'Humankind' brings 'direct touch' to Google Stadia on mobile

Touch controls on 'Humankind'

Amplitude Studios' strategy game, Humankind, will be bringing a new touch-focused control scheme to Google Stadia. "Direct touch" is designed around multitouch finger inputs, similar to what you get with traditional mobile games. It's a feature currently unavailable on Stadia on your smartphone as it requires a Bluetooth controller or gamepad overlay.

Humankind will also feature Stadia's State Share feature, which gives your friend a chance to pick up where you left off in a game just by sharing a screenshot or video clip with them. With this title, you can use a feature called "Leave Your Mark," where you allow your friend to play through your same world, find the ruins of your civilization, and compare achievements as they play.

As The Verge pointed out, it makes sense to implement direct touch in this turn-based strategy game as it makes it easier to navigate through it. One issue that could crop up would be potential latency issues, which could happen with slower connections. Google didn't share information on whether it made adjustments to accommodate for possible latency troubles.

Humankind is scheduled to be released on PC, Mac, and Stadia on August 17, 2021.