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0 My relationship with creature-collecting games is complicated. I occasionally enjoy them, but often find many aspects of them uninspired or frustrating. I left Pokemon behind in Gen 2. So when one comes along that subverts my expectations on several levels, it’s both wonderfully refreshing and a warm hug at the same time. Creatures of Ava by Inverge Studios and Chibig is that refreshing warm hug.
A “creature-saver” rather than collector, you take control of Vic, a scientist tasked with saving the creatures of the planet Ava before it succumbs to an infection known as the Withering. With the help of a new friend, Vic stumbles upon an ancient staff, capable of cleansing the infection. What begins as a simple rescue and evacuation soon becomes a journey of empathy and understanding, for both the planet and Vic.
Gotta Save ‘Em All
The bread and butter of this conservational adventure is exploring 4 unique biomes on Ava, each with different ecosystems, flora and fauna. Vic can photograph the creatures and inhabitants she discovers and learn more about their nature by logging them into the Avapedia. There are also many lore-rich items to photograph – a collectable fan’s dream! But to save the creatures, she must beam them up to the BioArk orbiting the galaxy—Pokemon meets Star Trek—and they won’t come just because you ask nicely. So how do you tame them? Through music, of course!
After acquiring a flute, Vic channels her inner Pied Piper and, through a visual memory minigame, can play a tune to charm the critters and have them follow. The notes also match actual musical notes, so the musically inclined can also attempt it through sound alone. And yes, once tamed, you can pet and even hug the creatures! Squee! Once tamed, when playing the flute, Vic can mentally connect with a creature and use its abilities to break barriers, enter small spaces and solve puzzles. It’s immensely satisfying to build up a little following of numerous creatures and see Ava through their eyes as they help you advance.
Ultimately, though, a certain number of these creatures in each biome must be beamed up to preserve the species from the Withering. They are neither pets nor combatants, but precious living things. And speaking of combat… there isn’t any. At least not in the way you’d expect.
I’m A Lover, Not A Fighter
Given Vic’s passion for conservation, “combat” takes a more pacifist approach. The Nafitar staff Vic uncovers can cleanse the environment and creatures of the Withering. Directing an energy beam at a “witherblossom” flower will cleanse the infection and clear an obstructed path. The beam will also steadily cleanse the infection from infected creatures and return them to normal. But these riddled critters are aggressive and will fight back. Given her passion for conservation, Vic is vehemently not a fighter. All you have to avoid attacks is your reflexes: combining Nafitar spells with dodging is vital to staying upright! There is a nifty feature during encounters with multiple infected creatures: any that cross the beam will extend it further and be cleansed too. There’s a real sense of satisfaction watching the Withering fade away from the creatures, watching them return to shuffling and snuffling about.
Using experience from photography, skill points can be used in a skill tree to enhance spells such as levitation and slowing to affect creatures during encounters. Combos of these will buy time to catch a breath and put some distance between you while cleansing. Not only that, these combos can be used to traverse platforming sections or remove large pieces of rubble blocking explorable areas. There’s a real encouragement to seek these out and discover the secrets of Ava’s humanoid inhabitants, the Naam.
We Come in Peace
Some of the standout moments in the game come from Vic’s interactions with the Naam. What could easily have fallen into a colonial outsider-saviour trope, is soon turned on its head. Through conversations and quests, you begin to get a true understanding of the Naam’s culture and their innate spiritual connection to Ava. You and Vic see Ava as they see it. You also see how human interactions equally enrich and impair the Naam in different ways. Their exceptional gift for languages, teaching a young Naam the ways of human love, learning of past expeditions and seeing the scarred ruins of human settlements that nature has begun to reclaim. All of this is conveyed through the warm, humorous and evocative writing, which is excellent throughout.
Rocky Roads and Missing the Mark
While most of what Ava offers is a delight, there are a few bumps in the ever-winding roads. As is sometimes the case with 3D action-adventures, the camera can be a little jittery at times. This is especially noticeable while crouching, and occasionally is very clunky during cleansing encounters. This becomes an irritating bugbear when you’re facing a large group of angry critters and dodging for your life. While the camera does lock on to a creature, depending on the environment, you still need to swing the camera around with the right stick to get a good view of the terrain. And as you need that thumb free to dodge and cast spells, you can easily get caught in a corner and become a sitting duck for fast-moving creatures. I had to retry a spot several times after being knocked out because I became involuntarily boxed in.
The puzzle-solving also feels quite simplistic and superficial, not necessarily in the amount of puzzles but in the execution. Most puzzles involving controlling the creatures are very straightforward. A little more depth and variety would provide more of a challenge. Similarly with platforming puzzles, often only one spell is needed to progress and it’s fairly easy to figure out which. Having to utilise more complex combinations would make it a little more engaging.
Living, Breathing Technicolor
There’s certainly no shortage of games that utilise vibrant, highly saturated landscapes, but for me, Ava’s visuals have a uniquely charming and inviting feel that makes the world feel thoroughly alive. Each biome uses different colour palettes with almost iridescent pops of colour for certain plants. When mind-melding with a creature, a blue vignette circles the screen and interactable objects glow brightly. It’s a real treat to simply go exploring, following all of the winding paths in each area and drinking in all of the environmental details. You’ll constantly be finding new idylls to fall in love with both as Vic and as a critter!
The soundtrack blends with Creatures of Ava beautifully. The sweeping strings and ambient nature sounds immerse you further into the game. Even Vic’s flute playing becomes part of the whole experience. The tune changes with each biome and weaves itself into the soundtrack of the area you’re exploring. I’m a complete sucker for little musical details like this!
Final Thoughts
Creatures of Ava is a peachy little pep tonic for those who crave exploration and discovery of a whole new world. The creatures are charming, the world is rich and stunning and the character interactions are first-class. While it may not be the deepest or most complex adventure out there, it warms the heart and delivers cosy adventuring in a way you don’t necessarily expect. And at 12 to 20 hours long (depending on your completionism tendencies), it’s the ideal length for adventuring. Neither too short nor too bloated.
If you’re looking for the next Pokemon or Palworld, you won’t find it here. But what you will find is cosy fun and a journey that will leave you with a smile on your face and your cockles warmed.
Therefore, it receives a Thumb Culture Gold Award to preserve for the ages!
Disclaimer: A code was received in order to write this review.
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