Creatures is an artificial life (alife) video game series, created in the mid-1990s by English computer scientist Steve Grand whilst working for the Cambridge video games developer Millennium Interactive. Gameplay focuses on raising alien creatures known as Norns, teaching them to survive, helping them explore their world, defending them. Creatures: The Albian Years is a compilation of Creatures 1 with both Life Kits, Creatures 2 with its Life Kit and 6 Official Object Packs. Unique gameplay centered around breeding and raising autonomous, computer-controlled Norns. A complex AI system that mimics real behaviors.
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Description of Creatures
Creatures, a really nice simulation game sold in 1996 for Windows, is available and ready to be played again! Also available on Mac, time to play a puzzle elements video game title.
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Comments and reviews
Quil the Great2019-02-010 point Windows version
In case anyone is wondering, this game works fine on a Windows XP SP3 virtual machine in virtual box. I'm not sure about the versions here, but my old CD always worked fine.
Star2018-05-151 point
You all should look into Oracle VM and running/installing 95/98 (You can install newer) and trying the old programs. Of course these old games wont play on a non-dos based operating system. Its not that the files are broken. You just need the old system or a custom emulator. (Search for it. So many step by step walk throughs. Doesnt take too long. ) Anyways. Enjoy. Im going to check out this and other games. Im loving the nostalgia.
Santa Norn'96
DAS2018-04-062 points
I miss this game so much
bee2017-08-190 point
I downloaded the pc version on my pc and the mac version on my mac. Neither of them work. Please fix, I'd really love to play this game.
Norni2017-04-180 point
Is suprised to see this game around HERE O.o
Also - does it excist in english for windows?
Effy2017-03-160 point
I LOVED this game as a kid.
Too bad the file is corrupted :c Won't let you unzip it all the way. Really looked forward to playing this again
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Share your gamer memories, give useful links or comment anything you'd like. This game is no longer abandonware, we won't put it back online.
Buy Creatures
Creatures is available for a small price on the following websites, and is no longer abandonware. GOG.com provides the best release and does not include DRM, please buy from them! You can read our online store guide.
Game Extras and Resources
Some of these file may not be included in the game stores. For Creatures, we have the following files:
Other Releases
Creatures was also released on the following systems:
Mac
- Year:1996
- Publisher:GT Interactive Software Europe Ltd.
- Developer:Cyberlife Technology, Ltd.
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Creatures Game Freak
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Creatures Game Norns
| Creatures | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Creature Labs |
| Publisher(s) | Mindscape |
| Designer(s) | Toby Simpson |
| Series |
|
| Platform(s) | Windows, Macintosh, PlayStation, Game Boy Advance |
| Release | November 1996 |
| Genre(s) | Artificial life |
Creatures is an artificial life simulation packaged as a video game developed by British studio Creature Labs and published by Mindscape for Windows, and was ported to Macintosh, PlayStation, and Game Boy Advance. It is the first game in the Creatures series.
Gameplay[edit]
Creatures is a game which allows the player to hatch and then raise anthropomorphic beings known as Norns.[1]
Notably, the environment was actually a physically constructed model, carefully photographed. This was to keep graphics costs low.[2]
Creatures is an artificial life simulation where the user hatches small furry animals and teaches them how to behave, or leaves them to learn on their own. These 'Norns' can talk, feed themselves, and protect themselves against vicious creatures called Grendels. It was the first popular application of machine learning in an interactive simulation. Neural networks are used by the creatures to learn what to do. The game is regarded as a breakthrough in artificial life research, which aims to model the behavior of creatures interacting with their environment.[3]
According to Millennium, every copy of Creatures contains a unique starting set of eggs, whose genomes are not replicated on any other copy of the game.[4] An expansion pack, called 'Life Kit #1' was released for purchase later.[5]
Reception[edit]
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Next Generation | (Windows)[1] |
| Game.EXE | 99% (Windows)[6] |
| Computer Gaming World | (Windows)[7] |
| PC Player | (Windows)[8] |
| Jeuxvideo.com | 14/20 (GBA)[9] |
Next Generation reviewed the PC version of the game, rating it five stars out of five, and stated that 'Some will doubtless find the appeal elusive, but Creatures still offers one of the most obsessive and entertaining experiences anyone can have in front of the computer.'[1]
Creatures sold 100,000 copies by November 1997. At the time, John Moore of Mindscape explained that the company 'expect[s] to sell more than 200,000 Creatures by the end of the year.'[10] Global sales of the game neared 400,000 units by February 1998.[11]
Legacy[edit]
The actual model built during development & photographed as the game's backdrop, is held at The Centre for Computing History, where it is on permanent display.[2]
References[edit]
Creatures Game Free Download
- ^ abc'Finals - The power of life: Creatures'. Next Generation. No. 35. Imagine Media. November 1997. p. 206. ISSN1078-9693.
- ^ ab'Creatures Model'. computinghistory.org.uk. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
- ^Alex J. Champandard. 'Top 10 Most Influential AI Games'. AIGameDev. Archived from the original on July 6, 2009.
- ^'Artificial Life - Evolving - Millenium Interactive'. Next Generation. No. 23. Imagine Media. November 1996. pp. 56–58. ISSN1078-9693.
- ^Smith, Peter (1998-01-31). 'Creatures Life Kit #1 Review'. Computer Games Strategy Plus. Archived from the original on 2003-07-05. Retrieved 2012-12-08.
- ^Давыдов, Петр (March 1997). 'Пособие по Разведению Норнов' [Norn Breeding Guide]. Game.EXE (in Russian). No. 3. Компьютерра. pp. 30–33. ISSN1819-2734.
- ^Jepsen, Dawn (November 1997). 'It's Alive'. Computer Gaming World. No. 160. Ziff Davis. pp. 314–315. ISSN0744-6667.
- ^Folkers, Alex (February 1997). 'Test: Creatures - Virtuelle Viechereien' [Test: Creatures - Virtual Little Creatures]. PC Player (in German). DMV-Verlag. p. 136.
- ^Romendil (January 10, 2002). 'Test: Creatures'. Jeuxvideo.com (in French). Gameloft.
- ^Anderson, Jill (November 3, 1997). 'Mindscape Sells 100,000 Creatures'. GameSpot. ZDNet. Archived from the original on May 20, 2000. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
- ^Jebens, Harley (February 11, 1998). 'Creatures Multiply'. GameSpot. ZDNet. Archived from the original on April 18, 2000.