Creatura

About

"Creatura is a simulation game in early access, available on STEAM, which allows players to design and manage ecosystems with scientifically accurate natural and artificial selection. Create and evolve your own fauna and flora using DNA editing tools like CRISPR and GMO, and sell plant cuttings to buy decorations and consumables. The game features one open-ended 'sandbox-like' mode with beautiful bonsai-style vivariums and a goal to fulfill a unique almanac of species."

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

69%

Audience ScoreBased on 136 reviews

humor4 positive mentions

grinding5 negative mentions

The game offers a fascinating concept that allows players to experiment with genetics and evolution in a hands-on way.
Players appreciate the depth of customization available for both plants and animals, making it a unique sandbox experience.
The developer is responsive to feedback and actively works on updates, which gives hope for future improvements and features.

The tutorial is lengthy and often confusing, leading to frustration for players trying to learn the mechanics.
The game suffers from numerous bugs and crashes, which can hinder progress and enjoyment.
Controls are clunky and unintuitive, making navigation and interaction difficult for many players.

graphics
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
50%
25%
Overall, the graphics of the game receive mixed reviews; while some players appreciate the aesthetic appeal and realism, others criticize the visuals as dull and in need of optimization. The game features pleasing designs, particularly with animal representations, but technical issues such as stuttering and finicky camera controls detract from the experience. Many users express hope for improved visuals in future updates, especially given the game's intriguing premise.
- “The aesthetics are very pleasing, especially with the animals; one of my friends called the flatworms 'muppets'. I also appreciate the game's sense of humor with the descriptions of store items.”
- “Beautiful graphics, intriguing premise - figuring out which codons do what is incredibly fun, especially if you have any background in biology.”
- “I like the amount of customizability within the game, and it has good graphics.”
- “You need to optimize your graphics.”
- “As in just the start of the scenario, foliage with all the graphics on absolute minimum makes my computer incredibly unhappy.”
- “I enjoyed Megaquarium, but it is an aquarium tycoon sim with polygon-like graphics that leave a lot to be desired visually.”
gameplay
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
50%
25%
Gameplay is characterized by a lengthy and somewhat clunky tutorial that, while not game-breaking, can be frustrating for some players. The mechanics, particularly around genetic manipulation and sequencing, are engaging and offer a satisfying learning curve, though the execution of basic features has been criticized for requiring online connectivity and lacking proper save functionality. Overall, the game provides an interesting concept reminiscent of "Spore," but with a more technical and immersive approach to gameplay.
- “Clearly a lot of care was put into the biology side of it; it actually gets technical enough to be interesting without swamping you with info or mechanics.”
- “Honestly though, this is a lot like how Spore should have been; sequencing and finding the random mutations and effects is interesting and a pretty catchy game mechanic.”
- “I have been unable to put this game down for long since I bought it; the genetics and tank arranging mechanics both have me utterly hooked.”
- “I will have to refund this for now since I don't even get to experience any gameplay before potentially damaging my machine.”
- “Looks like an interesting concept, but poorly executed basic features demand fully online gameplay and only capable of doing autosave, instead of actually saving the game settings after you change them.”
- “The tutorials spend more time with the writers cracking jokes on each other than any actual teaching of basic mechanics.”
grinding
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and unenjoyable, with rough controls and dull visuals contributing to a lack of engagement. While it offers opportunities for AFK farming and has a good concept, the repetitive nature of tasks and limitations in editing details make the experience feel monotonous.
- “Controls are rough, visuals are dull, gameplay is tedious... I'm even bored trying to write a thorough review.”
- “Good idea, but just generally a pretty tedious game.”
- “Genome annotation is painfully tedious.”
humor
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
80%
60%
The game's humor is a mixed bag; while some players appreciate the distinct personalities and witty references of the tutorial scientists, others criticize the tutorial's dialogue for being unfunny. Overall, the humor is described as sardonic and wry, with amusing item descriptions and quirky character designs, such as the flatworms.
- “The aesthetics are very pleasing, especially with the animals; one of my friends called the flatworms 'muppets.' I like the game's sense of humor with the descriptions of store items.”
- “The personalities of the two scientists that teach you things in the tutorial were actually pretty distinct, and the references had me chuckling.”
- “This game is legitimately funny in a sardonic, wry sort of way, with some referential humor and also a lot of 'scientists, why are you like this?' humor.”
- “The tutorial had terrible, terrible dialogue with relentlessly unfunny jokes rather than any focus on being a tutorial.”
- “The humor fell flat and often felt forced, making it hard to enjoy the game.”
- “I found the jokes to be cringeworthy and lacking any real wit or charm.”
story
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
The story aspect of the game has received mixed feedback, with some players expressing a desire for more detailed missions and explanations, while others criticize the narrative as clichéd and overly simplistic. Many feel that the initial training is engaging but ultimately leaves players to navigate complex mechanics on their own, leading to frustration. Overall, the storytelling is seen as lacking depth and coherence, detracting from the overall experience.
- “The moral of the story is that in the beginning of the game, it seems nearly impossible to tinker with the DNA, which is slightly frustrating.”
- “Never tried a game like this before; I'd like more missions that explain stuff. The basic training is interesting, but then after that, you are on your own to randomly figure out endless codes or just get it from the internet.”
- “The first time, it just got rid of the story guy, and I couldn't get it back to continue.”
- “Instead of wasting players' time with inane garbage of a 'storyline,' which is little more than a half dozen clichés stuck around 'click this flashing button' lock down style tutorial, the basics could have been explained with a couple fullscreen graphics.”
music
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
The music in the game has received mixed feedback; while some players find it repetitive and too upbeat for a relaxing experience, others appreciate its fitting ambiance within the vivarium. Users can adjust the music and sound effects in the settings, allowing for a more personalized auditory experience. Overall, the music is present but may not resonate with everyone.
- “I encourage other people to playtest it as well - the music is there, if somewhat muted, and it fits the environment of the vivarium the player creates.”
- “My only peeves so far is the music is kind of repetitive and a bit too upbeat for a hobby I associate with much more relaxing, zen vibes, and the UI sound effects are also rather jarring.”
- “There's no music, the amoebas are bugged to the point where you can only make one sponge, there's too few decorations with no hints as to what creature needs what home and everything's overpriced with chest keys being one of the most expensive.”
- “But you can turn off the music in the settings and turn down the sound effects in the menu.”
emotional
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users find the game emotionally engaging, particularly appreciating the sense of accomplishment that comes from solving logic puzzles. The experience is enhanced by a feeling of significance and personal connection, despite some minor frustrations with the game's physics.
- “It made me feel very special and important.”
- “I would absolutely recommend this to anybody that likes logic puzzles or has the ability and heartfelt wish to focus on picking something apart to be able to put it back together.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is criticized for significant lag, frequent freezes, and numerous bugs, leading to crashes. While some users attribute these issues to its early access status, the overall experience remains frustrating.
- “The interface is poorly made - so much so that it lags and freezes.”
- “It's very buggy and crashes a lot, but I guess it's early access.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's optimization is currently lacking, as it struggles with real-time performance, particularly during intense moments. However, some players report being able to run it smoothly on low-end hardware, despite occasional stuttering, indicating that it may improve as it moves out of beta.
- “Your optimization is just blatantly not real-time ready yet.”
- “At the moment, I'm using an integrated graphics chipset and I can run this game smoothly; there's a bit of stuttering and slowness here and there when I have a lot going on in my tank at once, but it's a game in beta, unoptimized, and I'm running it on a computer that could probably be overpowered by an old potato.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
300%
The game's monetization model is praised for avoiding traditional microtransactions, as all in-game purchases can only be made with currency provided by the developers, who even share codes to help players generate this currency easily.
- “The game dabs on microtransactions, as the items offered in-game can only be purchased with in-game currency. The developer even provides codes in the comments section to generate that currency immediately.”
- “The game heavily relies on microtransactions, and the in-game purchases can only be made with currency that the developer provides through codes in the comments section, making it feel less like a challenge and more like a gimmick.”
- “Monetization is a major issue; it feels like the game is designed to push players towards spending real money rather than enjoying the gameplay.”
- “The reliance on microtransactions detracts from the overall experience, as it seems the developers prioritize profit over player satisfaction.”