A Playlist of Love: Bringing Warmth to a Sterile World on Valentine’s Day

If there’s anything more romantic than anonymous throngs trudging through immaculate landscapes, I haven’t found it yet. Humanity, the inventive puzzle game that debuted in 2023, just gave players a Valentine’s Day treat that’s simply charming—a themed playlist with 10 user-generated levels that perfectly capture the spirit of the holiday. It’s incredible how a few thoughtful touches can transform the experience, much like adding a heart to a Companion Cube.

You can check out this collection of levels in the game’s Library tab. The playlist includes easy stages like “Lovers,” where you only need to jump on four panels before watching your troops dismantle a line of turrets. On the more challenging end, there’s “Heart to Heart,” which requires meticulously planning a path to guide one of your Oscar-like “Goldy” allies to the top of a hill made entirely of hearts—all before rival forces obliterate your legion of teddy bears.

In a post on Bluesky, the developers known as Enhance singled out the level “Let There Be Love.” They claimed it “might just be the most romantic (and challenging) stage yet.” While I can’t confirm the difficulty—it’s officially tagged as “hard” rather than “expert,” with an 8.31% completion rate—it’s undeniable how romantic the atmosphere is with those formidable stone hearts floating around, even though you’ll need to break them to progress. The stage deviates from the typical Humanity formula, cleverly obscuring certain elements and prompting players to rely on subtle hints to navigate the puzzles.

“Lovers Quarrel” is another standout worth mentioning. It challenges you to maneuver your troops through an ominous forest beneath two colossal statues that resemble a quarreling couple. While the level isn’t particularly uplifting, it compensates with a delightful blend of stealth and tactical gameplay.

Overall, this holiday playlist is a thoughtfully curated set of levels that provided me a delightful excuse to revisit a game I thoroughly enjoyed at its release, but hadn’t played in some time.