7 Billion Humans
- August 23, 2018
- Tomorrow Corporation
- 11h median play time
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Get on Epic Games Store"7 Billion Humans" is a programming puzzle game where you automate office workers to solve tasks within a parallel computer made of humans. With over 60 levels, a new programming language, and a team of workers, it expands on its predecessor "Human Resource Machine". The game includes helpful hints and is available in multiple languages, featuring incomprehensible cutscenes for added delight.
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Reviews
- 7 Billion Humans offers a fun and engaging way to learn basic programming concepts through its unique puzzle mechanics.
- The game features a humorous storyline and charming graphics, making it enjoyable for both programmers and non-programmers alike.
- The optimization challenges provide a satisfying level of difficulty, encouraging players to think creatively and improve their solutions.
- The user interface can be cumbersome, making it difficult to manage longer programs and navigate through commands.
- Some puzzles can feel frustratingly random, with unclear mechanics leading to trial and error rather than logical problem-solving.
- The lack of a volume control option and unskippable dialogue can detract from the overall experience.
- humor150 mentions
- 99 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 1 % negative mentions
The game is widely praised for its clever and engaging humor, which combines witty dialogue, dark comedy, and playful animations to enhance the puzzle-solving experience. Players appreciate the unique blend of humor with programming concepts, making it both entertaining and educational. While some found certain dialogues repetitive, the overall consensus is that the humor adds significant charm and personality to the game.
“Instructing a bunch of humans to run into a pit like lemmings, and have that work as part of a solution, is hilarious.”
“Hilariously fun way to learn basic programming logic!”
“The game is humorous and pokes fun at large corporate mentality.”
“Complaining that it's not like a real programming language is like saying war games aren't funny because you can't respawn in actual wars.”
“Complaining that it's not like a real programming language is like saying war games aren't funny because you can't respawn in actual wars.”
- optimization82 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 77 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The optimization aspect of the game is a mixed bag, with many players finding the challenges both rewarding and frustrating. While some appreciate the creativity and logic required to tackle the optimization goals, others feel that the difficulty can detract from the overall enjoyment, especially in later levels. Additionally, issues such as unclear execution times and a lack of reusable functions contribute to a somewhat cumbersome optimization experience.
“Optimization challenges, especially in later levels, will really push your creativity and logic muscles to the limit!”
“Finding optimized solutions is so rewarding when you finally figure them out.”
“The optimization challenges add a nice bonus, and optional levels bring more difficult options into the mix for a little extra difficulty.”
“Unlike in Human Resource Machine, I didn't find myself inspired to optimize my programs to achieve the optimization awards, and I found the final puzzles to be a slog rather than enjoyable.”
“You don't really have the ability to make reusable functions (at least, not efficiently), and optimized solutions can be very messy.”
“I then turned to the idea of optimization to play a little more, but ultimately I didn’t find optimizing programs here as rewarding as I expected.”
- music80 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 55 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received largely positive feedback, with many players praising its quality and ability to enhance the overall atmosphere. However, some users have noted issues with volume control, citing the absence of in-game sliders and the music being too loud at times. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a strong point, contributing to the game's charm and engagement, despite some concerns about repetitiveness during extended play sessions.
“The music and overall atmosphere are great too.”
“Amazing soundtrack though, and the puzzles keep you coming back for more.”
“The presentation from cute little worker and music makes assembly programming fun.”
“Some of the audio/music began to grate after an hour looking at the same screen.”
“The music can be disabled but the environment sound still plays, so the Windows mixer must be directly used to mute the game - a shame since that should be an easy option to implement.”
“I didn't see any audio mixer settings, and the music is way too loud.”
- story80 mentions
- 35 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The game's story is characterized by a unique blend of humor, dark comedy, and a light-hearted dystopian theme, though it lacks significant plot depth or major twists. Players appreciate the charming art style and entertaining narrative, which, while minimal, adds a fun backdrop to the engaging puzzle mechanics. Overall, the story is seen as enjoyable and fitting for the game's tone, even if it is not the main focus.
“Atmosphere, story, and style are just really unique and make you crave for more.”
“Fun & cute puzzle/programming game with an interesting storyline, some humor, and a cool art concept.”
“The programming tasks are all creative and interesting, the story elements are entertaining and easy to skip for those who want to get into the game.”
“There aren’t any massive arcs or plot twists, but there is at least some kind of progression to the narrative now, and I found the ending satisfying enough.”
“Personally, I did not like the story or character design that much (but that is objective and you may like it more). It is in a similar vein to the one in Human Resource Machine, but not the same. The puzzles are great though.”
“I just wish the storyline of robots/humans was deeper.”
- graphics74 mentions
- 49 % positive mentions
- 47 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their cute and charming art style, which enhances the overall atmosphere and complements the humorous narrative. However, some users noted technical issues, such as bugs and a lack of audio control options, which detracted from the experience. While the visuals are engaging and support gameplay, there are suggestions for improvements in technical aspects like ultrawide support and independent volume settings.
“Stunning and quirky graphics, wicked sense of humor, and a really great way for non-coders to get a feel for the very basics of how logic works in coding apps and games.”
“The animations and visuals are clear, which aid in understanding what is happening during code simulation.”
“On top of it all, the charming art style makes this game a wonderful final product that I would 100% recommend to anyone who enjoys programming or logic puzzles.”
“Cute graphics, but still very buggy and audio plays at 1000% volume with no option to turn it down - have to use the Windows mixer to turn the volume down to a non-deafening level before it's playable.”
“Workers all have their own individual markers to display which part of your code they’re currently following: but due to the art style of the game, it’s easy to lose them in levels with larger groups as they all look so similar to each other.”
“When your graphical programming puzzle game has puzzles that are won on dice rolls, something has gone very, very wrong.”
- gameplay72 mentions
- 19 % positive mentions
- 76 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "7 Billion Humans" is characterized by its unique visual programming mechanics and engaging puzzles that gradually increase in complexity, making it suitable for those interested in programming concepts. However, some players find the mechanics unwieldy and poorly explained, particularly in the later levels, which can lead to frustration. Overall, while the game offers a fresh take on the puzzle genre with charming visuals and humor, it may not be as polished as its predecessor, "Human Resource Machine."
“With its unique mechanics and witty humor, it offers a fresh take on the puzzle genre.”
“The gameplay is great: algorithm logic puzzles, well explained, gradually rising from the simple to the brain-wrecking.”
“Gameplay comes first in a puzzle game like this, and the unique art style creates an engaging environment to run programs in.”
“The mechanics are often unwieldy, and the optional challenges tend to be more tedious.”
“Towards the middle parts (year 20s~) they start introducing mechanics which aren't clear.”
“Experiencing this once was enough to ruin the rest of the game because now I'm always going to think, 'Am I not solving this because I didn't figure out how to do it, or is it because I misunderstood the mechanics because it wasn't explained well?'”
- grinding32 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be largely tedious, particularly due to the drag-and-drop coding mechanics and the lack of features like an undo button, which complicates debugging. While some challenges can be satisfying, many players feel that the repetitive nature of coding and the randomness introduced in later levels detracts from the overall experience, making it feel more like a chore than an engaging activity. Despite these frustrations, the satisfaction of solving challenges remains a highlight for some players.
“The mechanics are often unwieldy, and the optional challenges tend to be more tedious.”
“Identical commands sometimes take slightly different amounts of time to execute, and/or operation priority doesn't follow convention and can be very tedious to set up, and there's no 'undo step' button so debugging can be a real pain.”
“I did enjoy the beginning of the game, but it very quickly started to become a tedious mess instead of an engaging experience once they added in randomness.”
- atmosphere12 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is praised for its unique blend of engaging art style, humor, and relaxing music, creating a captivating experience that keeps players wanting more. It draws comparisons to other programming games while maintaining a kooky and fun vibe, making it both enjoyable and thought-provoking. Overall, the combination of story, style, and ambiance contributes to a memorable and immersive gaming experience.
“Atmosphere, story, and style are just really unique and make you crave for more.”
“The music and overall atmosphere are great too.”
“Amazing art style combined with some humorous moments provides a very pleasant overall atmosphere.”
- stability8 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The game features charming graphics but suffers from significant bugs, including an overwhelming audio issue that requires users to adjust settings externally for a manageable experience. While it functions adequately, visual clarity can be compromised during complex tasks, and some glitches can be resolved by switching off full screen. Overall, it performs well on Linux.
“Runs great on Linux.”
“Cute graphics, but still very buggy and audio plays at 1000% volume with no option to turn it down - have to use the Windows mixer to turn the volume down to a non-deafening level before it's playable.”
“Functionally it works just fine, but visually it can get very difficult to follow the arrows when troubleshooting large programs.”
“(also had some glitches in the background, but turning off full screen fixed it)”
- replayability4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 75 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The consensus among users is that "7 Billion Humans," like many puzzle games, suffers from a lack of replayability, making it less appealing for players seeking varied experiences after completing the game.
“Replayability: unfortunately, puzzle games inherently lack replay value, and 7 Billion Humans is no exception.”
- character development2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Character development in the game has received mixed reviews, with some players finding the story and character design lacking, while others may appreciate its unique style. The narrative is compared to that of "Human Resource Machine," but opinions on its effectiveness vary. Overall, while the puzzles are praised, the character development does not resonate with all players.
“Personally, I did not like the story or character design that much (but that is subjective and you may like it more). It is in a similar vein to the one in Human Resource Machine, but not the same. The puzzles are great though.”
