Human Extinction Simulator
- January 20, 2015
- Machine 22
Get on Steam"Human Extinction Simulator" is a simulation game where players can trigger various scenarios that lead to the extinction of humanity. Choose from natural disasters, pandemics, or man-made catastrophes and watch as the world crumbles. With prize-winning quality and a unique concept, this game offers a dark and thought-provoking experience.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features good music and an interesting premise that engages players.
- Once players overcome the initial learning curve, the game offers a rewarding strategic experience with unique ship mechanics.
- The AI is challenging and provides a worthy opponent, making victories feel significant.
- The tutorial is poorly designed, providing little guidance on game mechanics and making it difficult for new players to understand how to play.
- The game suffers from frustrating mechanics, such as clumsy ship movements and restrictive firing arcs, leading to a lack of enjoyment.
- Many players find the game overly difficult and lacking in content, with no save options or undo features, resulting in a tedious experience.
- story19 mentions
- 16 % positive mentions
- 68 % neutral mentions
- 16 % negative mentions
The game's story revolves around humanity's struggle for survival against an alien invasion, presented through seven scenarios with multiple missions that advance the narrative. While the overarching plot is engaging, many players find the initial missions frustrating due to steep difficulty spikes and a lack of guidance, leading to high dropout rates. Despite these challenges, successfully completing missions can provide a rewarding sense of accomplishment, though the gameplay mechanics may detract from the overall experience.
“Human extinction simulator sees humanity struggle to survive an alien attack, each scenario pushes the story forward as humanity defends and retreats against the alien onslaught.”
“The game is comprised of seven scenarios, each with several missions (simulations) which play out another chapter of the story; you'll be defending transports, saving key personnel, and launching daring raids into the heart of enemy territory.”
“You will lose, you'll replay a mission, you'll lose again; this can become frustrating, but when you finally do achieve your goals in a given mission, you get such a feeling of accomplishment it's worth all the effort.”
“70% of people that try this game give up on the very first mission because of the unforgiving one-shot kill of your transporter. 25% gave up after all the training maps because of the difficulty spike in other missions.”
“I gave up after failing about ten times on the second 'tutorial' mission.”
“Some of the earlier quests could probably use refining, as failing one portion of a sub-quest will end the entire round, often 30-60 minutes into it.”
- gameplay9 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some players criticizing the confusing mechanics and lack of explanations, leading to frustrating experiences against overly competent AI. However, others appreciate the strategic depth and variety in ship movement and attack styles, likening it to chess, though they note that the weak tutorial and absence of a help guide hinder the learning curve. Overall, while the game offers engaging mechanics, it suffers from design flaws that can detract from the experience.
“Each ship shoots in a different way and moves in a different way, so none are alike in terms of how you should attack with them. Certain weapons do damage to shields or hull, so you do have to think about placement, but once you get your head around the game mechanics, it is not that difficult.”
“It does a pretty good job of introducing you to the game mechanics, which, as I mentioned, is a lot like a game of chess.”
“Great mechanics.”
“Absolutely terrible gameplay design intended to waste your time.”
“Apparently it only gets worse with nonsensical mechanics and stupid AI that is cheap and strictly better than you, forcing you to replay entire missions because they always do the perfect thing.”
“The negative side is that the tutorial missions are a bit weak and there is no help guide, which would have really sped up my understanding of how the game mechanics work and how the ships work!”
- graphics7 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 29 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some users criticizing the lack of support for modern resolutions and limited graphical settings, rendering it unplayable on newer systems. Conversely, others appreciate the indie aesthetic and find the visuals fitting for the game's unique premise, emphasizing that flashy graphics are not essential to its appeal. Overall, while the exterior design is praised, technical limitations hinder the experience for many players.
“The exterior of this game is really good. I enjoy the music tone in the background and I have no trouble with the indie graphics.”
“Now, imagine a game of chess, but replace the chequered board with the star-speckled blanket of space, change the knights, bishops, kings, and queens into space vessels with different movement capabilities and areas of attack, digitize the game onto the PC, give it some animated visuals and atmospheric sounds, then throw in a narrative to keep things interesting.”
“Despite an interesting premise, this game is unplayable on systems produced this decade - no support for 4K resolutions, limited graphical settings, and graphics scaling corruption when attempting to set a workable set of functions.”
“Poor graphics.”
“Visually, it's a top-down, hex affair, which always limits graphical showmanship somewhat, but flashy graphics aren't what this type of game is about.”
- music2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is well-received, with players appreciating its enjoyable tone that complements the overall experience. The soundtrack enhances the atmosphere, contributing positively to the game's appeal despite its indie graphics.
“The exterior of this game is really good. I enjoy the music tone in the background and I have no trouble with the indie graphics.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Users report issues with stability, noting that the game appears buggy and has confusing click interactions.
“The game seems buggy; I don't understand what's going wrong with the clicking.”
“There are frequent crashes that disrupt gameplay.”
“I often experience lag and glitches that make it hard to enjoy the game.”
- humor1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is perceived as lacking, with one user finding it so unfunny that they compare its value unfavorably to other games, suggesting it isn't worth the price tag.
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is likened to a cosmic chess match, where space vessels replace traditional pieces, enhanced by animated visuals and immersive soundscapes. This unique setting, combined with a compelling narrative, creates an engaging and otherworldly experience for players.
“Now, imagine a game of chess, but replace the chequered board with the star-speckled blanket of space, change the knights, bishops, kings, and queens into space vessels with different movement capabilities and areas of attack, digitize the game onto the PC, give it some animated visuals and atmospheric sounds, then throw in a narrative to keep things interesting.”
