Amplitude Studios is known for its space/fantasy 4X titles like Endless Space and Endless Legend but it’s taking a more grounded approach with Humankind. That being said, it’s taking some interesting approaches to the gameplay. Along with the combat taking some cues from XCOM, the way terrain is handled will be quite different.
According to a recent developer video, terrain will change the way you fundamentally play. When moving through a valley, you’ll have less visibility than you would by scouting from high ground. There are other benefits from fighting at elevated positions, though it remains to be seen if these are just straight damage bonuses.
It should be interesting to see how these changes will help the game compete with the likes of Civilization. Humankind is currently slated to release in 2020 for PC. Instead of picking one civilization, players can customize their own using traits from a variety of different cultures and races. Stay tuned for more details and feature reveals for the title in the coming months.