Reviewed by Brandy Shaul
At Gen Con Indy 2008, I had a chance to demo Abandon Interactive Entertainment’s newest title, Freaky Creatures. Then in the very earliest stages of beta, there were of course some issues to deal with before the title’s release, but the overall premise showed a lot of promise.
Now, a month later, Freaky Creatures may still be in development, but I’m happy to say that we have teamed up with Abandon to allow you, our readers, access to the closed beta of the game.
But Freaky Creatures is really more than just a game, it’s an entire universe encompassing not only gameplay on both PC’s and mobile phones, but also action figures, clothing and other accessories, comic books, character blogs, and more.
Set hundreds of years in the future, Freaky Creatures allows players to enter into a universe dominated by genetically engineered, highly customizable creatures. These creatures are trained by their owners and used in battles for supremacy over others and for domination and/or protection of various planets within the universe.
The story follows characters such as Jake Galaxy, a pest control specialist, as he makes his way through the universe hunting down monsters. Gameplay is spread through unique planets like Magol, the incredibly dangerous volcanic wasteland, and Verdura, the tropical oasis inhabited by a strange alien race.
What makes Freaky Creatures so different from other online games is the inclusion of offline, tangible objects to the system. By purchasing starter or booster packs, players will receive collectible action figures that correspond to various races of creatures in the game, like large apes, hawks, and lizards, among others. They’ll also receive a reusable 1GB flash drive that gives them access to the Freaky Creatures game. In addition, this flash drive also contains a random assortment of weapons, parts, creature powers and other objects with which to customize your creature of choice.
Speaking of customization, Freaky Creatures offers it in droves. By the game’s launch in early 2009, Abandon hopes to have somewhere around 3.2 billion visual combinations available for players when creating creatures, with more possible in the future. In addition, since each creature needs a place to stay, players can also customize their “lairs”, with furniture, toys and even pets to keep your creatures company.
After creating a creature and a den, players can then interact with others from around the world, and explore the ever-evolving universe, much like they can in other MMO’s. Outside of the game at large, gamers can also expect to find smaller mini-games, tournaments, contests, a trading place for in-game objects, and more at the game’s website, making Freaky Creatures a very well-rounded experience for gamers of all ages.
This amount of customization and “non-battling” activity is great not only for those who adore such control in their games, but also gives them a chance to experience the title’s quirky, albeit sometimes crude, humor outside of battle.
During my demo time with the game, I found myself literally laughing out loud at some of the things I saw – farting creatures, dancing creatures, creatures making faces and gestures towards the screen (and therefore the players playing the game) and on and on it goes. Little touches sure, that have no real effect on the game’s progression, but a fun addition for those, like me, who find the thought of a giant Venus fly-trap like animal (appropriately called a Trappern) farting amusing.
And while farting and dancing may sound like a great time to some people, of course this wouldn’t be a real MMO without the battling. After creating a creature, you’ll be allowed to take some time equipping them with weapons like guns and flaming swords, as well as powers like elemental defenses (ice, fire, and so on) and strength boosts.
Battles take place through turn based combat, and when one player is eventually successful in defeating their opponent (by depleting their HP), they not only gain experience used towards leveling up, but can also earn Creature Credits, the game’s currency which can be used to purchase in-game objects from the Freaky Creatures website.
With so many different ways to experience the Freaky Creatures universe, Abandon is making sure that players of all ages will be entertained with this newest offering. If you wish to try the game for yourself, you must wait for it to be released in early 2009.
More information about the game can be found at the game’s website, www.freakycreatures.com.