Creatures Exodus was released in 2004 as a compilation package of Creatures Docking Station and Creatures 3 and features primarily the same adventure as this base game and DLC combo on their initial release. Marking the pinnacle of the franchise the Creatures Exodus bundle is the most advanced version of the popular evolution simulation series to date.
At the core Creatures Exodus offers similar gameplay to previous games in the series with players focusing their attention on hatching creatures (known as Norns) and helping them to mature into intelligent life forms. Players achieve this by breeding and teaching their Norns as you would in other god simulation games. With many steps on the path to this ultimate form players have constant decision points and forward thinking if they intend to achieve this goal. Important to this is the careful breeding mechanics which allow players to engineer certain traits into their Norns that they desire while teaching eventually allows players to assign tasks to their Norns (which they may or may not follow).
Building on this core the third game in the Creatures series changed up the game formula slightly from previous games in the series. The notable shift is that Creatures Exodus takes place on a ship that ties into the storyline of previous games instead of the typical planet locations you would have experienced previously. While this ship known as the Ark has been hit by a meteor the infrastructure is still operational across the 6 primary metarooms where you’ll progress your Norns through specific rooms and access utility items.
Rooms include the Norn Terrarium where your Norns are born, the Grendel Jungle where Grendels live, the Ettin Desert for Ettins, the Bridge which holds many key gadgets and lastly the Engineering Room where you can construct objects. These artificial environments of the ship provide all the necessary tools players will need with many new technologies and options not present in previous games. With all of these new options present in Creatures Exodus there are plenty of broad options for genetic changes and teaching Norns.
Players of the past games in the Creatures franchise would be familiar with both the Grendel and Ettin creatures who serve an important role in your ship. Grendels help you remove unwanted Norns while the Ettins enjoy gathering items from around the ship and eventually play a key role in allowing your Norns to reach intellectual maturity.
Creatures has long been one of the most unique simulation experiences around and Creatures Exodus definitely represents the peak of the series success. That being said the links between the games in the series and related mechanics makes it worth considering if If you want the full story experience by starting from the beginning.
Summary:
- A unique and interesting life simulation and evolution experience that builds on the past Creatures titles.
- Create, breed and teach your life forms known as Norns to ultimately drive the ship to a new destination.
- Protect your Norns from the Grendels and watch the Ettins acquire gadgets from your ship.
- Manipulate genetics and use a variety of education techniques to create the ideal Norns.
- A re-released version of Creatures 3 and Docking Station in one.
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Review Platform: PC
