Beyond good and Ava.
Developed by Inverge Studios, the team behind 2019’s Effie, Creatures of Ava is a game structured around nature preservation with a sci-fi narrative co-written by Rhianna Pratchett, an accomplished writer in the gaming space that has lent her skills to the likes of Heavenly Sword, Mirror’s Edge, and Tomb Raider. Given the talent involved, I was eager to see what Creatures of Ava had to say. And, as it seems, it had plenty.
While the backdrop is indeed colorful and vibrant, Creatures of Ava explores the deeper themes of empathy, loss, and understanding. You take on the role of Vic, an explorer with her own tragic past who crash lands on an alien world alongside her companion and friend, Tabitha. We get to know Vic rather well, especially as the game features fully animated cutscenes that book-end the game quite beautifully. And, as we begin to explore and interact with both Tabitha and the world around us, many moments of Vic’s past start to heal.
The mission that Vic and Tabitha are tasked with is rescuing the native species, the Naam. Early on, we find out that a withering sickness has engulfed the planet, spiraling it to its eventual doom. Your central mission; however, is to send the local fauna to an ark, a giant space station built to preserve hundreds of creatures, not to mention transport the Naam to a compatible new home. Various teleporter pods have been scattered around the planet and you’ll need to tame the wildlife to have them follow you to them. However, you’ll need to utilize the creature’s own skills to often traverse the environment to have access to those pods to begin with.
While trailers do hint at some sort of combat system, Creatures of Ava doesn’t actually feature any sort of traditional combat apart from jumping or dodging out of the way of an aggressive beast. You’ll find a staff-like relic called the Nafitar very early on that allows you to pull away at a withering toxic-like substance that has poisoned the planet, the very reason why you have been tasked to save both the Naam and the creatures that make up this world.
Unlike Mario Sunshine or the Gunk, you won’t be cleansing the planet or tending to the withering in the ways you would expect. No, instead, you’ll use the staff to cure the creatures that are infected with it and then transport them off-world. As you discover more of this land, you’ll upgrade the staff’s power, your own capabilities through a pretty involving skill tree of passive perks, boosts to your health and stamina, as well as earning more materials to craft more potions to keep you alive, should various beasts charge at you.
At first, the staff begins to assist Vic on a small scale, but as she and a Naam by the name of Nim’ar discover, you begin to realize that maybe there is a chance to save this planet after all. The relic will see a new power added as you visit new locations, solving a simple puzzle that explains a bit of lore about the culture of a race long gone. The skills you'll inherent range from slowing down an object, such as a passageway that halts your progress should it detect you, a shield that prevents Vic from incoming damage, to levitating objects and creatures, should the need arise. These abilities can feel a bit clunky in how you access them, but their use is crafted around each location and its design, often mixed together in later areas to make you feel masterful in progressing through some of its puzzle-like gauntlets.
Creatures of Ava does a great job at building its world and cast. You’ll explore the central hub environment of Ava, called the Grasslands, and discover three other biomes that are accessed through different gates all around you. This discovery and progress is very linear, meaning you won’t be tackling these areas out of order. In fact, when you complete an area, you won't be able to go back. From swamps, to deserts, jungles, and more, you’ll tame creatures, get to know the Naam of each region, and work to restore the relic as you continue to complete your mission. Each region has its own creatures, Naam, and discoveries, and navigating it will require that you tame creatures to then open up new paths. No, this isn’t a Metroidvania, but it does have a light sense of that genre’s appeal and design.
What is told to you quite early is that humans had explored this land before your recent expedition. There are research stations, ziplines to provide shortcuts, notes, as well as the repercussions of their involvement felt all around you. Many Naam enjoyed their human guests, making friendships and even blending some human customs into their own lives. However, some Naam don’t see humanity as an ally, feeling betrayed and lied to, even so far as wanting nothing to do with them. Humans have a way of imposing their will, and many Naam didn't take to this well. While this can usually be solved by simply providing aid to their own issues, there is a good reason for their dismissal of humanity that I found rather well handled here. Much of that has to do with Pratchett’s excellent script and performances.
The bulk of your time here is taming a series of creatures to aid in completing your mission. Each region has a song that flows through the very fiber of life. Once you learn that song, you’ll use a flute to calm the creature by playing through a Simon-says mini-game of matching their notes with that of the flute. Each creature has its own rhythm, and will allow you to control them to then perform an act that allows you to traverse the map further. From crawling atop vines, cutting ropes to drop a bridge, to pushing large blocks to climb up, these skills are simple and straightforward, sometimes a bit too much. You’ll also have many skills used by several creatures, making them a tad less unique than they could have been. Each region has its own share of creatures, but a lot of them do feel copied and pasted in regards to those skills and even some of their designs. All that said, I'm glad that while this is a creature collecting game, it doesn't fall into the typical tropes often drilled into the ground time and again.
The Nafitar staff is also used to dissolve a series of infected pods that block access all around you. These are everywhere and are part of a constant gameplay mechanic. Some pods will require more energy, which is where the upgrades tend to be the most useful. These pods block access and sometimes requires the use of other powers or platforming to grant access to the pod itself. These often block collectibles and other upgrades, such as backpack pieces or stamina items, making the full exploration of your environment to feel worthwhile.
Another major component to Creatures of Ava is the camera. You’ll unlock this fairly early on and use it to keep a log on the various wildlife you track down. Taking a picture allows you to understand the creature and what benefits it will have upon your journey. The camera is simple to use and some side quests will require that you take pictures of certain things to solve their problem. I was also impressed that the credits of the game are littered with the pictures you have taken, so make sure to take a lot so you don’t see so many repeated shots and it allows you to see your journey unfold.
Creatures of Ava tells a fairly compelling story but can lack some of the character presentation to make it really resonate with you. This is often the fault of some animations for Vic that feel like they belong in the Sims with exaggerated movements and expressions, often repeated. That said, Creatures of Ava is a very good looking game with a great use of art design and scale. The first area, the Grasslands, is still my favorite part of the game. This is down to it being the central hub for the Naam, including a fairly large city that feels more impressive than anything the other biomes offer. This area simply feels more memorable and since you return to it over and over again, it has the most to do.
I ended up with Creatures of Ava being something that sort of came out of nowhere to impress me. It has its fair share of faults with gameplay that is not revolutionary or wholly original, but its cast of characters, story, themes, and gameplay largely won me over. While the game doesn’t feature a traditional sense of combat, I nonetheless found it to feel like a spiritual successor to Beyond Good and Evil, at least in ways that connected with me. However, despite the journey and what it meant to be a part of it, it’s the game's final moments that will sit with me for some time, an ending that honestly, satisfied me in ways I wish more games would be comfortable with pulling off. Creatures of Ava may not be a consistently well-executed journey, but it certainly will be a memorable one for those looking to take it on.
Developer - Inverge Studios, Chibig. Publisher - 11 Bit Studios. Released - August 7th, 2024. Available On - Xbox Series X/S, PC. Rated - (E) - Descriptors unavailable. Platform Reviewed - Xbox Series X. Review Access - A review code was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review.
Jeff is the original founder of Analog Stick Gaming. His favorite games include The Witcher III, the Mass Effect Trilogy, Hi-Fi Rush, Stellar Blade, Hellbade: Senua’s Sacrifice, and the Legend of Heroes series, especially Trails of Cold Steel III & IV.