A bunch of my favorite elements wrapped up in one game
[Update: Creature Keeper is seeking funding on Kickstarter with a 2021 release in mind.]
One look at Creature Keeper and it’s love at first sight. I know some of you will be right there with me.
I was already on board with the name and everything it implies (hey, game devs, we’ll always love taming monsters), but the combat shown in this gameplay footage impresses me even more. There’s such a satisfying sense of flow to the way the little adventurer strikes, rolls, and parries. I can see elements of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, modern stamina-based systems, and so much more. It gels.
You can skip around if you’re antsy, but don’t stop watching until you see the shield-deflection maneuver at the end. The color-coded critical damage indicator sealed the deal for me.
The original draw – the creature-keeping aspect – is really just the icing on top.
Creature Keeper is the work of developer Fervir, who previously contributed “character, creature, and sprite FX” to the 16-bit-inspired Nintendo Switch and PC dungeon crawler Tangledeep. He describes this latest project as “an action-adventure RPG with a strong focus on combat and exploration.”
There’s not a lot of media for the game yet, but here’s a cute inn.
A little inn I’ve been working on #pixelart #screenshotsaturday #gamedevDiscord for Creature Keeper : https://t.co/4rsHAOUn00Big news coming up soon! pic.twitter.com/M5erK2HV3J
— Fervir (@blankthevidya) May 4, 2019
“Learn about the creatures of the world as you tame and fight alongside them,” hints the game’s summary. “The more you learn about them, the more powerful you become.”
We’ll see more of Creature Keeper soon enough. It’s set to appear at the Japanese indie game festival BitSummit next month in Kyoto. Then, we wait, and probably for some time. It won’t be easy. I almost wish I hadn’t come across this video until the production was finished. Still, it’s encouraging to know people are out there pouring their hearts into crafting these sorts of adventure games.