Creaks

Creaks
by Amanita Design - July, 2020

Available at:
GOG - https://www.gog.com/en/game/creaks
Steam - https://store.steampowered.com/app/956030/Creaks/
Xbox - https://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/store/creaks/9NX3HX9Z4QXZ



Meet Your New Neighbours

The ground starts shaking, light bulbs are breaking - and something rather unusual is happening right behind the walls of your very room. Equipped with nothing but wit and courage, you slowly descend into a world inhabited by avian folk and seemingly deadly furniture monsters.

From the creators of indie classics Machinarium and Samorost comes Creaks, an immersive puzzle game that delights the senses with its hand-painted visuals, precise animation, eerie sounds, and an eclectic original score from Hidden Orchestra. Proceed at your own pace at figuring out the solutions to dozens of carefully designed puzzles, explore the mansion for hidden paintings and uncover the great secret.

Creaks is best enjoyed with a controller and a good pair of headphones.

Creaks

A fantastic puzzle adventure by Amaninta-Design, the makers of Samorost, Machinarium and Botanicula.

Options include separate sliders for Volume and Brightness, and choice of Language and Resolution.  Using a controller is recommended, but keyboard is also supported.

Story:

You're just minding your own business when the room starts shaking, things begin breaking and your wall opens up to reveal a mysterious passage to a world unknown.  Here you will find dangers and mysteries surrounding birdfolk, killer furniture and a very dangerous, very large antagonist.

Despite the fact that we can die -- and have a giant something trying to destroy everything -- I did not find this game to be creepy in the slightest... As a matter of fact, I found it to be absolutely delightful!


Throughout the game you will uncover the story of this place via well-placed animated sequences.  These scenes can be skipped, if desired, which is very helpful when you are replaying a scene.

Gameplay:

Although Creaks is often referred to as a puzzle-platformer, there is absolutely no precision-platforming involved.  You do have to time things just right, but that is just part of the puzzle process, rather than what I'd refer to as typical platforming.

Gameplay consists of figuring out the environment in order to progress to the next scene.  The puzzling comes into play as you learn how monsters react to the presence of light and how to maneuver them into positions that will help open up otherwise-inaccessible areas.

Along the way you will discover interactive paintings -- some hidden, some in plain sight.


The "interactiveness" of these paintings ranges from pushing a button and watching a few things move around to full-blown mini-games.  Fair warning that at least one of these requires fast reflexes, and while completing the minis is not necessary to finish the game, it IS required if you want to get all of the achievements.

All told, there are 28 Steam achievements, most of which are from finding/completing paintings and discovering hidden areas.

Did I not mention the hidden areas?  Well I did now!  They're not hard to find as long as you're paying attention ;D

Sights and Sounds:

The graphics are very environmental, and although there is a lot of darkness in the color palette, they have their own beauty.

There are a grand total of 61 scenes in the game, and we have not only a very convenient scene select area on the main menu, but a Restart Scene option whenever you pause the game.


As for the audio, I can't imagine SFX and/or music that could be any more appropriate.

Verdict:

Overall I found Creaks to be an engaging foray into another world, with interesting puzzles that were just the right difficulty.  The graphics and audio were perfectly matched, and the overall production value excellent.  Absolutely delightful and highly recommended!