The Humankind Odyssey tries its hardest to reproduce much of that perplexing blindness and futility of Planet of the Apes and some of the associated sensations of discovery in a beautiful primordial setting. In the process it becomes an excellent metaphor. Beyond the broad goal of evolving a group of chimpanzee-like common ancestors toward contemporary humans, humanity takes pride in withholding knowledge on how its most critical systems work or what you're intended to be doing. Many will give up and read an online game review to progress, but that defies the game's objective.

It's fascinating to think of commanding a small group of common-ancestor apes in a primitive African forest. The animations are awe-inspiring, and the way they move and interact is natural and genuine. Yet, when one of these animals suffers or dies, it hits me harder than when a regular human character does.

I played the third-person survival game as a young hominid living millions of years ago, or at least, that's where my experience begins. At first, I'm alone, but as I connect with a group of hominids that appear to have everything they need, from nearby fruit to clean drinking water, I'm able to assume direct control of any member of my clan quickly. So, why would you go somewhere else? Why would I put myself or the other members of the group in jeopardy?

Exploring the globe and learning about my surroundings and what I can accomplish is the only way to learn additional skills and progress through the generations. By holding down the Y button, I can use my intellect to highlight fascinating objects around me that I can identify once I get closer. Each item can be utilized as a tool, consumed as food, or made into something that will help me survive.

To obtain a better grasp of the world and my place in it, I need to venture beyond my immediate community, which puts me at risk of predation, famine, and other natural hazards. Of course, I can play it safe and stay near home or avoid the forest floor by going into the trees, but it will restrict how much I learn and thus how much my clan will progress as generations pass on their knowledge and talents.

I discovered another hominid, a stranger to my clan, up in a tree, clutching his wrist as if in anguish, very early on. I'd broken my leg a half-dozen times by this point, so I brought him a handful of a plant that gave him a bone-strengthening boost, and he was thankful enough to join my tribe. There's also a delight to learn how to utilize tools, such as stripping a branch into a spear or smashing open a cocoa pod with a rock to sip the pulp. Your ape's neurons are activated, and new skills are unlocked as a result of discoveries.

Climbing and jumping around on the rocks and trees comes easy, which can be thrilling when making long leaps to grasp vines and branches, but not so much when you miss. There's no targeting here; it's a leap of faith that you'll hit the objective, and most expeditions end with me crashing to the ground and smashing my leg at least once.

The African bush is home to wild boars, giant snakes, and massive crocodiles, all of which pose a threat. My best early achievement was a confrontation with a rampaging machairodontinae, a sizable angry cat.

You can advance time by a single generation or hundreds of thousands of years at a time if you survive and progress long enough and play with your lineage's descendants. When you make an evolutionary leap, your clan's experiences and knowledge are compared against science's judgment of the proper thing, which is fascinating.

Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey and its approach to evolution provide for an intriguing and enjoyable exploring experience. It's impressive to see how much thought has gone into simulating the discovery of ancient periods in this game. Anyone interested in the game should be patient, as there may be a lot of trial and error to go through at first. Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey delivers cognitively stimulating gaming to those who are prepared to persevere. It can be frustrating to play a game where so many cards are hidden, but it can also be thrilling—sharing notes with my coworkers to figure out what was going on and why was one of the most enjoyable portions of the game.

Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey is a beautiful tech demo for an RPG system that can revolutionize video game gaming.