Creaks

87%
Game Brain Score Based on 1,446 reviews
  • graphics
  • music
  • story
Creaks Game Cover
Familiar puzzle-platform staples are polished to a high sheen in Creaks. It might not break new ground in the genre, but no-one can tell a wordless story quite like Amanita Design.
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Creaks is a single-player mystery platformer game with an intriguing story, sensational gameplay, and unique atmosphere. Discover a hand-painted world of avian folk and furniture monsters, solve carefully designed puzzles, and uncover secrets to the mansion's past, all while enjoying exceptional music with a good pair of headphones.

  • iPad
  • iPhone
  • Mac OS
  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Phone
  • Play​station 4
  • Steam Deck
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Linux
  • Mobile Platform
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

87%
Audience ScoreBased on 1,446 reviews
graphics295 positive mentions
replayability4 negative mentions
  • Beautiful hand-drawn graphics and a captivating atmosphere.
  • Clever puzzles that gradually increase in difficulty, providing a satisfying challenge.
  • Engaging soundtrack that adapts as you progress through puzzles, enhancing the overall experience.
  • Some puzzles can feel repetitive, lacking variety in mechanics.
  • The story is minimal and may not be as engaging as in previous Amanita games.
  • The game is relatively short, which may leave some players wanting more content.
  • graphics431 mentions

    The graphics of the game are widely praised for their stunning hand-drawn art style, which creates a unique and immersive atmosphere reminiscent of a living painting. Reviewers highlight the intricate details, charming character designs, and the overall aesthetic that enhances the gameplay experience, making it visually captivating and engaging. The combination of beautiful visuals and a fitting soundtrack contributes significantly to the game's appeal, solidifying its status as a standout in the puzzle genre.

    • “The atmosphere is unique, and the hand-drawn visuals make it feel like you’re exploring a living, mysterious painting.”
    • “Beautiful hand-drawn graphics and really fun, yet challenging puzzles.”
    • “The artwork is incredible and the story is amazing.”
    • “The art style might get boring after some time, so much busy work you can't tell what is what with the dim lighting.”
    • “The graphics were odd and puzzle games are often tedious.”
    • “Although the puzzle is not that challenging (my expectation was high), overall graphic and story still worth it.”
  • music426 mentions

    The music in "Creaks" has been widely praised for its captivating and dynamic quality, enhancing the game's atmosphere and gameplay experience. Reviewers highlight the seamless integration of the soundtrack with puzzle-solving, where the music evolves as players progress, providing rewarding feedback and setting the mood for each environment. Overall, the collaboration with Hidden Orchestra has resulted in a memorable and engaging auditory experience that complements the game's stunning visuals and clever puzzles.

    • “The world building is honestly up there with the very best games of any genre and the music takes the atmosphere to a whole other level.”
    • “The music was very captivating, and I love that each environment/section had its own music and matching vibe.”
    • “The integration of music within each puzzle is wonderfully done, with new themes appearing with each step towards the solution.”
    • “There is no soundtrack to speak of either, I had hoped for a game like Machinarium with the soundtrack that I fell in love with.”
    • “The music is alright.”
    • “The soundtrack + artstyle are beautiful and definitely outshine the rest of the game and while the puzzles were individually really good I think they should have reused and mixed the different puzzle mechanics with each other more.”
  • story396 mentions

    The story in "Creaks" is characterized by its unique, wordless narrative that unfolds through beautifully crafted visuals and animations, allowing players to piece together the plot as they progress. While some reviewers found the storyline engaging and charming, others noted it as simplistic and lacking depth, with a few expressing a desire for more substantial character development and interaction. Overall, the game successfully combines its whimsical art style and atmospheric sound design to create an immersive experience, though opinions vary on the story's richness and emotional impact.

    • “The story kept moving with a nice pace; it was spooky, mysterious, and intriguing.”
    • “Beautifully drawn scenes, good soundtrack, and a very good story.”
    • “The story is interesting and the world itself is surreal and dreamy, like in other Amanita Design productions.”
    • “The storyline is basically non-existent, and so if going from puzzle to puzzle sounds boring, this game might disappoint.”
    • “The story is very simplistic and devoid of any dialogue, but I'm totally fine with that.”
    • “The story was really vague, but it kinda cleared up for me towards the end.”
  • gameplay231 mentions

    The gameplay in *Creaks* is characterized by its engaging puzzle mechanics that are introduced gradually, allowing players to learn and adapt without feeling overwhelmed. While many reviewers praised the clever design and artistic presentation, some noted that the gameplay can become repetitive and lacks variety in mechanics over time. Overall, the game offers a charming experience with a mix of simple yet inventive puzzles, though it may not appeal to those seeking more dynamic gameplay.

    • “Creaks is a truly immersive experience that perfectly blends art and gameplay.”
    • “The puzzles are very well thought out, with frequent new mechanics leaving not a single bit of boredom to be found.”
    • “The gameplay consists mainly in escaping the dangers lurking in the underground, manipulating levers and some mechanical devices, playing with light and darkness and the effects this has on what you find there.”
    • “The gameplay is boring and repetitive, as are the puzzles.”
    • “Unfortunately the puzzles are repetitive and boring, with no variety to the mechanics at all.”
    • “The gameplay sucks: it is simply boring as hell.”
  • atmosphere114 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is consistently praised for its captivating hand-drawn visuals, enchanting music, and immersive world-building, creating a unique and otherworldly experience. Reviewers highlight the combination of artistic design and sound that enhances the gameplay, making it feel like exploring a living painting. Overall, the game's atmosphere is described as charming, mysterious, and integral to the puzzle-solving experience, characteristic of Amanita's signature style.

    • “The atmosphere is unique, and the hand-drawn visuals make it feel like you’re exploring a living, mysterious painting.”
    • “The music adds to the sometimes creepy atmosphere and there were times when it just stopped that made me feel uneasy but rest assured there’s no horror elements or anything to jump at.”
    • “The art style, the spooky yet whimsical atmosphere, the excellent soundtrack, and the challenging yet satisfying puzzles all combine to make this game a real puzzle platformer masterpiece!”
    • “The art has appeal but the puzzles are lacking, and the movement-timing requirements on many of them are annoying and work against the otherwise 'mellow' atmosphere.”
    • “Given the eerie atmosphere and the design, I was surprised by how puzzle-heavy the game is.”
    • “The journey starts very slow and even monotone at first, but soon you will find your way through different places; the atmosphere starts to change, the colors follow suit, and there will be plenty of variety graphically speaking.”
  • humor40 mentions

    The humor in "Creaks" is characterized by a quirky blend of light-heartedness and absurdity, often conveyed through visual storytelling and amusing animations rather than dialogue. Players appreciate the game's ability to balance tension with subtle comedic moments, such as funny interactive paintings and silly mini-games, which provide a charming and whimsical experience. While not overwhelmingly laugh-out-loud funny, the humor is consistently engaging and complements the game's unique art style and intellectual challenges.

    • “Creaks: a hilarious descent into domestic appliance dread”
    • “The mixture of gritty grim backgrounds mixed with almost light-hearted humor balanced things out nicely.”
    • “The quirky sense of humor will sneak up on you and make you smile as you wander through this castle that I swear Howl himself cast a spell or two to bring things to life.”
  • replayability22 mentions

    Overall, the game has limited replayability, primarily due to its linear progression and short duration, with many players noting a lack of meaningful challenges or story depth. While some aspects, like secret rooms and art exploration, offer slight incentives to revisit, the consensus is that it does not provide significant replay value compared to other titles in Amanita's collection.

    • “While the storyline and replayability might not be its strongest aspects, the gameplay and captivating audio make it a worthwhile experience.”
    • “So overall a positive experience and it will have replay value - even now I've missed a few secret rooms so can go back and look for those.”
    • “For that reason, it has better replayability.”
    • “No replay value, quite an artsy experience - kind of like an interactive art exhibition/museum type feeling.”
    • “Despite this feature, the overall replay value is limited due to the game's linear progression.”
    • “There is no story, no lore, no meaningful progress, no replayability, no challenges, no interesting mechanics...”
  • emotional21 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game "Creaks" is characterized by its heartwarming and wholesome narrative, despite its simplicity and lack of dialogue. Players appreciate the clever puzzles, beautiful hand-drawn visuals, and relatable characters, which contribute to a satisfying and positive experience. While some feel it lacks the depth of other Amanita games, the overall atmosphere and music evoke a range of emotions, making it a touching and enjoyable journey.

    • “For being so short and simple, not a word or a line of dialogue, Creaks still tells a pleasant and wholesome story of prevail, heroism, and friendship!”
    • “Creaks is a heartwarming experience, with clever puzzles, beautiful and crunchy hand-drawn everything, relatable characters.”
    • “The characters are cute and wholesome, and by the end you feel really satisfied and positive about the world.”
  • grinding15 mentions

    Reviews indicate that while the game features impressive art design and well-crafted puzzles, the gameplay can often feel tedious, particularly during certain segments and with specific mechanics. Players noted that the experience remains engaging overall, but some found the repetition and slower pacing to detract from enjoyment, especially in longer sessions. However, the game's relatively short length helps prevent it from becoming overly tedious.

    • “There is a lot to go through, and still the game is not tedious.”
    • “They've also done a great job of allowing the player to revisit the game upon completion, so it's not tedious at all to achieve 100%.”
    • “After scene 52, it was basically following a character on elevators for 20 tedious minutes.”
    • “The art design is impressive, but the gameplay is tedious.”
    • “Being stuck and visiting the same locations over and over is tedious, and it can't happen here.”
  • optimization3 mentions

    The game is praised for its excellent optimization, with users reporting no bugs or performance issues, resulting in smooth gameplay and flawless controls, which are essential for the experience.

    • “I didn't find any bugs or performance problems.”
    • “Finally, it runs smoothly, and the controls are flawless, which is critical for this kind of game.”
  • character development3 mentions

    Character development in the game is highlighted by appealing character designs, such as the expressive bird characters that convey emotions through animations like tail-wagging. While the story and character development are minimal, they effectively engage players and motivate progression, despite NPCs lacking coherent dialogue.

    • “It's just enough story and character development to get you interested and motivated to proceed.”
    • “I like the bird character design; they can wag their tails when they are happy.”
    • “The NPCs don't have any understandable dialogue, but the animation and character design really work to differentiate them.”
    • “Character development feels shallow and lacks depth, making it hard to connect with the characters.”
    • “There is a lack of meaningful choices that impact character growth, leaving the development feeling linear and uninspired.”
  • stability1 mentions

    While the game features impressive graphics and a strong aesthetic appeal, players have reported occasional glitches that affect overall stability.

    • “The game offers some nice graphics and a superb aesthetic, although there are some ugly glitches here and there.”
    • “I frequently experience crashes that disrupt my gameplay, making it hard to enjoy the experience.”
    • “The game is plagued by constant lag and performance issues, which really detracts from the overall enjoyment.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

78% average critic score

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Play time

9hMedian play time
11hAverage play time
8-10hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 12 analyzed playthroughs

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