Humankind, the historical 4X, now has a substantial free demo
Try a few eras before you buy the whole span
Humankind goes toe-to-toe with Sid Meier's Civilization, and like its famous forebear it offers a 4X game that spans the breadth of human history. Chances are you already know what you're getting with each new iteration of Civ, however, whereas committing to an entirely new 4X can feel like a large risk.
Enter Humankind's new 100-turn demo, available now.
Here's a trailer Amplitude - also developes of the Endless games - put out to mark the Humankind demo's release, with lots of praise:
Humankind is reportedly excellent, if the reporter you're listening to is Nate Crowley (RPS in peace). In his Humankind review, Nate praised it back to the stone age, but also pointed out that it's a strange beast of a game.
"My only real problem with Humankind is the issue I alluded to right at the start: that despite really liking it, I’m not 100% sure of what it is," he concluded. "It has set out to prove itself as a historical 4X that is emphatically not a Civ clone, and it has succeeded. But in bending itself around the monolithic bulk of Big Sid’s baby, it has grown into a strange shape. There’s just a lot going on, is the best way I can put it. At times, this makes for an extremely rich strategic play. At other times, it makes for an experience verging on information overload."
A demo feels like a good way to learn what Humankind is before you decide whether to buy it. Your trial can last 100 turns and span three in-game historical eras: Neolithic, Ancient and Classical. There are also 14 different cultures to mix together, and the demo comes with the custom map maker.
The demo is available to download now from Steam and the Epic Games Store. If you like it, the full game is currently discounted by 20%.