Creature Keeper is a monster collector from Chicago-based studio Fervir Video games, and one which went by way of the trenches to get right here. A profitable Kickstarter marketing campaign in 2019, and an anticipated launch of 2021, was only the start of a highway constructed piece-by-piece in real-time while they had been touring on it, and certainly, even now. It’s at all times good to see the fruits of labor, whatever the end result.
You play as Clean, a younger up-and-coming “Creature Keeper” from Thera, based mostly within the hills of Sodland. After a grueling coaching interval, Clean instantly has their toes put to the hearth, as a rising corruption is enveloping Thera, in addition to ruining the livelihoods and prospects of a number of close by cities. Along with the creatures uncorrupted by this mysterious affect, Clean has to study shortly.
There’s rather a lot that Creature Keeper retains beneath the bonnet, specifically, what precisely is being showcased. Is it a Pokémon-esque creature collector? Is it an action-RPG within the Diablo vein? Is it a brawler evoking Dynasty Warriors, of all issues? The reply is all 3, and extra, together with a gardening mini-game. In and out, you may inform that is somebody’s child, “nurture over nature” because it gleefully sprawls out on display like a Jackson Pollock portray.
This works each for Creature Keeper’s profit and in opposition to it. When the sport is displaying you the way it works in its preliminary throes, it’s all very contained. You’re given a creature to manage, and in their very own time, the AI can assault no matter’s attacking Clean. If you wish to expedite the method, nonetheless, you may choose the monster as the sport slows down, and select whether or not it’s a traditional assault, a particular assault which you can change out for every separate creature, or whether or not they ignore that monster totally.
On this contained atmosphere, it really works effectively. It helps that Clean can also be a component in every battle, with weapons available and located all through chests in Thera. Cracks begin to present nearly instantly nonetheless, as after the tutorial, every battle is an insane explosion of mushy pixels that can’t and won’t decide separate components in every battle you resolve to tackle.
You see, it’s not simply Clean and their monsters on show, however the monsters which were corrupted, and the monsters you may befriend that haven’t been corrupted. Then there’s the icons hooked up to the corrupted monsters, your owned creatures’ well being bars, and the harm numbers in tiny teams of pixels, and the projectiles sure monsters will hearth profusely to the purpose of sub-5 FPS slowdown… and the hats. It’s mesmerizing, albeit fully unintelligible chaos, and that’s earlier than you’re allowed multiple creature to comply with you in your journey.
There’s no actual strategy to mitigate this. All however a small handful of creatures could have collisions on their sprites, however that’s once they showcase dimension on prime of their large assaults, so what you’ve is a melting pot of nothing. You possibly can strategize and line up assaults to your creatures to make, but it surely’s powerful to find out within the warmth of the second the place it begins and ends, even with acceptable set-ups.
It’s the set-ups themselves that appear to have the first focus in Creature Keeper. Creatures degree up, they usually unlock perks, however there are some completely baffling design choices made right here. Why would I would like my creature to get a ten% harm buff, however a rise of 15% in harm taken? Why do HP bonuses solely supply paltry +10s when my creatures can attain well being that pushes 1000? Why is motion pace a bonus to contemplate when the creatures are strictly tethered to the participant character?
There are additionally different bonuses you may connect within the type of a backyard the place you may plant seeds, which you’ll be able to place clay figures of your present celebration close by sure seeds, so that you attain bonuses in battles. It’s not as explicitly black-and-white as that, however you’d be onerous pressed to search out the technique concerned. Even when the sport introduces its Rock/Paper/Scissors mechanics for monster weaknesses and strengths, the trick lies in staggering.
Hit a monster sufficient instances, they usually’ll develop into surprised briefly, and you may wail on them, which is Clean’s job. It seems that Fervir Video games anticipated this, which is why Clean’s harm doesn’t scale to the identical top because the monsters you may catch, so earlier than lengthy, your position within the battle turns into near-negligible.
You’re nonetheless a stagger service provider, make no mistake, however as a participant, you develop into tertiary to a creature system that solely depends on numbers; numbers in energy, numbers in dimension, neither of which demand the intricacies that Creature Keeper guarantees.
That isn’t a detriment, because it’s good that the sport provides sufficient leeway for the participant to easily simply play it with out worrying about its largely context-less movement in battles. Certainly, it was extra enjoyable attempting to see the world of Thera as Fervir have crafted it, which does result in some fascinating moments. The marketing campaign isn’t precisely Moby Dick, however Creature Keeper pulls punches when needed with some heartfelt choices, ones that lean into the lore with vigor.
Thoughts you, that is when the sport isn’t forcing by way of some unbelievably painful makes an attempt at comedy. This can be a grievance that varies with how one perceives comedy, however every time Creature Keeper is trying to make the participant chortle, it’s at all times with long-winded scenes, blended in with pointless and downright annoying pixelated emojis plastering the display. It barely provides something to proceedings, simply pure eye-rolling each time it tries to hit you with a goofy Jerry Lewis prat-fall in 16-bit format.
Creature Keeper Evaluate | Closing Verdict
Did I’ve enjoyable with Creature Keeper? It’s actually onerous to say. It’s a real “shut your mind off” button masher that doesn’t do sufficient with its tactical potential, and its story is sandbagged by some really unfunny comedy beats. Past its principally ineffectual perk system, what modifications could possibly be made would additionally poison the effectively of its extraordinarily particular taste, and because it stands, it HAS id. Because it stands, the journey Creature Keeper has made to be right here could possibly be well worth the value of admission alone.
Creature Keeper was reviewed on PC utilizing a duplicate offered by the writer over the course of 12 hours of gameplay – all screenshots had been taken through the means of overview.