========== THE HUMANS ========== (for Game Boy) Table of Contents: 01 - Introduction 02 - Gameplay & controls 03 - The Witch Doctor 04 - Level-specific notes & passwords 05 - Helpful tips 06 - Other junk ============================================================================== Version History: ============================================================================== 1.0 - April 2018 - First whack. ============================================================================== 01 - Introduction ============================================================================== The Humans is a cross between Lemmings and The Lost Vikings, and versions of it appear on lots of different consoles. I don't know how applicable this faq will be to any version other than the Game Boy version. The game is fun enough; but as I played through it, I was a little bit disappointed to find that there's only a tiny focus on solving puzzles, and a large focus on performing huge lists of specific steps quickly and perfectly. And in most cases, losing a Human means you have to restart the whole level, because there isn't enough time to do anything else. Oh well, it has a solid "90's game" feel, in that it picks a silly theme and sticks to it, and forces you to learn all the ins and outs of a level before you can complete it. I guess I grew up with this kind of game, so there's something charming about it for me. ============================================================================== 02 - Gameplay & controls ============================================================================== The idea behind each level is that you need to bring one Human to a certain spot in the level. Each level will give you a hint for what you're trying to reach, and once you reach that thing, the level is complete. The Humans is unlike Lemmings or The Lost Vikings in this regard; you don't need to bring all the Humans to the end in order to complete the level. You just need one. Typically, you'll use all of the Humans to be able to get one Human far enough to finish the level, and you won't usually have any spares. Sure, if a Human dies, you'll get another one to replace him, but the level must be solved with no more on-screen Humans than the number you started the level with. There's a limited number of Humans you have in "reserve," so don't kill off too many Humans. Also, when you get your replacement Human, he'll be back at the start of the level. So unless you haven't gotten very far, it won't usually be worth it to try and backtrack enough to get him. Time is ticking! When a Human dies, or if you use the "restart level" option, you have to pull from your "reserve pool" of Humans, and the game will tell you how many you have left. If you run out, you'll get dumped back to the title screen. BUT, just start your game again, and the password for the level you died on will be pre-filled for your convenience, and you'll have a nice full reserve of Humans again. I don't understand the point of having the reserve pool. If you run out, the only thing you can do is go back to that level using a password, which fills your supply of tribesmen back up. I guess you could try the challenge of playing through every level without ever running out, since the reserve pool doesn't fill up between levels, it only fills when you enter a password. The password doesn't change depending on how many tribesmen you had at the end of the previous level. Shrug? You control one human at a time; Humans don't move if you are not controlling them. The selected Human is the one with the arrow over his head. Move him with LEFT and RIGHT, select actions with B, and do the actions with A. Your actions change according to what item a Human is holding. For example, if a Human is holding a spear, he can use it to pole-vault across gaps. Use SELECT to control a different Human. You can press SELECT and move the cursor to another Human, and choose him with A; or you can press SELECT then B to cycle through the Humans. If you press START while the cursor is shown, you will be given a "restart level" option. This option will use up Humans from your total stock of Humans, so it essentially kills all your Humans and gives you new ones. If you don't have enough humans, you'll get dumped back at the title screen, where again, you can just go right back into the level and try again with a full stock of Humans. ============================================================================== 03 - The Witch Doctor ============================================================================== You can skip this part, I just need to talk about this. You can summon a Witch Doctor to transform one of your backup reserve tribesmen into a tool, like a spear or torch. To me, this almost breaks the whole game, because many levels have specific areas that force you to do extra steps in order to acquire the tools you need to complete the level. In some cases, the whole level is nerfed by just creating your own tools. What's stopping anyone from using the Witch Doctor to break tons of levels? Obviously it costs you a tribesman every time you do it, but you ALWAYS have more tribesmen than you need to complete a level. It would make sense to me if the levels didn't have passwords, because then you'd be expected to use the same pool of reserve tribesmen through the whole game, and every death or voodoo transformation would cost you a precious tribesman. But as it is, the passwords are handed out like candy; it's definitely an integrated part of the game. And using a password handily refills your tribesman supply. There is only one password per level; it doesn't change if you have fewer backup tribesmen. Does the password system exist only to provide an "easy mode" for people who want/need it? No! The password system isn't accessible through a cheat code or anything; you have to enter a password even for level 1. The game was written EXPECTING people to use the passwords. When you run out and get kicked back to the title screen, the password is pre-filled to take you to the level you just died in. So the game expects you to pick up where you left off, except now you have less to worry about, since you've got all the tribesmen and tools you could ever want. Is the Witch Doctor only included in the game to provide help for beginners who want/need it, like the golden leaf provided in many modern Mario platform games? No! It's as much a part of the game as anything else; just try to pass level 8 without using the Witch Doctor. You can't even leave the first platform without summoning the Witch Doctor for a boulder/wheel. I see only 2 explanations: 1. Players are meant to attempt to complete every level in immediate succession, without using passwords to refill their backup tribesmen, and without using the Witch Doctor unless explicitly necessary; i.e., level 8. Using the Witch Doctor to make levels easier costs you in the long run, since it limits how many mistakes you can make (killing Humans or selecting Restart Level costs you these reserve tribesmen.) and ultimately how far you can get in the game. Perhaps the game was written without passwords at all, but playtesters noted that the game was much too hard, so passwords were added as an afterthought. 2. It just wasn't planned very well. The Witch Doctor, combined with level passwords that reset the tribesman count, basically means you have lots of free tools whenever you want them, accidentally making huge chunks of many levels completely optional. I'll admit that either way, having passwords makes the game significantly more enjoyable and accessible. Needing to complete the game in a single attempt would require dozens of playthroughs, making tedious levels MUCH more tedious through necessary repetition. So instead of being "Nintendo Hard" and an absolute chore to complete, it's actually a pretty neat game that is easily digestible in small chunks. The best solution would have been for passwords to be generated that preserve how many backup tribesmen you have. Then the player can return to previous passwords and try to complete levels without losing any. So what does that mean in terms of actually playing the game? I recognize that I can use the Witch Doctor to severely nerf a lot of levels, but I generally try to complete them legitimately. It's an artificial restriction I place on myself, and I admit to ignoring it when a level gets me too frustrated. Section 04 will generally assume that you, the reader, will also appreciate trying to complete levels in the way they were "intended." ============================================================================== 04 - Level-specific notes & passwords ============================================================================== I'm not going to spell out how to solve each puzzle, step by step. This is just a few notes about each level, including the password for each. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Level 1 Password: XXXX -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Learn how to move the Humans, and learn to build a "human ladder." If you use a Human to build a ladder, you'll have to use a different Human to climb him and progress through the level. You basically go as far as you can until you hit a ridge that you can't walk over, use your Human to make a ladder, then select a different Human and repeat. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Level 2 Password: CVBM -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Now that you have the spear, you can use it to jump over gaps. After you cross the gap, turn around and throw the spear back over the gap so that other Humans can use it to jump. Obviously the last Human doesn't have to worry about that. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Level 3 Password: QWSD -------------------------------------------------------------------------- More of the same, with more spear-tossing to let more Humans jump the gaps. Be careful not to hit a Human with the spear when you throw it; the Humans can die from this. Also, falling too far will kill a Human. Once you reach the top, just grab the torch and use it to burn the tree. Then you can recover the idol that looks like Elvis. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Level 4 Password: PLKP -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Start by going right, then head back as soon as you find a spear. You'll have to go up the ladder with the spear to get the fire. By the time you reach the fire, all your other Humans will be used up as human ladders. Throw the fire across the gap, then jump across using the spear. Then drop the spear, head back to the start, and head right again. Switch between throwing the fire and jumping with the spear, you'll need to bring both with you until you find the rope. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Level 5 Password: MNBV -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I'm sure I did this the wrong way, because I used up almost all of the time on Easy mode. I'd need to find a different solution on any other difficulty. The person you're trying to rescue is to the left of the starting point, but you need the spear and fire that are both to the right. So I sent Humans up the right side to get the tools, and had to leave two up there as ladders. Then I sent everyone else to the left, and played the leap-frog game of tossing the spear back, so that two Humans could make it most of the way up, bringing the torch with them. BE VERY MINDFUL of how hard you throw the spear and torch, you don't want to kill the other Human, or get the torch stuck in a tree. Very annoying. Since there are two torches at the top of the level, you can actually drop one off the side of a ledge for you to pick up later, just in case you throw your first torch too hard. When you're down to just one Human, keep bringing the torch and spear with you to the top. Throw the spear at the dinosaur to kill it, then torch the tree to rescue your friend. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Level 6 Password: VBCD -------------------------------------------------------------------------- An odd level, but it introduces the boulder, which will appear in later levels as well. Pushing B will do a small hop while you're on the boulder. Race down the hill and hit B when you're at the top of the ramp. It took me a few tries to get it just right. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Level 7 Password: ZXVZ -------------------------------------------------------------------------- This level introduces the rope. You can drop it, throw it, or dangle it off a cliff. This allows other Humans to climb up, so you don't have to leave a Human standing by a ledge forever as a human ladder. The rope can be a little finicky though, so if you can't climb up or down a rope, try a few more times before repositioning the rope-holder. Head to the right and make a huge human ladder to reach the rope, then you can bring the Human back down and go across the bottom of the level to the left. You're going to end up above where you started, dangling the rope down to the shaman you're rescuing. You need 3 Humans at the top to be able to do this. I think it might be possible to just take 2 Humans the long way around, then lower the rope and grab a 3rd at the end. When I tried this, I accidentally killed a Human because for some reason he fell down after climbing the rope, and died. I was so mad I just took 3 Humans around to finish the level. Lots of tossing and jumping. Don't throw the spear too hard. You can ignore the fire when you find it, unless there's something you can use fire for that I don't know about. Don't kill the T-Rex right away, climb up first to get the extra spear. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Level 8 Password: KJHR -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Aaaand this is the level that forced me to learn about the Witch Doctor. I had no idea prior to getting stuck here that you can trade the Humans in your "reserve" for tools. Not even on-screen Humans. So that means you can basically get free tools. Hold DOWN and press SELECT to bring up the Witch Doctor screen, which will allow you to spend a reserve Human to equip the currently-selected Human with the chosen tool. Choose the boulder/wheel. The cliff and rope setup at the bottom of the level is likely only there so that people don't buy spears for the guy at the bottom and cheese the level. It's tricky to hop off the boulder at just the right place so that it falls down to a lower level. If you end up dying, no biggie. Just buy more boulders for your Humans, and even re-use boulders left by dead Humans, until you make it to the end. Use 2 spears to kill the dinosaur. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Level 9 Password: PYST -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The mission here is "feed the deity," but it should actually be "get the hamburger." I looked over the whole level using the SELECT cursor, looking for some sort of deity, but that tiny hamburger is the thing you're after. There's a Human up near the hamburger, but he needs the rope to be able to get to it. It's easy enough to send 2 Humans on the trip around the level, but you actually need to bring 3. So as soon as you get the rope, send your Humans back to retrieve a third. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Level 10 Password: LKLQ -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fido is the dinosaur in the bottom-left corner with the long neck. When I did this level, I tried to maintain the practice of bringing as many Humans as possible everywhere I went, including having to backtrack when I got the fire, and I didn't run into any real problems. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Level 11 Password: HDZW -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The end goal in this level is the hut to the left, guarded by an angry dinosaur. As you climb around, retrieving spears and ropes, you'll reach a point where you'll have to carry the torch back to access another spear. This includes leaving Humans on the right side of the level so that they can grab the torch and rope when you toss them across. Or, why not use the Witch Doctor to get a torch out of thin air? Even better, just get a spear when you find the torch, and avoid backtracking altogether? The first dinosaur you meet takes 1 spear to kill, and the second takes 2 spears. There's a subtle difference in the eyes of the dinosaurs; the 2-spear ones look a little angrier, I guess. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Level 12 Password: NBGF -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Easy level. You have one Human. Go to the right to get the torch, then find the stash of three spears. You'll need all the spears and the torch at the bottom of the level, so you'll have to make a few trips to get everything down. You can drop items off cliffs and down ladders to save a little bit of time. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Level 13 Password: SWQR -------------------------------------------------------------------------- To finish this level, make your way down to the bottom-left corner. The dinosaur that looks like Fido from a previous level will not hurt you; you you can walk right through it. Also, you can abandon the rope pretty early on; I carried it with me all the way to the end before realizing I hadn't used it in a while. You do need to be very careful with your throws to avoid killing anyone or dropping spears into pits. Of course you need to bring 2 spears to the end to kill the angry T-Rex. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Level 14 Password: TYTL -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Whoa, a moving platform. It's not too tough to jump at the right time, but this level is just an introduction to later levels with more frustrating moving platforms. Everything else in this short level should be familiar and easy. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Level 15 Password: XRTD -------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is the halfway point, marked by the arrival of winter. Nothing really changes aside from the visual theme. Ride the platforms to the left and grab a torch, then ride to the top-right corner to burn a tree. Then toss the torch to the other Human, who can then reach the igloo and clear the level. The game is recycling the level endings; it's not even winter in the picture and they still recycled it. I'd say something like "don't be afraid to just wait until the platforms line up just right," but since you don't have a spear, you really don't have any other choice but to wait. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Level 16 Password: CDSR -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Who is Elmo? Elmo is the reindeer pacing back and forth. This is a very straightforward one-man level, hard to get lost in it. Just some more moving platforms. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Level 17 Password: JHYT -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ok, this is the one. This is the level that will make you hate moving platforms. There is a huge problem with the fact that the screen won't scroll while you're choosing how far to jump. Ugh. If you can make it past the one side-to-side platform, the rest of the level is easy. If the platform you're standing on is moving forward while you jump forward off of it, it'll boost your jump, just like it'll nerf your jump if it's moving away. Start charging your jump when your Human is under the rightmost edge of the cloud. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Level 18 Password: MJHN -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Again, the mission should just read "go to the hamburger." The only new trick in this level is the weight-sensitive plate in the bottom-right corner, past the tree you have to burn. Put a Human on this plate to raise a gate further in the level. Or, you know, just grab the rope right at the beginning, lower it down to the left of the hut, right above the hamburger, and send someone down. Fastest level in the game so far! Have I been missing other shortcuts? -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Level 19 Password: TRWM -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Get the spear to the right, climb the left ladder to get the torch. Bring it up the right ladder and burn the tree. Head down the ramp on the boulder and don't miss the landing zone! Stay on the plate to lift the gate at the top of the left ladder. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Level 20 Password: PLMN -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Recover the boulder?" I legitimately have no idea how to solve this level without the Witch Doctor. You can get a rope in the bottom-right corner, but I see nothing you can do with it to get you across the gaps. And if you're going to use the Witch Doctor to concoct a spear, then you might as well just jump directly to the boulder and pick it up, skipping the whole level. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Level 21 Password: SSXC -------------------------------------------------------------------------- This level is terrible. You'd better get used to navigating those moving platforms, because you'll have to do so with all 3 tribesmen, over and over until you nail the boulder jump. You can't even access the Witch Doctor in this level. Be sure you bring the torch with you and toss it across the gap before you ride the boulder across it. If you don't throw your Game Boy across the room from the moving platforms, you might throw it when you miss the boulder jump and you have to restart the entire level. I came very close to destroying mine. The reindeer that looks like Elmo from a couple levels back won't hurt you; you can walk right through him. When you're on the boulder, get as much of a "running" start as you can, then jump when you're right at the very top of the ramp. Fortunately, you can toss the spears over to the first Human you brought over, and finish the level with him. That saves some time, and you don't have to ride the boulder back across the gap. The shaman is actually being guarded by a person, who will attack you with spears if you get too close. The moving platform is safe, so try to throw while riding it. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Level 22 Password: KLLY -------------------------------------------------------------------------- More guards to kill in this level. An important thing to note when attacking guards, is that the farther you throw a spear, the more of an arc it makes as it flies through the air. This hasn't really mattered in previous levels, since dinosaurs are so big, but keep in mind that you CAN throw a spear so hard that it flies over the guard's head and doesn't kill him. This is tricky when you're standing on a moving platform, because you can't always see just how far you have to throw. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Level 23 Password: QRWS -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The goal for this level is just to reach the top-right platform. I only know this through exploration, since the hint is useless and there's no visual indication that the level ends here. There's really nothing too crazy or new in this level, just remember not to throw spears too hard or else they'll arc over the guards. When I came up to the last guard, he and I threw our spears at the same time and killed each other. As long as you have at least one tribesman in reserve, and you've been bringing everyone along with the rope, it's no big deal to just grab the next guy and finish the level. I should say that even though the moving platforms can sometimes be buggy and frustrating, I've found that the game is actually pretty forgiving when it comes to stepping directly onto a moving platform. I've stepped across gaps that I thought would kill me. So that's good, I guess. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Level 24 Password: VBSR -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Grab the spear and toss it to your buddies at the top of the level, then park on the switch and stay there forever; there are two gates lifted by this switch. Then it's a bunch of normal stuff, leaping gaps, tossing spears back, climbing ropes etc. It's a little tricky to kill the mammoth; you have to climb up the ladder while it's still alive, because one spear isn't enough to kill it. It's not too bad. Once you reach the top, make a flying leap down to the igloo. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Level 25 Password: TVYP -------------------------------------------------------------------------- This level is bad. The moving platforms are awful. I'm ok at getting to the bottom and moving the boulder onto the weight plate. But I've never managed to get back onto the up/down platform. I have no idea how you're "supposed" to do it. I just die every time, and since they provide you with two spears at the start of the level, it seems like they intend for you to die. Since the boulder is still in position, you can just head up with your 2nd guy. Shrug. More moving platforms, then right at the end, burn the tree and grab the spear. If you're quick, you can make a human ladder right at the ledge, then climb up and down quickly enough that the guard throws a spear at you. If he doesn't hit you, you can pick up his spear. (This isn't necessary to complete the level, but it might be handy if you miss with your first throw.) To complete the level, back up and make the human ladder on the other side of the tree, a good distance away from the ledge. Then climb up and throw your spear at the guard from on top of the other Human. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Level 26 Password: LKMV -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hopefully by now you love moving platforms. I had some weird clipping issues in this level, where I'd get stuck in the corner of a ledge if I jumped into it or stepped off a moving platform too soon. If you try to jump forward, it will knock you back out, so if there's a platform that moves beneath you, wait for it before you try to free yourself. When I first sent a Human up to the weight plate at the top-left corner, I dropped his spear down so others could use it. That was a mistake; there are two separate plates in this level that open two separate gates. You'll have to bring that human back after you move the boulder onto the second plate, because you need all of your Humans to ladder up to the end of the level. Other than that, the level is easy enough to figure out. (if you're good at killing guards with spears.) -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Level 27 Password: QVCX -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Another "reach the hamburger." Ride the platforms down to grab a spear, then realize that the hamburger is right there close to the start of the level. Is... is that close enough to jump to? Yep. It is. Now, I'm all for avoiding the Witch Doctor and trying to solve the level as it was intended, but that burger is literally just sitting right there, within jumping distance of the first platform. No Witch Doctor, no glitches, no nothing. It's just right there. I can't come up with any reason to go the "long way" around this level, unless you're curious and want to try it. But this shortcut is my official solution. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Level 28 Password: PMHR -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Last level! I feared this level for the entire game, because of all the terrible things I experienced in earlier levels. But it's really not TOO bad, moving platforms notwithstanding. There's actually an interesting construct in this level where the first moving platform hands you off to the second one without you having to do anything. (When stepping onto this platform from the ladder, remember that it takes time for your Human to move to the edge of the ladder. I killed a few Humans with bad timing on this transfer.) You don't need to bring the rope any further after you climb down it in the center of the level. It seems like you might be able to climb down to the end of the level from there, but the guard would be very tricky to kill if you descend by rope. The rhino only takes one spear to kill, but you need another spear to cross the gap past it. I'm not 100% sure where that extra spear is supposed to come from, maybe you have to somehow grab one of the spears from the guard to the left? Honestly, I won't tell anyone if you just Witch Doctor your way through the whole level. There's a tricky guard right at the end, where I assume you're expected to jump the gap, then quickly select Throw, charge up, and kill the guard before he gets you? No way. Witch Doctor that mess. Sorry if you were expecting a FAQ with a little more integrity and respect for the sanctity of playing games in the most complete and honest way possible. I wish I understood the intended role of the Witch Doctor. I hope to track down a manual for this game someday, and I'll update this FAQ if it has a good explanation. Enjoy the silly ending. I thought the Humans would all go extinct in the severe winter cold, but it looks like they made it. And so did you! ============================================================================== 05 - Tips & Strategies ============================================================================== - Play on EASY mode. Don't feel bad for not picking something "harder." The only difference across the modes is how much time you get to complete each level. Personally, feeling more rushed than I need to be would sap all enjoyment out of this game. If it turns out you really like the idea of optimizing your level strategies, and you want to speedrun the game, then these modes are for you. - When using the rope, if you find you mysteriously can't climb up or down, when it seems like you should be able to, just adjust your climber by a couple of pixels and try again. When letting the rope down, try to aim for 1-2 pixels between the rope and the wall you're standing on. This range seems to give me minimal problems. - When selecting your next Human with SELECT and B, (instead of using the cursor) you can start moving your Human as soon as he is selected. You don't have to wait for the screen to scroll him into view. - A Human can fall from a height as high as 2 Humans without dying. Any more than that and you're toast. - In general, plan on bringing as many Humans and tools with you as you can. You can push SELECT and scroll around the level to see what you'll need as you work your way through, but I've miscalculated before, and had to restart levels because I got too far before realizing I should have brought the rope with me. ============================================================================== 06 - Other Junk ============================================================================== This FAQ was written by me; my name is Splain. Copy it if you want, but credit me. Comments, questions, or corrections can be sent to peoppozo.msn@com. But, you know, switch the . and @ around. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------