Creatures 4: The Continuing Anticipation

Creatures 4 is one subject that initially brought a sense of excitement to the Creatures community. After more than a decade, it almost seemed like another installment in the series would never come along. Despite the many delays and mysterious veil that has surrounded the development of C4, Fishing Cactus has been rather busy lately! Granted, further information about the game is still upcoming, yet hopefully this means that the long expected update we have all been looking forward to is just around the corner. A quick look at the new Creatures 4 Flickr Group shows some new images, including a few samples of the new Norns. I particularly loved the color scheme of this one particular Norn. The customization seems endless, though I also have high hopes for the ability to have solid colored Norns for a more natural appearance. All the same, it’s difficult not to want to dive into the myriad of colors! The previous Creatures games were a bit more limited with appearances: Some of the best breeds came from third party developers that did not ship with the games.

One of the more interesting elements surrounding Creatures 4 was the recent secret giveaway on Facebook and Instagram. Be sure to check in if you commented on this photo: The new Creatures 4 Norn figurines look pretty amazing! I wonder what they might look like compared with the original Creatures 2 Norndolls… Having actual collectibles related to Creatures reminds me of a throwback to the old days, and also opens up the game for a little more of a personal experience. I should note that I have one of the original purple Norndolls, which may or may not be making a few appearances in the future. There’s something special about having an offline memento to remember a game by. These little Norn figurines seem to fit right in with the Creatures series. We may not have any updates about new developments within Creatures 4, but we’ve certainly been treated to a bunch of Norn figurine adventures!

The Crawlight is one of the new critters featured in a few Creatures 4 images. Could this be one of the sources of light in the cave environment? Might those precious eyes hide a bit of a devious side to this otherwise adorable critter? I feel like ecology has been more of a priority in the development of C4, rather than just another element of the background. It’s difficult to say with certainty how realistic and in-depth the ecological system might be, but I have high hopes for this system. Fishing Cactus seems to have added in a diverse base of critters, which will hopefully create a few challenges of their own. Could a large group of Crawlights end up creating a blinding light? Probably not… Yet these critters have the potential to have personalities of their own, as they coexist with the Norns. Moving decorations? I think not!

One little Norn spent a little too much time outdoors in the freezing snow! I hope to eventually see some other Norn figurines enjoying the real world. I believe some of the older Norndolls had their own adventures. I know the true desire of Creatures fans is to find out more about the game at this point. I, too, share in that desire! The current release date is tentatively set for March or April 2013, which is not too far off. I imagine we should have some answers and new screenshots soon. Waiting is certainly not my strongest suit, yet it’s wonderful to know that the older Creatures games are still there to fill my time. It’s difficult to stay impatient when one has an unruly bunch of Norns in need of some guidance, or when a genetics question begs to be answered. Besides, with fun images like these, the waiting game is made a little easier. Keep watching for more Creatures 4 news!

Images Credited to Fishing Cactus

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