Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey

Great game. They oughta make a sequel, cause it feels like humankind’s journey is not complete yet

how come yall got boobies on the females but no weeners on the males. 0/10 (honest review this game is good imo)

I love a game that encourages me to go in the jungle and put everything I find in my mouth

As someone who’s spent countless hours exploring the roots of humanity in Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey, I can say without hesitation: this game is an absolute gem — a bold, intelligent, and emotionally rewarding journey that deserves far more recognition than it gets.

What Ancestors does so brilliantly is challenge everything you think you know about survival games. It drops you into prehistoric Africa, not with a tutorial or hand-holding mechanics, but with instinct, curiosity, and the raw, unfiltered experience of evolving as a species. It doesn’t just simulate evolution — it feels like evolution. Every discovery, every mistake, every leap through generations feels earned. And that sense of earned progress is deeply satisfying.

The world is lush, dangerous, and alive. From dense jungles to sun-scorched savannas, the landscapes are breathtaking and brimming with detail. The sound design — whether it's the chirping of insects, the calls of predators, or the heartbeat of your primate clan — pulls you right into the moment. Combine that with the hauntingly beautiful music, and you have an atmosphere that’s deeply immersive.

What I love most is how the game respects your intelligence. It doesn’t tell you how to evolve — it invites you to explore, to think, to experiment. You learn by doing, just like our ancestors did. When you figure something out — like how to use tools, how to intimidate predators, or how to care for your clan — the reward isn’t just mechanical progress. It’s a real, almost primal sense of achievement.

I’ve lost track of how many hours I’ve put into this game, and every playthrough still feels fresh. The emergent storytelling — the triumphs, the tragedies, the near-death escapes, and the victories over nature — creates a narrative that’s yours. No two journeys are alike, and that’s part of what makes Ancestors so special.

If you’re looking for a game that dares to be different — that pushes you to think, to feel, and to grow — then Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey is an unforgettable experience. It's not just a game — it's a meditation on survival, on learning, and on what it means to be human. And for those willing to embrace its challenge, the rewards are profound.

I genuinely can’t recommend it enough.

Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey - A game that I just couldn’t get into at all for the first 5 hours or so - but I stuck with it, luckily.
At the start, I was super frustrated, because this game really explains almost nothing, and even after watching a few short tutorials, I still didn’t fully understand all the mechanics and made a lot of mistakes.
BUT once I eventually started to understand it more and more, I actually had a lot of fun with the game at times.
The gameplay loop is very unique - nothing I’ve really seen in any other game… as I said, I had to warm up to it first, but then it was nice!
At least until hour 30 or so… then the gameplay loop did become very, very repetitive.
And another thing that bothered me (but in a way also inspired me):
I kept pushing forward with my clan, piece by piece - through the jungle, the savanna, the desert - and finally we reached the ocean AND…
And there’s basically nothing interesting to find at the ocean… it feels like it was never really about the destination, but that it was always about the journey/the process itself… wow… if that’s not a metaphor for life, I don’t know what is.
As I said - inspiring, right?
Even though I would recommend it, I totally understand if many people who try this game quickly drop it and never get the appeal… almost happened to me too.

I played long enough to make my apes smart and strong so I don't really understand complaints saying "The game won't tell you what to do" well, it's your journey, you decide to do whatever you want. It's all up to you to figure out and discover something. You just don't have the patience.
At first I was also confused as well. What am I gonna do? I can't do this? so maybe that? Nope, I can't as well. I fell from a tree and died. Got attacked by anaconda and died. I was bleeding dunno what to do and died. It keeps happening but hey, at least I learnt something new. Now I can kill anaconda that killed me before, even the sabertooth. I know what to do if my apes bleed, have broken bones, get cold etc. My apes only died from old age. You will learn it slowly. Just like the monke.

It itches a scratch to return to monke. I actually wish there were more games like this - or more to this game. I honestly just love flinging around the trees eating fruit and whatever as a relaxing aspect of the game, and it also hits something primal when you kill big predators with sticks xD
The ai can be wonky if you try to move your clan, or take some other monky friends with you - sometimes they get stuck on trees and you have to go take control of them to get them unstuck, which can lead to death, and there are obviously some other shortcomings, but overall I really enjoyed it, and it's a unique experience.
I'd like to encourage more of these games- even more fleshed out if possible!