Developer: Jori Ryan
Publisher: CreatorCrate Games
Platform: PC
Tested on: PC
CreatorCrate – Review
CreatorCrate is a physics-based platformer made by a single person, named Jori Ryan and it took her seven years to get this game out on Steam, as well as Itch.io. That impressive feat alone could be enough for the game to score some bonus points, were it not for the fact that there are a few glaring issues with CreatorCrate that we’ll cover in the review below. Read on!
Story
As the story goes, you are a prototype for a brand new appliance, a 3D printer that can make anything. The only problem? You’d rather be free. You are reminded of this constantly during gameplay, by way of NPC characters dressed as scientists, holed up in rooms that seem to be just outside your reach. Other than that, there are dialogue windows in which these scientists taunt you, as well as try to trick you into surrendering by luring you into traps.
None of this is too important for the actual gameplay and does not hinder you much while you attempt to navigate through the game’s one giant level. Starting from the tutorial, the game does a nice job of easing you into it by explaining its mechanics and laying out the story.
Graphics
CreatorCrate looks passable, as far as its graphics go. The designs are pretty basic, but everything at least looks thematically consistent. It never gets too hectic or visually cluttered and considering this was made by one person, that’s all we really can expect.
Furthermore, it was made in a 2.5D platformer style that we’ve seen in other games like Klonoa, Pandemonium, or more recently, the Trine series, except with a lot less visual flair. It’s a shame the game never really utilizes this 2.5D perspective by having certain pathways that make the player move into the z-axis for a short bit, or at least give the illusion of doing so. CreatorCrate could have just as well been a 2D game and it would have lost nothing in the way of gameplay elements. Although, we can see the irony of you playing as a 3D printer on a 2.5D plane, so let’s assume that was the sole reason for going with this graphical style.
Sound
The music in CreatorCrate was composed by Viktros, a SoundCloud musician that dabbles in the electronic, dance, EDM, and dubstep genres. If this is your cup of tea, then you will probably bob your head to these tunes. None of the music is dynamic or event-based and the tracks play out as per usual during gameplay. During the actual gameplay, the NPCs will talk using a very commonly utilized Sims-like gibberish. During the cutscenes, however, actual voice actors were used for the voice-overs. Everything here gets the job done, so it’s not badly done as a whole.
Gameplay
This is where it gets interesting, because, for a game in the physics-based platformer genre to do well, the actual physics need to be on point and sadly, this is where we feel the ball was dropped. Everything in CreatorCrate feels floaty and weightless, including the objects that you need to throw. This feeling was made even worse when you are swinging from the lights using your grappling arm, which causes you to get flung in seemingly random directions at times. Luckily, it wasn’t too difficult getting used to this, at least by using the recommended mouse and keyboard setup, because throwing items using the right stick on a controller didn’t feel that great.
The character also moves around extremely fast, which enables the player to just rush past certain sections of the game, instead of cleverly using items to dispose of enemies or evade traps as intended. It’s a shame that this didn’t get more attention, as we feel that the item creation part of the game, although pretty original and clever, wasn’t as deep as it could’ve been. The game doesn’t really challenge the player enough to make use of all the different items, as most of them do pretty much the same thing. You have your furniture items that are used to either block attacks, activate levers, or knock out enemies, as well as a few weapons and projectiles that either kill enemies or melt walls to advance to the next section. The game’s quick pacing and on-the-fly item creation do force the player to think on their feet in later sections of the game, as it can get quite difficult. The circular in-game map is also pretty useful, as it will always point you in the direction you should be going, and having it zoom out to uncover the entirety of everything is a cool touch.
We do have to mention that both of the systems we used to test CreatorCrate had their GPUs shoot up to >70 degrees Celsius almost instantly and kept them running at full fan speed throughout the entire playthrough. We’re not sure if this is a bug or if the game could use some optimization, but considering the low graphical fidelity, this seems rather odd. Other than that, CreatorCrate has been a bug- and glitch-free experience.
Conclusion
CreatorCrate has some humorous elements, such as being able to clone the bodies of the scientists you kill and having them get up and walk around like mindless zombies (the sound they make is pretty hilarious and creepy at the same time). Also, the banter between the scientists and the character as they try to persuade you to get into certain boxes placed around the level is amusing. The graphics and sound are passable and get the job done, but sadly, the gameplay is where the game loses most of its points. Although the game is tagged on steam and described as an “Action Roguelike”, the only actual roguelike element seems to be the procedurally generated world, so roguelike lovers should keep this in mind. CreatorCrate is a physics-based platformer more than anything else. If that is your jam, then you could still do a lot better than this game.
CreatorCrate - Review,
No Comments