then GLOAT the whole time?????

[@pxprimary3790]

"You don't get to pick your faction right away!" - Yup, and the cheating AI will likely pick most all of the available options by the time you're ready to select one meaning you can't pick what you want to do unless lucky to rush the first start. "You have choices as you progress that change your civilization!" - Sure... only most of those choices have a clear best option. You can take a handicap option that gives you a small bonus.. or you can take the clearly best option that benefits you the most no matter how you're playing.

[@michaelsoftbinbows2223]

Mixing civilizations...wtf were they thinking...

[@scheballs7]

If Humankind is a clone of Civ6 then Wolfenstein is a clone of Call of Duty.

[@dirtyunclehubert]

soooooooo. it IS practically civ but it has little nonsense thingies you have to earn to progress to bloat the gameplay more. fantastico.

[@edisons15]

Played it....it sucks. I will stick to Civ V + Vox populi mod.