Infusing Emotion: Humanity’s Valentine’s Day Playlist for a Cold World

What’s more heartwarming than faceless throngs navigating pristine locales? Perhaps not much. Just in time for Valentine’s Day, the creative minds behind the 2023 puzzle game “Humanity” have rolled out a festive playlist featuring ten user-crafted levels that perfectly capture the spirit of the holiday. It’s one of the finest holiday-themed gaming experiences I’ve encountered, proving that a sprinkle of thematic charm can make a significant difference—like placing a heart on a Companion Cube.

This delightful playlist, accessible in the game’s Library tab, features a spectrum of challenges. On the simpler end, there’s “Lovers,” where you hop onto four panels and then simply enjoy as your army takes out a series of turrets for you. On the tougher side, “Heart to Heart” demands precision planning to guide one of your Oscar-like “Goldy” pals to the summit of a heart-shaped hill, all while a band of foes threatens your teddy bear army.

Over on Bluesky, Enhance, the developer, highlighted a particularly captivating level titled “Let There Be Love,” claiming it “might just be the most romantic (and challenging) stage yet.” While I’m skeptical of the challenge level—after all, the game rates it as “hard” rather than “expert,” with an 8.31% completion rate—it’s certainly hard to overlook the romance in those beating stone hearts. Even if you need to break them to progress. This stage flips the typical Humanity design by obscuring some elements, requiring keen observation to unravel the optimal strategy.

Another standout is “Lovers Quarrel,” where you’re tasked with maneuvering your forces through a dense forest beneath two massive statues locked in a spat. Although it might not ooze optimism, it compensates with a splendid blend of stealth and tactical play.

Overall, this playlist is a wonderfully curated collection of levels that gave me a much-needed excuse to revisit a game I adored at its release but hadn’t played in a while.