11 Bit Studios announced details of their upcoming action-adventure, creature-collecting game Creatures of Ava.
So, everyone is craving that creature-collecting genre of games now huh? Yeah, there is Palworld, Temtem, Ooblets and the classic Pokémon games. But now, 11 bit studios is proud to announce their creature-collecting, or rather, their creature-saving game Creatures of Ava. The game was co-developed by Spanish studios Inverge and Chibig. Creatures of Ava is an action-adventure game where players heal and tame creatures to save their world from a life-consuming infection. Upon release, the game will be available on PC Games Pass and Xbox Game Pass.
Creatures of Ava is a creature-saving game because it is about healing creatures who are plagued by a mysterious infection. The player begins their adventure as a 22-year-old hero named Vic, who is travelling and exploring with their trusty researcher, Tabitha. Together, players will confront the recurring infection—referred to as “the withering” by the local population known as the Naam—threatening Ava’s inhabitants.
The gameplay is meant to be different from other creature-collecting games for its less aggressive, non-combative play style. Rather, it encourages players to heal creatures versus defeating them, and play indigenous flute melodies to tame creatures. Once healed, they form a unique bond that allows players to use their skills to traverse the planet and solve environmental challenges.
From the trailer alone, the world has quite a colourful palette. There are distinct ecosystems like the Nari jungle or the mysterious Mâruba swamp. Each one is more eye-pleasing than the next! The trailer also showed off the ability to pet and take pictures of the various creatures—giving off some Pokémon Snap vibes with the picture-taking.
Interestingly, the game’s narrative has been co-created by award-winning game writer Rhianna Pratchett (Mirror’s Edge, Tomb Raider). The team promises the journey will be filled with “wonder, mystery, and discovery.” Players will learn the truth of the infection, and they will be “challenged to step out of the human-centric point of view and learn about the real toll it takes to preserve the primal beauty at the very roots of Ava.”
While there is no official release date yet, Creatures of Ava will be coming to Xbox Series X|S, Steam (PC) and the Epic Games Store in 2024. The game will be available on PC Games Pass and Xbox Game Pass for consoles upon its release.
