The Humans (video game)

Mirage Technologies
Company type	Subsidiary
Industry	Video games
Headquarters	Dewsbury, England
Products	The Humans
Parent	MicroProse

The Humans is a puzzle-platform title developed by Imagitec Design based in Dewsbury, England, initially released by Mirage Technologies for the Amiga in May 1992. It was later adapted for multiple home computer systems and gaming consoles. The gameplay involves directing a group of human characters to specific goal locations using various tools such as ladders, spears, torches, wheels, ropes, and a witch doctor introduced in advanced stages.

The concept originated with Rodney Humble during his time at Imagitec Design as a project for the Atari Lynx. The Humans became the first entry in a trilogy themed around human evolution and drew inspiration from Psygnosis’ 1991 release Lemmings. Humble developed the foundational ideas before passing them to Imagitec’s programming team. It marked the debut title published by MicroProse’s subsidiary Mirage, with Atari Corporation commissioning two further ports for their hardware.

Upon its initial launch on the Amiga, The Humans was praised for its inventive design, visual appeal, and sound quality. Later ports received varied critical responses. The series expanded with three sequels: The Humans: Insult to Injury (1992), Humans 3: Evolution - Lost in Time (1995), and The Humans: Meet the Ancestors! (2009).

Gameplay

The Humans is a puzzle game reminiscent of Lemmings, where players control a tribe of humans and utilize their skills and equipment to complete tasks such as collecting items, defeating dinosaurs, or reaching a designated colored tile endpoint. Each stage is standalone with distinct objectives, tools available, and a fixed number of humans permitted. Only the total tribe count and player score carry over between levels.

Players can switch control among individual humans one at a time. Progression often requires employing tools or abilities like stacking characters to access elevated areas. For instance, the spear—available early on—can be thrown across gaps to assist jumps, eliminate foes, or temporarily ward off dinosaurs. Some stages feature non-playable characters like pterodactyls that can be ridden to reach otherwise inaccessible platforms but are not directly controlled by the player. Opponents include dinosaurs that prey on unarmed humans and rival tribes armed with spears.

Levels allow controlling up to eight humans simultaneously, though some restrict this number to as few as three. While each level limits active participants, the overall tribe size is unlimited; if a human perishes, they are replaced from the remaining tribe if any are available. Additional humans can be rescued during gameplay to increase the tribe's numbers. Should the tribe fall below a stage’s minimum required count, the game ends. Passwords are provided to resume progress at specific stages.

Development

Rodney Humble, formerly of Imagitec Design, created The Humans, drawing inspiration from Psygnosis' Lemmings. He initially developed storyboards outlining the concept, which Imagitec programmers then expanded into a trilogy focusing on human evolution themes. Development started in December 1991 with David Lincoln—known for his work on Suspicious Cargo—leading coding efforts on the Amiga version. The project began as an Atari Lynx title under working names like Dino Dudes and Dino World. Atari Corporation later commissioned Imagitec to produce additional conversions for their Falcon and Jaguar systems.

Production was managed by co-producers Martin Hooley and Simon Golding, with Golding overseeing all versions. Golding highlighted that while inspired by Lemmings, The Humans aimed for improved graphics with a cartoonish style reminiscent of Tom and Jerry, alongside more diverse level designs. Lincoln utilized Cross Products' SNASM programming tool on PC before porting code to Amiga for testing phases. Pixel art was crafted by Andrew Gilmour and Michael Hanrahan, while Barry Leitch and Ian Howe composed the soundtrack. Other members of Imagitec contributed throughout all subsequent versions of the game.

Release

The Humans initially debuted in Europe on the Amiga platform in May 1992, developed by Mirage Technologies, a subsidiary of MicroProse. This was their first title following the success of Lemmings, aiming to leverage the popularity of the puzzle genre. In June 1992, the PC version was released across North America and Europe through a collaboration between GameTek and Mirage. The game was subsequently adapted for various systems including the Amiga CD32, Atari Jaguar, Atari Lynx, Atari Falcon, Game Boy, Sega Genesis, and Super Nintendo Entertainment System. On February 3, 2022, Piko Interactive and QUByte Interactive launched a Nintendo Switch port that bundled three editions: SNES, Game Boy, and an unlockable Genesis version. Additionally, the Jaguar iteration was featured in the Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration anthology available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Steam, and Xbox One.

Cancelled ports

Imagitec Design worked on versions of The Humans for both the Game Gear and NEC PC-9801 platforms; however, the PC-9801 release never materialized. Although the Game Gear edition received a score of 75 out of 100 from Sega Pro magazine in May 1993, it was ultimately never published for reasons that remain unclear.

Reception

The Amiga and PC editions of The Humans were met with widespread acclaim, while ports to other consoles generally received more tempered reactions. Ashley Cotter-Cairn from Amiga Mania rated the Amiga version at 93%, highlighting its impressive visuals, diverse environments, and audio quality, placing it at the top of their rankings. Computer Gaming World described the PC version as "delightful," noting that its VGA graphics were comparable to console standards and praising both its soundtrack and user manual. Despite this, they concluded that it did not quite reach the level set by Lemmings, though it still provided considerable enjoyment.

Electronic Gaming Monthly commended the Genesis version for its engaging difficulty and innovative twist on the classic Lemmings gameplay; however, critics pointed out its slow pacing and harsh penalties for errors requiring restarts. Reviews for the Jaguar port were mixed: Electronic Gaming Monthly considered it "an OK game," appreciating its adequate graphics and control scheme. Conversely, GamePro criticized its visuals as underwhelming given what the Jaguar hardware could deliver and noted stiff controls along with a lack of multiplayer options but acknowledged its challenging nature. By April 1995, nearly 19,000 copies of the Jaguar version had been sold, though total lifetime sales figures remain unknown.

Legacy

Building on the original's success, a sequel titled The Humans: Insult to Injury was released in 1992 as either a standalone game or an expansion pack. In 1993, both titles were bundled together for release on Amiga CD32 and PC under the name Humans 1 and 2. The third entry in the series, Humans 3: Evolution - Lost in Time (1995), preserved the foundational gameplay while introducing new narratives, mechanics, and continuous level progression. Between 1994 and 2001, trademarks related to the Atari Jaguar version lapsed. Approximately ten years after GameTek's bankruptcy, Deep Silver published a fourth installment called The Humans: Meet the Ancestors!, available for Microsoft Windows and Nintendo DS; this release enhanced visual fidelity and added interactive features while maintaining core gameplay elements.

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