I want to be human is an action platform shooter hybrid with an indie soundtrack and a very interesting aesthetic. The story of I want to be Human describes itself as Boy meets vampire girl, boy falls in love with vampire girl, boy gets turned into a weaponised hat by evil forces trying to take over the world… wait, what? There is only one thing a vampire girl can do: go on a bloodthirsty rampage of death and destruction in a quest to get her boyfriend back!... OK
The game itself is kind hard to explain. Think a shooter like Contra, crossed with elements of a hardcore platformer like Super Meat Boy but with elements of bullet hell shooters thrown in.
As you travel through the game’s levels each award you a grade and a score by collecting items, breaking score blocks and killing things. Every time you break a block or kill something a combo meter increases which of course in turn increases your overall score. The key to an excellent score is in keeping an ongoing chain of kills and blocks going as you progress through the game’s levels.
This is easier said than done and while the early levels of the game are not difficult to get through to gain a good score is actually very difficult without repeated playthroughs.
Every few levels are met with a boss fight that mix things up a bit and a welcome change of pace.
Mechanically the game plays generally well with a contra style control system mixed with super meat boy style wall jumping platforming. There is also a dash move that was rather fiddly to control with accuracy and I felt was rarely needed except in the aforementioned boss fights.
So do I like the game… kind I guess I appreciate its merits but I must admit not being a massive fan of score attack twitch platformers some of the game’s charm I feel is a little lost. After completing the game’s first world I was desperate for a new gun rather than just an upgrade or some different mechanics. While there are different worlds and themes each level looks very similar and the enemy variety is also a little lacking.
Visually the game is pretty to look at but I feel a slightly higher resolution in the sprites wouldn't have gone amiss. The soundtrack of the game is excellent providing a thumping indie soundtrack including original tracks from Jimmy Urine of Mindless Self Indulgence.
Whether or not you enjoy this game will largely rely on whether you know what you are getting. This is very much not a run and gun game and sits most comfortably as a Super Meat Boy, score attack game with some shooting elements thrown in. Its good I just feel there could have been a little bit more variety to keep me coming back for more but is it’s a score attack and surprisingly hardcore game you are looking for this will fit the bill nicely.
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