Creatures of Ava, developed by Inverge Studios and published by 11 bit Studios, is a fun 3rd person action-adventure game that grabs influence from various beloved titles like Pikmin and Luigi’s Mansion, all while carving an indentity of its own. If you are a fan of the aforementioned titles and want to encounter something that feels new, you’ll want to keep your eyes on Creatures of Ava!
Let’s start with the bad…
I want to get the cons in Creatures of Ava out of the way first and that is, the polish or, lack there of. Creatures of Ava could use more time in the oven to correct performance and add more quality of life features. What I encountered is not game breaking but, if you are a completionist, you will not appreciate this game. You reach points in Ava where the player can not return to obtain missed collectibles. One collectible in particular is really hard to notice visually as it doesn’t really stand out. Another pitfall in Ava are the Secondary Quests (Side Quests). While I enjoyed the dialogue in these quests greatly, they are designed as your typical fetch quests. If you are not a fan of fetch quests, you may not enjoy Ava’s side content.
With the negatives out of the way, what does Inverge Studios achieve in Creatures of Ava that makes this game worth picking up or adding to your video games playlist? Let’s discuss.
The World of Ava
To begin, you’ll take control of protagonist Victoria Hamilton, Vic for short, who journey’s to the titular planet of Ava. Vic’s journey sees her creating relationships with the locals and teaming up with them to fight against an infection referred to as “The Withering”. This infection is seemingly over-running the planet’s four biomes with a rot like substance. Vic will find herself torn between her company’s plans for dealing with the infection, the natives ideology of the same, and ideas brought forth by the native she journies with as a guide.
While story related perception is entirely subjective, Creatures of Ava does possess a wonderful story that is full of lore waiting to be discovered.
The Works of Ava
Story and lore aside, Creatures of Ava is full of wonderful mechanics that work harmonically to create a fantastic experience.
You’ll start the journey with the typical difficulty settings of Story (reduced combat difficulty for emphasis on story), Normal, and Hard (creatures deal more damage and combat difficulty is increased).
Combat is not the exact word I would use to describe what you do in Ava as Inverge Studios designed this game with non-aggressive mechanics in mind. That is not to say an encounter with an infected creature is all fun and games! You can easily find yourself on the brink of death if you let your guard down.
The Nafitar
Vic finds a staff left behind by the Antaris, the old inhabitants of Ava, and that is what she uses to cleanse the creatures of the infection. Vic’s goal here is to save the animals and not defeat them. This is where Creatures of Ava will remind you of the vacuum in Luigi’s Mansion.
The staff, or the Nafitar as it is called, has various abilities that you unlock as you progress through the different biomes in Ava. This staff allows you to operate Sage Stones that serve the purpose of obtaining a new power and revealing more lore about Ava through a mini game that has you piece together a shattered mosaic. The Nafitar’s abilities are enhanceable via a small, not so complicated skill tree in the menus.
Another mechanic found in Creatures of Ava is the Flute. With the Flute you will be able to tame creatures once you have cleansed them of the infection. You can also play a tune in form of a mini game that allows you to shepherd healthy creatures that you have set free and, if you are familiar with Pikmin, will remind you of the whistle used in that game.
“Ava Connect” is another feature of The Flute that allows you to take control of a creature and use its specific ability to open up areas in the world around you or to solve puzzles.
The Avapedia of Goodness
Another shining aspect of Creatures of Ava is the organization of all that you explore in the Avapedia. Not the most creative name but, if you are a sucker for fantastic organization of lore in a game like I am, you are in for a treat!
In the Avapedia, you will find a very straightforward organization system for reading through the lore. In the creatures section you can read their nature and see the tasks you have done with them. There is also a character section that gives you a description on each person you have come to know. The best part of the Avapedia is that it feels entirely personal because the images shown for the characters and creatures are photos you take with the camera mechanic.
The camera helps you to figure out the world around you and is even useful for discovering new items once you unlock that skill in the tools section of the skill tree.
All of these mechanics work wonderfully together to create a very fun experience.
The Verdict
Creatures of Ava is a fun, delightful breath of fresh air deeply rooted in experiences that have warmed the hearts of many before. With some polish, and factoring out the negatives, Creatures of Ava has the potential to be a truly remarkable experience. Gamers should look forward to playing on August 7th 2024 via purchase or download if subscribed to Xbox Gamepass Ultimate. It is also available on Steam.
Played on Xbox Series X. Gamer Social Club was provided a review code from publisher 11 Bit Studios.
The post Creatures of Ava Review appeared first on Gamer Social Club.