Creatures of Ava (Xbox Series) Review

Creatures of Ava is a great example of an ambitious indie game edging into the “AA” space. As part of the “cozy” genre surge we’ve seen in recent years, familiar narrative themes, accessible mechanics, and cutesy aesthetics make it difficult to stand out, but Creatures of Ava benefits from a compact structure, great writing, and brisk pacing that’ll keep you engaged to the end – something I can’t say for many of its bloated peers that conflate content with value.

Protagonist Vic, her tragic past, and the sci-fantasy setting of Ava are introduced through beautiful hand-animated cutscenes. She’s part of the “Aleph” organisation storing lifeforms in “bio-arks” to save them from a planet-consuming corruption known as “The Withering”. Her landing goes awry, and before she’s reunited with her colleague, she’s saved by a local Neem archaeologist and takes possession of an ancient artefact – the “Nafitar” – that seemingly has the power to purge the corruption claiming Ava’s landscape and twisting its wildlife.

What follows is as predictable as it is charming, with Vic trying to connect with the local tribes and customs (often with humorous results), complete her bio-ark collections with her companion Tabitha, and discover the truth behind the overgrown outposts of a former Aleph expedition that abandoned the planet 25-years earlier. Although hand-animated cutscenes and voiced dialogue are used infrequently for much of the adventure, there’s a legitimately interesting clash of ideology and beliefs tackled during encounters with the various tribes. Vic – clearly influenced by her own past – is desperate to “save” Ava’s wildlife and tribes, whether they appreciate it or not; some of the Neem look to ancient “Antaris” technology as a means to save them; while others treat the eventual corruption and decay of their world as part of a natural cycle that should not be opposed.

While there’s some great writing and emotional moments, that narrative complexity doesn’t translate into gameplay complexity. Though that’s not to say you won’t find some novel variations of familiar mechanics befitting the cozy genre. The Nafitar staff is used to manipulate the environment – draining corruption to clear a path or lifting and freezing objects for traversal – and it’s used to purge infected animals. Combat plays out as a defensive dance, forcing you to maintain a beam connection while jumping over shock waves, dodging projectiles or charges, and using the aforementioned powers to disrupt attacks. Vic also learns to play and copy simple flute melodies – by way of a radial menu – which allows her to lure wildlife to teleport beacons, or directly control them and their unique abilities for some light puzzle solving and nullifying environmental hazards.

What’s less novel is your formulaic progression through Ava and a familiar open-world structure that boils down to fetch-quests with a narrative veneer. You’ll head out from the central grassland region into a lush and vibrant forest, a swamp full of interconnected islands surrounded by shallow poisonous pools, and an arid desert dominated by windswept dunes. In each, you’ll have to learn the local flute song, convince a local chieftain or shaman to evacuate their people to the grassland settlement, usually by collecting or photographing something. You’ll forge a path through ancient Antaris temples to open the way to the next region. You’ll tame and collect five species unique to that biome and clear a path to the teleport beacons you need to extract them. Oh, and you can pet everything in an exaggerated manner I found hard not to be charmed by.

Of course, you’ll also find no shortage of optional activities, such as restoring power to old Aleph science camps to use as fast travel points; uncovering meditation spots or lore shrines to fill out your “Avapedia”; and there are dozens of plant variants so you can brew a handful of useful potions at campfires. Every activity grants you XP and points to invest in a small but impactful skill-tree, while secret collectibles boost Vic’s health, stamina, and backpack capacity. To Creatures of Ava’s credit, there’s often more than one way to reach any quest objective or secret – think clearing a path with powers, creature abilities, or creative platforming. A useful feature if, like me, you’re a little too quick to send wildlife into orbit before checking what you can do with their skills.

It’s a gameplay loop I often find bland, but Creatures of Ava’s environments have two things going for them: Firstly, they’re often strikingly beautiful, with vibrant colours, distinctive fauna and flora, while exploration is accompanied by a limited but fantastic soundtrack that enhances the atmosphere. Sure, movement in and out of combat can feel a little janky, there are some barren-looking edges to the game world, but Creatures of Ava still looks and sounds great for an indie title. Secondly, and most importantly, the world is compact and feels hand-crafted. Fast-travel points and zip line shortcuts are smartly placed, side quests can be completed quickly or alongside the main quest, quests always lead you past beacons to collect the creatures you need, and collectibles are limited in number.

As a result, Creatures of Ava moves at a brisk pace for about 12-15 hours, which helps hold your attention despite the obvious formulaic progression and busywork quest design. For those with limited time, it’s the type of game you could actually 100% while maintaining a functional work-life-play balance. If I had to pick a point of comparison to end on, you could think of it as an indie version of Kena: Bridge of Spirits – just so long as you go in expecting a solid mix of story, gameplay, and presentation, built on a much smaller budget.

Creatures of Ava was reviewed on Xbox Series S|X using a code provided to gameblur by the publisher. It is also available on PC.