Creature Lab
- June 14, 2023
- Image Power S.A.
- 2h median play time
Get on SteamConduct crazy experiments in the Creature Lab! Mix mutagens, analyze their properties, grow bodyparts, and attach them to your test subjects. Manage your inventory, expand your lab, and make sure your hideout is safe. Send your creations into the city to obtain necessary salvage and test subjects!
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game has a unique premise that allows players to embrace the role of a mad scientist, creating and experimenting with monsters.
- The layout of the lab is well designed, and there is a genuine sense of discovery when creating different formulas and understanding mutagens.
- The game can be entertaining for those who enjoy complex mechanics and potion mixing, providing a satisfying experience once the player gets the hang of it.
- The game is plagued by numerous bugs and performance issues, leading to crashes and loss of progress, which detracts from the overall experience.
- Gameplay is repetitive and tedious, primarily revolving around mixing potions and managing inventory, with little meaningful interaction or action.
- The tutorial is overwhelming and poorly structured, leaving players confused about the mechanics and how to progress effectively.
- story112 mentions
- 3 % positive mentions
- 95 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The story in the game is described as intriguing but ultimately underwhelming, with players expressing frustration over the lack of engaging mission content and a sense of achievement. Many reviewers noted that the missions feel repetitive and lack visual support, leading to a cluttered inventory system that detracts from the overall experience. Suggestions for improvement include enhancing the narrative depth, adding variety to missions, and incorporating animated cut-scenes to better immerse players in the story.
“Intriguing story from what I can tell.”
“This is a hit and thief story (that might not be what it's called; I'm too lazy to check).”
“A few things that I would suggest regarding future improvements would be fleshing out the story, adding variety to the experiments you can perform (new machines, more mutant customization, etc.), and just generally fixing bugs.”
“The actual missions and what should be the core gameplay, is extremely lackluster.”
“Nothing really happens, you get a failed screen or success screen when you send monsters on missions but you never really feel any sense of achievement.”
“The weakest part of the game is the missions.”
- gameplay62 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a repetitive loop of mixing substances and managing resources in a laboratory setting, which can become tedious over time. While the mechanics are initially engaging and offer some depth, many players find the overall experience lacks variety and replayability, with bugs and a cumbersome interface detracting from enjoyment. Despite its interesting premise and potential, the game may only hold players' attention for a limited duration before the novelty wears off.
“The gameplay loop is centered around mixing substances from ingredients and elixirs to achieve better and better creatures and limbs for creatures.”
“The mutagen brewing mechanics are extremely satisfying, especially with the liquid physics.”
“Brilliant game, I love the effort and thought that has been put into this game, from naming test subjects to naming the bottles. I like the fact that I can place bottles down anywhere and I am enjoying the gameplay mechanics so far.”
“The actual missions and what should be the core gameplay is extremely lackluster.”
“The actual gameplay part of running back and forth to pick up beakers of substances became tedious quite quickly.”
“Cool indie game with an interesting idea, but gameplay is repetitive and occasionally very slow.”
- grinding32 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for being excessively tedious and repetitive, often feeling like a chore rather than an engaging experience. Players express frustration with the lack of variety in tasks, cumbersome inventory management, and the overall monotony of combining ingredients, which detracts from the enjoyment of gameplay. While some improvements are noted, such as the introduction of a basket for carrying items, many still find the grinding elements to be a significant drawback.
“The game feels like a chore, tedious.”
“However, despite all of this, the bugs aren't the biggest reason for a negative review: the fact that it's tedious and boring is.”
“Unfortunately, for something the game requires you to do at great length, the actual process of combining ingredients into mutagens is incredibly tedious.”
- stability16 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant stability issues, with frequent bugs and glitches that often require players to restart, leading to a frustrating experience. Many users report crashes and save file losses, and the overall polish is lacking for a full release title, making it feel more like an early access game. Overall, the stability problems detract heavily from the enjoyment and functionality of the game.
“Bugs and glitches that force you to restart are very common and take away from the experience.”
“Hmm, honestly if this was an early access game I could understand why this game is so unpolished and buggy...but it's not, it's a 'full' release...despite being lacking in many ways.”
“It's very buggy (I've crashed many times) and it ate my save file.”
- music16 mentions
- 19 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating its fit within the b-movie horror theme, while others criticize the limited selection, noting that only two tracks lead to repetitive listening. Additionally, the lack of interactivity and innovation in the music experience detracts from the overall creativity of the game. Overall, while the music complements the visuals, it falls short in variety and engagement.
“Fairly solid execution of the B-movie horror theme from visuals to music.”
“A fun premise for a game; the art and music fit the theme they were going for perfectly.”
“Ok, yes, it's first person, and you mix chemicals, and there's Halloween music.”
“There are only two music tracks in this game, so after a few minutes you will have heard all the tunes, and you will hear them again and again for all the hours you decide to play.”
“Some are cosmetic, such as parts of models not loading, or loading a few meters to the side, music switching too rapidly (and I truly believe that having one good track over the entire game would be much better than having free tunes everyone has heard a thousand times on YouTube).”
“There's no interactivity whatsoever like tune-in radio music that you can use to celebrate with when creating your perfect creature, no cooking, and no way to feed your monsters, leaving you with a lack of creativity and innovation.”
- graphics14 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 36 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game are generally well-executed, effectively capturing the b-movie horror theme and contributing to an engaging visual experience. While players may not prioritize graphics as the main draw, they are considered decent and beautiful, with potential for future enhancements such as expanded models and creature animations. Overall, the visuals support the game's addictive nature and creative aspects, allowing for the creation of interesting-looking creatures.
“I think the game is very addictive; we are able to create a lot of interesting-looking creatures, and graphically the game is very beautiful.”
“The graphics are excellent.”
“You don't play this game for the graphics first, but they do the job.”
“Fascinating concept, and decent graphics.”
“I hope to eventually see expanded models, creature action scenes/graphics, new limb types, mutagen effects and battle animations, as well as (hopefully) wild-stitching, where various creature appendages (like giant bat wings, stalk eyes, jaguar legs, orangutan arms, etc.) are gathered in the city, treated with compatible mutagens/DNA sequences, and attached to form super-mutants worthy of a true Frankenstein monster title.”
- optimization6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant optimization issues and bugs, which detract from its potential. While some players report no performance problems, others highlight specific issues, particularly with ultrawide support, which are expected to be addressed in an upcoming patch.
“Unfortunately, the game has a lot of potential, yet fails due to horrible bugs and poor optimization.”
“Terribly optimized, possibly entirely built using store-bought packages.”
“I have no performance issues; there are issues with ultrawide, but that's getting fixed in the upcoming patch.”
- replayability4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game offers a mix of opinions on replayability; some players highlight its "endless replayability" due to the introduction of new substances in each playthrough, while others feel it lacks depth, as it primarily revolves around its central mechanics, limiting the overall replay value.
“Endless replayability with new substances every time you play.”
“The game isn't that replayable, beginning and ending at its central mechanics.”
“The game lacks replayability due to its limited variety in gameplay.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Users express a sense of emotional clutter and frustration with the game, indicating that it detracts from their enjoyment. They hope for future updates and improvements, suggesting that their feelings could change if the game is polished.
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized as both weird and funny, suggesting a unique and unconventional comedic style that resonates with players.
“Weird and funny.”
“Weird and funny.”
