On the surface, Creature Keeper seems similar to the game Pokémon GO, where you capture and train animals in the wild. But Creature Keeper, very unique to its style and genre, is a monster-taming RPG that was created by solo developer John Pantaleon, who created Ferivir Games. It was first crowdfunded in 2019 and was originally supposed to release in 2021.  But the Ferivir had actually worked on it for over 10 years all told.

It was worth the wait. You start in Sodland with a kid named Blank and his friends Aren and Lufa who are embarking on their journey to become Sodland Guards who tame the wild creatures in the game, but they must first complete their creature keeper training. Their training is interrupted when Blank is attacked by a corrupted creature. After being terrorized, Blank the goal to rid the lands of such evil creatures and restore peace.

Blank really seem to care, but still goes along while his friend Aren is ecstatic to become a Sodland guard and fight dragons. Lufa is the only one who seems to think logically when it comes to the task they are given to become a Sodland guard.  Part of the game’s purpose is to tame monsters and add them to your collection just like Pokémon AND Pokémon GO. It also reminds me of another game made by a solo developer called Stardew Valley, which was very popular for its amazing storytelling, farm work and multiple possible endings.  

The artwork fits the game really well. I’ve seen that they have done a great deal of improvement in the visual as it looks way different than it did four years ago when it was initially supposed to be released. I like how the characters have cute little emojis next to their characters so we can sense the emotion, their feeling or tone that they are using when talking or even just moving. The pixels and design make the game seem way cuter and simple, which I really like. 

The writing in this game is truly one of the funniest I’ve ever encountered. Each character has their own little unique personality that makes the story so much better. Aren, who seems to have the worst luck, is stung multiple times by Beps (Which are like wasps). He is attacked on his first day of training and again at the end – for mistaking them for bees. One of the many humorous characters is, Mossly the training instructor who doesn’t seem to care much about her job. She asks the kids whether they have any questions, and as Aren raises his hand to ask a question, she walks off and never returns. There are lots of cryptic riddles in Creature Keeper that don’t make sense until you play for a while. There’s a depth here, and, thoughtful comedy and deep plots, just the way I like my games. I feel the combo of humor and depth gets the gamer more into the storyline. 

The soundtrack fits the theme and isn’t too obnoxious to the point that I would hate it. Often before starting the game I would be stuck at the menu because of how good the music was. Throughout, the creatures would grunt to indicate to the player to dodge attacks. The combination of music and perfect sounds helped to keep me going. There are multiple times where I could feel myself vibing along with the background music while playing. You can tell that they worked really hard on making the music exceptional. They always seem to have the right soundtrack for every moment in the game and I’m here for it. Yes, there’s a Zelda aspect to some of the songs. But themes like Trouble! really kept the tension going.

The gameplay was somewhat smooth. There weren’t many bugs or glitches throughout my gameplay which I would expect from a game that took 4 years to be developed. The controls and concept of the game were very challenging to understand as the game has very little hand holding and the menu is very hard to navigate.

Still, I got used to it. After grinding on this game for a week straight, I am shocked by how funny and fun this experience is. As much as I hate games where all you do is fight and collect things, this Creature Keeper made it less boring with its storytelling. And I really enjoyed is the freedom that they gave the player, who have the choice to either attack the enemies carelessly or strategically attack. Not only that, I explored the lands and discover so much new lore through engaging side quests. Unlike Pokémon Go in this game you don’t necessarily control your creatures you just spawn them in and they assist in the attacks and you can utilize the creatures attack type to weaken stronger enemies.

As the saying goes “hard work pays off,” and I’m starting to understand what that means after playing this game as it’s enjoyable and humorous. I look forward to further projects by Fervir as he has now gained a fan following. This narrative of this game manages to rival retro adventures that begin with an unexpected quest that uncovers so much about the characters and map creating an amazing and interesting gameplay experience. While playing the game I hope that you take into account that this game was made by a single person who continuously worked on this project for years just for us to enjoy so play the game with an open mind. 

Bronx resident and NYVGCC intern Theresa Afful is finishing second year of high school after graduating Mott Hall III middle school.

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