Creatures Such As We Review

While many interactive novels focus on violence and exploration, Creatures Such As We takes a more philosophical approach by telling the story of a person living on the moon for work, and increasingly lonely in the world they’ve been forced to remain on. It’s a slow burning tale, one that requires you to be drawn in by the characters, but it works remarkably well in getting you to think.

Refreshingly, there are a lot of options when it comes to starting your character. Sexuality can be fluid, as well as the option to be transgender. Some open-mindedness continues with the potential romances that are available, ensuring plenty of room for love as well as philosophical thought. Much of the philosophy stems from the fact that at certain points you ‘escape’ the mundane world through an immersive video game, and often you’ll be discussing how this makes you feel with other characters. This is because everything is tied together, as a visiting group of tourists also happen to be designers for the game. You’re able to talk it out with them, in the hope of creating a better ending for your beloved game.

It’s an interesting tale and one that lasts a reasonable length of time, dipping between standard peril, romantic undertones, and some interesting discussions of whether games are truly healthy as escapism or not. It’ll last you all the longer given that you’ll be inclined to dive straight back in to see how you can change things. There aren’t any fights to speak of or anything more than text-based decision making, but it certainly works here in terms of keeping you interested in the storyline. I found myself more captivated by the Moon-based discussions, rather than the game within a game, but I suspect that’s a deliberate move by the game’s writer.

Far from being one for adrenaline junkies, Creatures Such As We has the ability to make you think for longer than just while you’re playing. Remaining open-minded throughout, it’s an interesting deviation into the importance of offline, as well as online, social interaction. Plus it’s a fascinating take on the conventional interactive novel.