Originally released on the Steam platform, the a visually fantastic puzzle platformer CreaVures has now made its way onto iOS. Though I didn’t get a chance to play the PC version of this game, a puzzle platformer with fantastic graphics on iOS was really appealing to me so I wanted to check it out.
In CreaVures, your sole task is to return light to the once bright and beautiful, now darkened world that the CreaVures inhabit. You play as Bitey, and later four other creatures, which each have their own special ability that will help you proceed through the level and solve the many puzzles scattered throughout the environment.
This game caught my eye right away because of the graphics, which didn’t let me down. They’re gorgeous and continue to astound me despite my iPhone’s tiny screen. As you move through each level, your CreaVures collect these little sparkles which help restore the environment to vibrant, bright color, which makes the game even more beautiful.
However, the gameplay leaves something to be desired. While the puzzles themselves are fun to figure out and keep you interested in the game, actually going about executing what you need to do to solve each puzzle is made increasingly more challenging by poorly designed controls. The game’s d-pad feels like it should work like a joystick, but it doesn’t, and the jump button is often just plain unresponsive.
Because the controls weren’t always easy to work with, the fact that the game requires players to control two CreaVures at one time in order to proceed turned from an interesting game mechanic to a frustrating one. I could get one CreaVure where he needed to be, but not another. Rolly would often need to grab onto Bitey’s tail to climb onto high ledges, and I can’t tell you how many times I fell, jumped when I didn’t mean to jump, or didn’t move when I meant to jump while trying to execute this.
In Conclusion
CreaVures presents a unique concept for a puzzle platformer, but beyond the graphics it just didn’t keep me compelled. I wanted to solve this game’s puzzles, and I was able to figure them out quickly. However, actually executing what I needed to do to proceed was clumsy and frustrating, and kept me from fully enjoying the potentially great experience this game had to offer.
