What do cute animals and war have to do with each other? When it comes to Creature Conflict, everything. Creature Conflict: The Clan Wars is a Turn Based Strategy game where animal is pitted against animal in a tiny world armed to the teeth with every weapon that can blow something up until one creature reigns supreme.
The game takes a page out of the book that has been written by games like Worms 3D and Gunbound. Where Creature Conflict differs from the others is its cute, cartoonish graphics and unique game design and the various gametypes that offer plenty of rewards for players.
There are three creature tribes: The Pack, The Frets and The Techies. The Pack is a tribal society flaunting totems, a martial attitude and an affinity for hunting. These animals are born warriors who live for the excitement of the fray. They are relentless, courageous and live by honor and bravery. Their strict laws have been passed down from one generation to the next and they rigorously abide by them, forging the Pack into a united and capable force. The Pack-member fights to his last breath and never lets down a wounded brother-in-arms. The Pack continuously wages war on the feeble Techies. The only thing they fear are the Frets, but they would, of course, never admit that.
At first glance, the Frets may appear to be cute, little creatures of no harm. This is a profound misconception. Frets think of themselves as the harbingers of change and renewal. Every animal knows it was they who drove the dinosaurs into extinction eons ago. There is absolutely nothing in the world these rodents could not eat, and their hunger is insatiable. The Brood has spent millennia consuming highly toxic pesticides. It is probably due to these substances that they are thinking most alarming thoughts lately. They are convinced that the entire food chain has mistakenly turned upside down and that they should be on the top. They think the time has come to change a few things. The Frets fear the Pack, but not as much as it fears them. The enlightened Techies find them perfect – and willing – subjects for their experiments and regard them as fellow revolutionaries. The two groups are officially allied.
Techies are undoubtedly the intellect of the animal world. Although other animals see them as utterly irrational, every action they take is part of an intricate strategic plan only they can grasp. There are hidden truths in their puzzling gibberish and their flexible brains allow them to quickly adapt to any condition. Their curiosity is unquenchable. They have left the old ways of the animals and built their own civilization, and they push further the limits of technology with each passing day. They are quite peaceful, but due to their rather twisted sense of humor, they have the nasty habit of trying out the newest improvements of their weapons industries on blissful neighbors. Techies love to pester the Pack but envy their recklessness and resolution and so have allied themselves with the revolutionary Brood instead. Later on in the game you are able to acquire an unlockable fourth tribe.
Each clan has there own unique range of animals and weapons which will affect how you approach the game. Unlike most games of its genre, you play in a fully 360 degree 3D world. This alone makes the gaming experience unlike anything we are used to. The game becomes more challenging now since instead of judging distance in a linear fashion like gamers are accustomed to, you now sometimes have to make shots halfway across the world. Instead of a set amount of steps or moves, you have a time limit to make as many moves as you can. This helps the game not to be too difficult and provides a wide range of playing styles. The mission objectives also add to the non-linear quality of the game. Though they often consist of killing everything in sight, sometimes the task is to acquire a particular item first or complete an objective before the enemy does.
Creature Conflict‘s graphics are a delight. The worlds you play on are quite fun to look at and fit the scheme of the game nicely. The animals you play are especially cute. Everything from the way they look to the sounds they make possesses a cartoon aesthetic, from the Loony-toonsish sound effects to the quirky cell shading character design. It’s as if the designers stole the blueprints to a Hanna Barbara cartoon.
There’s a lot to do in multiplayer as well. Multiplayer game modes include: Wipeout, Totem Tag, Pillage, and Hill Mastery. Wipeout is like Deathmatch – kill or be killed. Totem Tag is like CTF (Capture the Flag). In Pillage mode, you have to collect the most gold within the time limit to win. What seems to be the most interesting of the batch is Hill Mastery. Hill Mastery is like king of the hill; occupy the most hills within the time limit to win.
Creature Conflict: The Clan Wars puts a slightly new spin on an old concept. The game has heart, but it remains to be seen if it has what it takes to dethrone previous games that have mastered this genre. Check it out when it’s released on May 6th to find out.