Deadly Creatures (originally posted April 2009)

Publisher: THQ
Developer: Rainbow Studios
Multiplayer: No
Online: No



Spiders. I bloody hate them. They are grotesque eight-legged-freaks. The sight of one on my living room floor makes my stomach turn. Well, not really… I’d probably just cower away from it, and then get my nice to throw it out the window. Anyway, they aren’t very pleasant creatures, and touching one would be the last thing I ever do. It also comes to no surprise that I’m not too fond of other insects either.

It’s different in videogames however. Seeing Deadly Creatures in my local Gamestation, along with its relatively high rating by IGN stamped on the box, I picked it up to take a look. It looked quite interesting; taking control of a stealthy Tarantula and a venomous scorpion, fight for survival as you combat fierce predators and unearth a sinister plot. That was the blurb, in my own words. If I’m being honest, the fact that you could play as these creatures did it for me. It was an original and exciting premise. That, and the game was half price. Mine.

So, let’s get the ball rolling, shall we? Deadly Creatures sees you alternatively playing as a Tarantula and a Scorpion over 10 challenging chapters. You have a choice between 3 difficulties; Easy, Normal and Deadly. Seeing as the game is relatively short, with little replay value, I would recommend playing the game on its hardest difficulty. Its tough, but it definitely stretches the games length. I found myself cursing at the Wii over dying repeatedly at a certain section, it was annoying at the time, but it feels great to have completed a game on its hard difficulty, and that the game lasted for quite some time. If you have little patience though, you could do it on the easy difficulty… child.

The Tarantula and Scorpion levels are quite varied; while the Tarantula has more stealth based game play, finding alternate ways to kill enemies with an arsenal of different combat moves and crawling around vast levels trying to reach your goal. The Scorpion has more linear, action orientated levels; that focus more on direct combat. Despite these differences, I found that both gameplay styles had similar goals.

As you can guess from the title, you come across several creatures. It also comes to no surprise that, these creatures… well, they’re deadly! Well, a lot of the time, anyway. Over this vast desert, you find; small, more common creatures such as pill bugs, wolf spiders, dung beetles, hornets and crickets (And special green crickets that give you a health boost) which can be easily dispatched of with a few lower level moves. Most of them being eaten to regain health. Their are also tougher creatures you come across; such as other tarantulas and scorpions, even bigger spiders, even more grotesque arthropods and bosses such as a rattlesnake, a Gila monster, and in the end, even one of those pesky humans.

As you defeat more enemies, you earn points, which unlock more combat moves. Though you might be happy with A, A, A, dead; creatures do get progressively tougher, so this calls for some fancier moves. These moves are executed with different button combinations, along with some Wii remote and nun-chuck movements. This also brings me to the ‘instant kill’ a series of movements that finishes of a creature instantly can be started pressing ‘c’ when a creature is weak enough. Failing to execute this kill will result in a slight loss of health, but you can always try again. As you do the different motions, a slow motion animation shows you finishing off the poor defenseless creature.

As you can guess, it’s not all about fighting; if it was, then this game would just be some cheap hack ‘em up. I said earlier about how both creatures differ in their levels; though the goals are similar, how you go about them is different. The Tarantula has more free roaming levels that are less linear, sometimes making you find the right way. As you progress through the game, you gain the ability to sling onto cobwebs, enabling you reach hard-to-reach places. Then, as you progress even further, you gain the ability to walk on ceilings, as apposed to just being able to scale walls. So obviously, the path isn’t always clear, and sometimes there are alternative paths, some leading to dead ends, some leading to grubs (collectables in the game) and green leaf crickets, which increase your maximum health after eating a certain amount. I have not yet collected all grubs, and it is unlikely I’ll get around to doing it, because I’m guessing you just unlock more pictures in the gallery.

Scorpion levels whilst similar to Tarantula levels in exploration, are a bit linear, and focus more on direct combat, and more interacting with surroundings. The Scorpion can also scale walls like the Tarantula, but unlike spidey, doesn’t gain the ability to climb ceilings. It would be boring if they gained the same abilities though, and it adds more variety to the level. Instead, the Scorpion gains other abilities such as digging weak spots on grounds and walls to uncover new passage ways, and a swiping technique can clears thorns. Like the Tarantula levels, these paths may lead to bonuses.

As you switched between Tarantula and Scorpion, you encounter each other several times in the game, have a face off, and then you both separate ways; leaving the other creature scathed, but still fighting fit. Throughout these levels, you discover more and more of the sinister plot that covers these desert lands. Two humans, searching for a long lost treasured said to have been buried during the civil war. If I’m being honest, I paid little attention to the storyline, while it gets more interesting throughout the game, it doesn’t really fit the gameplay. The ending was quite interesting though, but I won’t spoil it for you.

Now that I’ve more or less uncovered the gameplay, lets move on to the games audio and visual. Now I must say, Deadly Creatures has a very atmospheric ambient soundtrack. While simple, it really sets the mood for things and blends in very well with the game. The sound effects are pretty good as well, the pitter patter of the Tarantula is actually quite hypnotic and relaxing, and the screeches of the creatures are done well.

It’s a shame that the graphics don’t quite live up to the overall experience, however. True, they are quite detailed, but could have been much better. I’d say they were only slightly better than the average Gamecube game. Nonetheless, the game still looks great and adds to the chilling atmosphere of the game.

So what’s my final verdict? Well, overall, I’ve been more than positive about the game. Its definitely one of the best Wii games I’ve played in a while. Is that saying much though? I guess it’s cliché to say that the Wii has been ‘failing’ in recent times, but I’m still happy, because every now and then, an awesome Wii game comes along and gives me a good time. One of these games would be Deadly Creatures.

Maybe if it was longer, had more attention to detail and perhaps a bit more replay value (other than repeating levels to unlock more galleries); I’d give it 90% +, but alas, it doesn’t quite get there. I would still recommend getting this though, because it’s fantastic.

Atmospheric musical score
Combat is done well
Nicely done environments
Can prove quite a challenge
A tad short
Little replay value

86%

How do you get the jazzy plus and minuses??

I stole them from ONM's website.

Another exhilarating review from KrikenKing. (@Mailtoad - that isnt sarcasm btw)

Good review! Been meaning to pick this up for ages.

Weird use of adjectives but thanks. :p

Edit:

Thanks to you as well, Mail Toad.

KrikenKing wrote:Weird use of adjectives but thanks. :p

You should post some of your other reviews.

XD i posted a review myself and got 2 views, both probably me logged out.