Creatures

Creatures

Game No.	201
Voting	8.35 points, 31 votes
Developer	Coding: John Rowlands Graphics: Steve Rowlands Cover: Oliver Frey (Thalamus
Company	Apex Computer Productions, Psytronik
Publisher	Thalamus, Psytronik, U.S. Gold (Kixx)
Musician	Steve Rowlands
HVSC-File	/MUSICIANS/R/Rowlands_Steve/Creatures.sid
Release	1990, 2009
Platform	C64, Amiga, Atari ST, ZX Spectrum
Genre	Arcade, Platformer (Scrolling Screen)
Gamemode	Single player
Operation
Media
Language
Information	Sequel: Creatures II - Torture Trouble

Description[edit | edit source]

The Story[edit | edit source]

Somewhere in the darkest corner of the Milky Way is a small, insignificant planet named "blot". This was a really beautiful place, but the inhabitants, friendly, always good-tempered creatures who called themselves Blotians had to flee from a terrible fate. The time had come to build a generational spaceship, to go and search for another suitable planet. To leave the past behind, their name was changed and now they were called "Fuzzy Wuzzies".

Coincidentally, a suitable planet was also found. However, this happened quite involuntarily, as they had to make an emergency landing after a collision with an asteroid, and the only planet that was within reach, was good old Earth. But it was a blessing in disguise, they landed in the Pacific near an unknown island. After the Fuzzy Wuzzies came ashore, they built a city and the island was called "The Hippest Place in The Known Universe".

What the Fuzzies did not know was that demons resided on the other side of the island who, of course, always had a bad temper. It was the friendly nature of the Fuzzies that got on their nerves and they hated the new name of the island.

The demons came up with a cunning plan to get rid of the existence and therefore the good mood of the Fuzzies. They invited the Fuzzies to one of the biggest party that had ever been celebrated on the island. The Fuzzies could of course not resist this invitation. They cleaned their fur and they all went to the party. But when the party was at its best, these nasty demons threw a net over the Fuzzies, captured them and locked them all up in their torture chambers.

The only one who escaped these events was "Clyde Radcliffe", who left the party "slightly tipsy", and found a sleeping place in one of the bushes. The next morning he woke up with a throbbing headache and a breath so bad, he could even ignite trees with it. Nevertheless, our brave hero was ready to teach the demons a lesson and save his fellow Fuzzies from the horrible torture chambers.

... Torture chamber 1 ...

... Torture chamber 2 ...

... Torture chamber 3 ...

The Game[edit | edit source]

Each level of the game takes place on another part of the island. When you reache the end of a level and the respective end demon has been defeated, Clyde enters the hut of a witch. There's a sorceress inside (who has a Fuzzy-Tick), who will offer Clyde a "magic potion" which enables special skills.

To prepare these potions, the Sorceress needs special ingredients. These can be found in every level in the form of "Magic Potion" creatures. It is important for Clyde that he collects as many of those as possible before he enters the sorceress' hut, so that the sorceress can prepare better potions.

Hostile creatures can only be destroyed when they flash white when struck. Some enemies might have a connection with other enemies, which you can not see at first. They both flash white when one of them is hit.

If you've completed two levels, Clyde enters a torture chamber. One of the Fuzzies must be freed from a fatal end before Clyde can enter the next level. Each of these torture rooms have different puzzles to solve.

Design[edit | edit source]

... an animation from the game ...

... Torture 1: Almost finished, but the fuse of the cannon must be lit ...

The game Creatures contains paralax scrolling with colorful graphics, good FX and some very good music. Three very diverse levels, not too easy, which are each divided into two stages with hidden extras and end demons. In the underwater sections you also have to pay attention to the oxygen supply. In Level 3.1 Ghosts'n Goblins (cemetery) and Cauldron are ridiculed. There are "Shops" where you can buy or upgrade weapons and buy information about the next "torture chamber". There are three quite macabre torture chambers in which puzzles have to be solved to rescue your fellow Fuzzies.

Hints[edit | edit source]

Controls[edit | edit source]

Intro

/ = Music on/off

Game

RUN/STOP = Pause.
Q = Quit the game (in pause mode).
/ = Move Clyde to the left/right.
= Clyde jumps.
= Clyde fires the currently selected weapon.
= Press fire button longer than 1 second - Clyde becomes a flame thrower.
= Joystick back, then fire button - The weapon bar appears at the bottom of the screen.
/ = hold fire button and pull joystick to left or right - view existing weapons in the weapons panel. To choose the weapon release the fire button. The weapon upgrade level is indicated by color: red (Level 1), green (Level 2), blue (Level 3).

Shop:

You can purchase or upgrade weapons here. A weapon or upgrade will only be added to your equipment if you have collected enough "Magic Potion" creatures throughout the game. The sorceress needs those to create the weapon or upgrade if it's not upgraded to the max (grayed out).

/

= Select a weapon (when the list appeared).

= Choose selected weapon or upgrade.

You can also buy information from the sorceress, by selecting the "i" icon. It gives you up to three hints for the next torture chamber puzzle to solve.
By selecting the "E" icon you will leave the shop and continue the game.

Weapons[edit | edit source]

... in the sorceress' hut ...


Droppy	0	1	1
Super Droppy	2	0	1
Fireball	2	1	2
Fall Up	3	1	2
Wiggler	2	1	2
Curly Wurly	3	2	1
Flamer	6	3	4
Scatter Ball	3	5	5

Solution[edit | edit source]

Torture chamber 1

Go slightly to the left, shoot the green ball creature, and immediately jump to not get caught
Stand next to the cannon's fuse and ignite it with a long push on the fire button
Go back, shoot the green ball creature and go up to the top floor
Now up again and again and shoot the big green worm (preferably with the flame) and go to the lower floor to avoid the small worms
When the large green worm has been destroyed, shoot the rock, until it falls down (the boulder can only be moved when the saw is running!)
Sit back and watch

(Warning!! The Ikari + Talent version seems wrong! One can only spew fire once and the boulder can not move! Must be tested.)

Torture chamber 2

Use weapon "Scatter Ball"
Wait until the Fuzzy Wuzzy on the conveyor belt is very close to the circular saw blade, then move down the lever on the right (just run against it)
Shoot the water tank in front of the purple monster to wake him up, to enable the elevator. The purple monster pulls it up.
Shoot the green monster with the "Scatter Ball". Watch out for the shots and flames of the monster
Shoot the popcorn box until it falls down
Sit back and watch

Torture chamber 3

Use weapon "Flamer" (this must be level blue, red is too weak)
Shoot at the hanging green monster. There are 2 little monsters on the floor. Shoot the first, go back, shoot the second, shoot at the green monster again, etc. until it's destroyed (very difficult)
At the top level, get very close to the double ball monsters. Shoot this once, then turn around (do not move) and shoot the 4 little monsters which come from the ground. Get very close to the double ball monster again and repeat the previous. You need to do this 4 times to destroy the monster (also very difficult)
A ball appears. Move this with your flame (press fire button for a longer time)
Sit back and watch.

The end

The End of Creatures - isn't that cute ...

Cheats[edit | edit source]

For infinite lives, wait until the title screen music stops (approx. 3-4 minutes). Now, if the high score table appears, simultaneously press the CTRL and 2 keys until Clyde is colored gray which confirms that this cheat is now active. (Not tested)

Pokes

(Not tested)

invulnerability	POKE 15596,60
unlimited shields	POKE 44183,173
unlimited lives (main game)	POKE 7328,208
unlimited lives (1st Torture Chamber)	POKE 33734,173
unlimited lives (2nd Torture Chamber)	POKE 33952,173
unlimited lives (3rd Torture Chamber)	POKE 33505,173

Voting[edit | edit source]

Voting of the C64-Wiki users (10=the best vote):
8.35 points at 31 votes (rank 44). You need to be logged in to cast a vote.
C64Games	9	7 May 2010 - "top" 5608 downs
Lemon64	8,4	7 May 2010 - 132 votes
Kultboy.com	6,83	17 May 2010 - 6 votes
Gamebase64	9	5/5 "Very Good"
ASM	7/12	Issue 3/91
ZZap64	96%	Issue 12/90

Reviews[edit | edit source]

H.T.W: "First impression: absolutely fantastic soft Paralaxscrolling (forest level) with fine colorful graphics, good FX and some very good music, very varied and very playable, not too easy levels with different hidden extras, end bosses and funny sprites. In the underwater sections keep an eye to the oxygen supply. In Level 3.1 Ghosts'n Goblins (cemetery) and Cauldron (you grab a broom) are ridiculed in a great way! Then the "Shop", where you buy and upgrade weapons and pay with previously collected "Magic Potion" creatures. But the best are the "torture rooms", somewhat macabre scenes which tempt you to smile. You should have the right weapon and solve some very nice puzzles, all within the "time limit", and the intro and the ending sequence are also nice to look at..
Second impression: From Level 3.1, the difficulty is very high and the 3rd torture chamber is a bit violent, thus also a torture for your wrist. Probably for this reason a cheat mode was built in the original game. So how can you criticize this game? With almost nothing, only that the high score list will not be saved. I think the game is still just superb! A game that belongs in every collection".

Miscellaneous[edit | edit source]

CREATURES is an abbreviation of "Clyde Radcliffe Exterminates All The Unfriendly Repulsive Earthridden Slime"
For the PC there is an eponymous game, which deals with the creation and simulation of artificial life. There is no connection whatsoever with this game.

Emulator settings[edit | edit source]

For WinVice:

Options - True drive emulation = On (checked)

Options - Virtual device traps = Off (unchecked)

Options - Second Disk Drive (9, 10 or 11) = None

For CCS64:

True-Drive-Emu = On - (Shift+Alt+8 - EmulationMode = NORMAL)

Crack versions[edit | edit source]

Censor +3 (played and OK), Action +10, Ikari and Talent and The Shaolin Monastery +7, Empire and Manowar +3, Extasy +2, Triangle +6M, Wolfen +7, X-Rated +6, IDE64-Version

The plush Fuzzy in the game pack[edit | edit source]

... Your personal Fuzzy Wuzzy ...

The game pack contained a small plush "Fuzzy Wuzzy" with the following "treatment manual":

Adoption
When purchasing CREATURES you have adopted this Fuzzy Wuzzy automatically. The idea is that you are his mother, because it is the nature of things, that the Fuzzy sees the light of the world sees when you open the box. You can now give the little creature a name, but beware - Historical records have shown that Fuzzy Wuzzies can be quite annoyed when they're called Mildred. Please read the following guidelines to take good care of your offspring in the appropriate way.

Sex
Unfortunately, there is no way this can be determined with certainty. But a rule of thumb is: If several Wuzzies are born they are female, and only one is male.

Feeding
No food on the planet has proven suitable for the digestive tract of the Fuzzy Wuzzies. Just experiment a little. Put your Fuzzy at a set table and watch for its reaction.

Physical Exercise

Fuzzy Wuzzies love long walks in the countryside. But only if they are carried there.

Care
Since Fuzzy Wuzzies do not have an excessive urge to move and prefer to doze off in a place near you, taking care of your Fuzzy with a feather duster is sometimes appropriate. This activity is also very stimulating for your Fuzzy Wuzzy.

Training
your Fuzzy Wuzzy can be taught many tricks when growing up. Jumping through hoops is a specialty, although this will require some coaxing on your part.

Sausages
Beware placing sausages (no matter whether cooked, raw or frozen) in front of your Fuzzy Wuzzy, because it thinks that sausages are natural enemies and it will try to intimidate the sausage with its gaze.

Most Important!
There is one rule that you absolutely must follow. Do not let your Fuzzy get wet, ever. It can not swim and it is scared to death!