Creatures (1996 video game)
{{Infobox video game
| title = Creatures
| image = Creatures_1996_Windows_Cover_Art.jpg
| caption = Windows cover art
| developer = Creature Labs
Elo Interactive (GBA)
| publisher = Windows/Macintosh
{{vgrelease|EU|Warner Interactive Europe|NA|Mindscape}}PlayStation/Game Boy Advance
{{vgrelease|EU|Swing! Entertainment|NA|Conspiracy Entertainment}}
| designer = Toby Simpson
| composer = Andrew Barnabas https://archive.org/details/Creature_201706/page/n17/mode/2up
| engine =
| series = Creatures
| released = Windows, Macintosh
{{vgrelease|EU|November 1996|NA|July 1997{{cite web|first=Helen|last=Lee|url=http://headline.gamespot.com/news/97_05/01_creatures/index.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/19981205071207/http://headline.gamespot.com/news/97_05/01_creatures/index.html|title=Mindscape Brings Creatures to the US|website=GameSpot|archivedate=December 5, 1998|date=May 1, 1997|accessdate=July 16, 2022}}}}PlayStation
{{vgrelease|EU|2001|NA|18 May 2002}}Game Boy Advance
{{vgrelease|EU|8 February 2002}}
| genre = Artificial life
| modes = Single-player
| platforms = Windows, Macintosh, PlayStation, Game Boy Advance
}}
Creatures is an artificial life simulation packaged as a video game developed by British studio Creature Labs for Windows, and was ported to Macintosh, PlayStation, and Game Boy Advance. It is the first game in the Creatures series.
Gameplay
Creatures is a game in which the player can hatch and raise anthropomorphic creatures known as Norns.
Notably, the environment was actually a physically constructed model, carefully photographed. This was to keep graphics costs low.{{cite web |url=http://www.computinghistory.org.uk/det/42694/Creatures-Development-Model/ |title=Creatures Model |website=Computing History |access-date=1 February 2021}}
Creatures is an artificial life simulation where the user hatches small furry animals and teaches them how to behave, or leaves them to learn on their own. These "Norns" can talk, feed themselves, and protect themselves against vicious creatures called Grendels. It was the first popular application of machine learning in an interactive simulation. Neural networks are used by the creatures to learn what to do. The game is regarded as a breakthrough in artificial life research, which aims to model the behavior of creatures interacting with their environment.{{cite web |author=Champandard, Alex J. |year=2007 |url=http://aigamedev.com/open/highlights/top-ai-games/ |title=Top 10 Most Influential AI Games |website=AIGameDev |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090706131529/http://aigamedev.com/open/highlights/top-ai-games/ |archivedate=6 July 2009 |url-status=dead}}
According to Millennium, every copy of Creatures contains a unique starting set of eggs, whose genomes are not replicated on any other copy of the game.{{cite magazine |url=https://archive.org/details/NextGeneration23Nov1996_2400/page/n57/mode/2up |title=Artificial Life - Evolving - Millenium Interactive |magazine=Next Generation |publisher=Imagine Media |issue=23 |date=November 1996 |pages=56–58 |issn=1078-9693}} An expansion pack, called "Life Kit #1" was released for purchase later.{{cite web |author=Smith, Peter |date=31 January 1998 |url=http://www.cdmag.com/articles/010/034/lifekit_review.html |title=Creatures Life Kit #1 |website=Computer Games Strategy Plus |publisher=Strategy Plus, Inc. |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20030705043628/http://www.cdmag.com/articles/010/034/lifekit_review.html |archivedate=5 July 2003 |accessdate=8 December 2012}}
Development
The game was in development for four years.{{cite web|url=http://www.cyberlife.co.uk/press_release01.htm|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/19970110042223/http://www.cyberlife.co.uk:80/press_release01.htm|title=Creatures Wins International Emma Award|website=cyberlife.co.uk|archivedate=January 10, 1997|date=October 9, 1996|accessdate=July 16, 2022}}
Reception
{{Video game reviews
| align = left
| GBA = true
| MAC = true
| PC = true
| PS = true
| na = true
| MC_PS = 43/100{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/creatures/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation |title=Creatures for PlayStation |website=Metacritic |publisher=Red Ventures |accessdate=9 November 2021}}
| CGSP_PC = {{Rating|2.5|5}}{{cite web |author=Smith, Peter |date=26 January 1998 |url=http://www.cdmag.com/articles/010/013/creatures_review.html |title=Creatures |website=Computer Games Strategy Plus |publisher=Strategy Plus, Inc. |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20030704230904/http://www.cdmag.com/articles/010/013/creatures_review.html |archivedate=4 July 2003 |accessdate=9 November 2021}}
| CGW_PC = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite magazine |author=Jepsen, Dawn |url=https://archive.org/details/Computer_Gaming_World_Issue_160/page/n317/mode/2up |title=It's Alive (Creatures Review) |magazine=Computer Gaming World |publisher=Ziff Davis |issue=160 |date=November 1997 |pages=314–15 |issn=0744-6667}}
| EPD_PC = 9/10{{cite web |author=James, Bonnie |date=11 June 1997 |url=http://www.elecplay.com/pc/creatures.html |title=Creatures (PC) |website=The Electric Playground |publisher=Greedy Productions, Inc. |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/19970801040044/http://www.elecplay.com/pc/creatures.html |archivedate=1 August 1997 |accessdate=10 November 2021}}
| GI_PC = 8.25/10{{cite magazine |author=Reppen, Erik |title=Creatures (PC) |magazine=Game Informer |publisher=FuncoLand |issue=53 |date=September 1997}}
| GameRev_MAC = B{{cite web |author=Hubble, Calvin |date=August 1997 |url=https://www.gamerevolution.com/review/32534-creatures-review |title=Creatures Review (Mac, PC) |website=GameRevolution |publisher=CraveOnline |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/19980613205424/http://www.game-revolution.com/games/mac/creatures.htm |archivedate=13 June 1998 |url-status=live |accessdate=9 November 2021}}
| IGN_PS = 2.6/10{{cite web |author=Roper, Chris |date=23 September 2002 |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2002/09/23/creatures-review |title=Creatures Review (PS) |website=IGN |publisher=Ziff Davis |accessdate=9 November 2021}}
| JXV_GBA = 14/20{{cite web |author=Romendil |date=10 January 2002 |url=https://www.jeuxvideo.com/articles/0000/00001858_test.htm |title=Test: Creatures (GBA) |language=fr |website=Jeuxvideo.com |publisher=Webedia}}
| ML_MAC = "Blech!"{{cite magazine |author=Tafel, Kathy |url=https://archive.org/details/MacAddict-014-199710/page/n71/mode/2up |title=Creatures |magazine=MacADDICT |publisher=Imagine Media |issue=14 |date=October 1997 |page=70 |accessdate=9 November 2021}}
| NGen_PC = {{Rating|5|5}}{{cite magazine |url=https://archive.org/details/NEXT_Generation_35/page/n207/mode/2up |title=The Power of Life (Creatures Review) |magazine=Next Generation |publisher=Imagine Media |issue=35 |date=November 1997 |page=206 |accessdate=9 November 2021}}
}}
The PlayStation version received "unfavorable" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. However, Next Generation said that the PC version "offers one of the most obsessive and entertaining experiences anyone can have in front of the computer." The Electric Playground gave the same PC version universal acclaim, over a month before it was released Stateside.
The PC version sold 100,000 units by November 1997. At the time, John Moore of Mindscape explained that the company "expect[s] to sell more than 200,000 Creatures by the end of the year."{{cite web |author=Anderson, Jill |date=3 November 1997 |url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/mindscape-sells-100000-creatures/1100-2468006/ |title=Mindscape Sells 100,000 Creatures [date mislabeled as "April 26, 2000"] |website=GameSpot |publisher=Red Ventures |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20000520041544/http://headline.gamespot.com/news/97_11/03_creature/index.html |archivedate=20 May 2000 |url-status=live |accessdate=9 November 2021}} Global sales of the game neared 400,000 units by February 1998.{{cite web |author=Jebens, Harley |date=11 February 1998 |url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/creatures-multiply/1100-2462654/ |title=Creatures Multiply [date mislabeled as "April 28, 2000"] |website=GameSpot |publisher=Red Ventures |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20000418083851/http://headline.gamespot.com/news/98_02/11_creature/index.html |archivedate=18 April 2000 |url-status=live |accessdate=9 November 2021}}{{cite web|url=http://www.cyberlife.co.uk/creatures/creatures2_press_release.htm|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/19990203085216/http://www.cyberlife.co.uk:80/creatures/creatures2_press_release.htm|title=Mindscape Signs Deal to Publish Creatures 2|website=cyberlife.co.uk|archivedate=February 3, 1999|date=February 11, 1998|accessdate=July 16, 2022}}
{{clear}}
Legacy
The model built during development and photographed as the game's backdrop, is held at The Centre for Computing History, where it is on permanent display.
Charlie Brooker, who reviewed the game for PC Zone, would in 2025 use Creatures as the inspiration for a fictional game called Thronglets that was featured in the Black Mirror episode "Plaything".{{cite news | url = https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/netflix-black-mirror-thronglets-video-game-plaything-1236185137/ | title = How Netflix Turned a Terrifying ‘Black Mirror’ Plot Device Into a Real-Life Video Game | first = Alex | last = Weprin | date = 10 April 2025 | accessdate = 11 April 2025 | work = The Hollywood Reporter }}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Moby game|id=/creatures}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Conspiracy Entertainment games
Category:Creatures (video game series)
Category:Game Boy Advance games
Category:PlayStation (console) games
Category:Swing! Entertainment games
Category:Time Warner Interactive games