creaVures Review

A visually impressive, but ultimately disappointing platform-puzzler

Platforming games are a dime a dozen. It’s one of the older genres in gaming history and as a result, it’s been done to death. But every now and then, a company finds ways to introduce inventive gameplay twists that really make a game shine. CreaVures does not do that. I wanted to like this game because the design is unique and the CreaVures themselves are charming, but sadly, this game falls short in too many ways to ignore.

In CreaVures, you take on the role of up to 2 out of a total of 5 CreaVures at any one time. It’s a platform-puzzle game in which the player needs to use each CreaVures‘ specific special ability to negotiate obstacles and reach the end of the level. Players will start with just 1 Creavure named Bitey and eventually unlock more as they progress. Muse Games did well to make sure that each of the CreaVures are charming and unique, but their unoriginal and laughable names like Pokey, Glidey & Zappy (which coincidentally have the power to poke, glide & zap, respectively) hardly showcase the creativity of the developers.

Players will explore each level and determine which obstacle calls for which particular Creavure in order to move on. For instance, a wall that’s too tall for Bitey to get over can be climbed by Pokey, as he uses his spines as a makeshift ladder of sorts. It’s a neat idea that’s reminiscent of the Lost Vikings and would make for some really fun gameplay if it were only implemented better.

The problem here is that the puzzles lack ingenuity and offer very little in the way of variety. It’s always obvious which Creavure is necessary for each obstacle because all of the obstacles look almost exactly the same. There is almost no variation whatsoever and the result is that the game is less about exploring and experimenting and more about simply following a linear path and traversing the obstacle course the developers have set up for you. Since the game isn’t very challenging, most players will quickly find themselves bored of conquering the same old obstacles time and again.

Unfortunately, the game’s issues don’t end there. The controls can be somewhat clunky and awkward and on multiple occasions I found myself getting frustrated trying to complete the simplest of tasks but failing over and over again. On one specific level, I encountered some “wonky” camera issues in which it became impossible to see not only the character, but the level itself. At another point, fairly late in the game, I was completely unable to progress any further due to a game-breaking crash that occurred in the same exact spot at least 7 times. It’s really unfortunate that the team at Muse Games put so much effort into a creating vibrant, colorful art style, but so little effort into making the game playable.

There’s little more to say about CreaVures other than to say that it’s a disappointment. I can see the vision the developers had for the game and had they implemented their ideas a little better, it might have stood out as a truly fun title. Unfortunately, sloppy gameplay, recycled puzzles and the occasional glitch really hinder the experience.

The good

The bad

50 out of 100

Jason Urbaniec