Game: Deadly Creatures.
Platform: Wii
Year: 2009.
Developer: Rainbow Studios.
Genre: Action.
The Wii was an interesting phenomenon for the gaming industry. Competing during the generation where gaming tried to shed its kiddy façade harder than ever before against machines such as the PS3 and the Xbox 360 was not a really easy task. Especially when we take into account how hard the GC bit the dust during the generation before, both the prospects of releasing another console following the competition’s steps and trying to break the mold were incredibly risky propositions. However, Nintendo’s bet on a boosted GameCube with heavy focus on motion controls took the world by storm, becoming Nintendo’s most successful home console ever, only beaten by the behemoths that are the long lived Game Boy and the equally monstrous DS. The motion controls were suddenly the most successful feature game consoles could have, and even after they fell out of favor, they stayed relevant to this day: the PS Move, the Xbox Kinect are the most obvious examples, but we also have similar outings with the 3DS’ and PS4 controller’s motion sensors, the HD Rumble of the Switch… Even the laureled and hyped VR depends heavily on motion technology. Yet with success, comes backlash. It is frequent to see people online dismissing, and even hating, the Wii for popularizing motion controls, simplifying the console as something to a kid’s toy. But that’s not really close to the truth: the Wii had a library as wide and varied as its two competitors, and there is many experiences designed for mature audiences, even if they never really found the same success as the casual and family friendly offerings.
One of those hidden gems people forget when talking about more mature Wii games is Deadly Creatures. Developed by Rainbow Studios, mostly known for their racing games, and published by THQ, is an interesting experiment in every single way. The game revolves around the point of view of two arachnids, a tarantula and a scorpion, trying to survive their daily lives in the Sonoran Desert, all while being witnesses of a story of greed and treason. The game is fascinating for what it tries to do, this being a title I’ve wanted to play for a long time. However, now that I’ve played it, I have to point out both its strengths and its weaknesses, some of which I did not expect.
The story revolves, as I’ve said before, around the daily lives of a pair of arachnids, who are witnesses to a dark story of human greed. The levels alternate between the tarantula and the scorpion, both having to fight different challenges to survive the attack of predators and to find enough food to not starve to death. All the while, we see snippets of two men trying to find an old Civil War treasure buried somewhere in the desert. It’s a rather simple story, very minimalistic and to the point, but without never really losing the focus of it. For the arachnids, the two humans are too big and dangerous to even fight, hiding themselves every time the ground trembles with their steps or their voice. Their goal is to just survive, having to challenge bigger and deadlier creatures as the game progresses. And while there’s the feeling the developers were trying to push the “the deadliest creature IS MAN!” cliché, they do it really well here. Then again, while the creatures are doing horrible and brutal things to each other, they are doing it to survive, while the human’s story is the one fueled by greed and ambition, their actions are not motivated by pure and basic survival instinct. Some people may find this trope in action tired and old, while some may enjoy the way the game tells its story, which is really good. The game is incredibly atmospheric, with a heavy detail put into the world around it. The detail on the desert is really good, with many set pieces such as the crevices of hills, dumping grounds and abandoned sewers filled with things to see and explore. Even if player interaction with all of this details is limited, seeing the remains of a broken doll head or a lizard being eaten by a spider or even the remains of other human beings from the point of view of the critter protagonists can be very chilling. The music is quiet and moody, usually played very quietly to keep the sounds of the desert as the main cacophony. Graphics, however, are quite modest. The Wii’s graphic capabilities were not that good, and sadly they can make some sections of the game too blurred, with low quality textures here and there. The game also suffers from lack of color contrast: too many browns and dark greens on the desert, though this is kind of inevitable, considering they are trying to replicate the look and feel of the desert. While reading about the game online, I found footage of the game played through emulator, and with the right configuration this game looks amazing. The detail is there, and the cleanup that a higher resolution can do is frankly incredible, one of the biggest I’ve seen with this kind of emulation software.
Gameplay consists of a series of linear levels, divided into different scenarios where you have to fight either a group of enemies or a big boss before continuing to the next level. It’s a rather linear game, with very little incentive to explore, and as such, most of the scenery is just that, scenery. While the limitations of the hardware restrict the possibilities of the overworld’s potential, they could have done something more with it. The player controls two characters, alternating them between levels: The tarantula is more nimble and agile, can crawl walls way better than the scorpion and can use its web to traverse the landscape, but it’s more fragile and not really designed to fight. The scorpion is more tough, bulkier and slower and with more focus on defense and heavy attacks. The controls for the game rely on the Wiimotes and the Nunchuck to move around and attack. And sadly, this is one of the main problems of the game. While the game has no problems with the motions most of the time, the aiming has really big issues. Maybe it’s just my Wii reaching the end of its lifespan, but aiming the Wiimote to get precise actions was very wonky, and not reliable in very hectic situations. An automatic targeting option would’ve solved this completely. The camera is also quite problematic, the unorthodox setup of the game forces the camera to turn around and having to deal with very narrow twists and turns, especially when the arachnids are crawling through the walls or through narrow spots under or above the character. Which is a shame, because otherwise moving through walls would be very fun. There’s a bit of an oversight on the tarantula’s jump, though: if you jump forward when you are on the ceiling, it will act like a normal jump instead of you plummeting to the floor. Small detail, but worth mentioning nevertheless.
The combat is a bit mindless, but there’s enough strategy that you don’t feel it as repetitive, at least for me. You earn more moves throughout the game, to keep it from becoming stale, although there are some moves clearly better than others. There’s enough variety on the wildlife you have to tackle: insects, other arachnids, reptiles and rats, all of them with their strengths and weaknesses, some of them are really easy, some are quite annoying (beware the wasps and the spiked lizards). One of the surprises of this game is the poor balance between the two characters. The developers clearly wanted to make the scorpion the de facto brawler of the two, with its increased attack and defense. And yet it is the spider the one most fun to fight with, and it’s only because one single move. The tarantula can target an enemy and do a jump attack that instantly targets the enemy, both hitting it 100% of the times and getting a brief moment of stun on the enemy. The scorpion has nothing this effective in its arsenal, and it has to bludgeon its way through fights, this being more risky and slow than the tarantula’s strategy. Due to this, I’ve enjoyed the tarantula way more than the scorpion. This two are the only two playable creatures, and you get the feeling every single animal present here was meant to be playable at one point, but due to whatever reason it was limited to the two arachnids. A shame, but understandable considering this is a budget title. There’s also a very fun gimmick with the glory kills, violent combo displays in which the characters finish a weakened enemy. They are activated by following a brief quick time events, while you see the characters beating and finishing off other creatures, while heavy red and yellow blood effects cover the screen. They are really useful to end enemies, especially if you’re fighting big numbers of them, giving you the chance of ending one and enough space to maneuver afterwards (the enemies gang up on you rather frequently if you let them). To regain and improve your attack and your life you can consume other insects, such as grasshoppers, grubs and crickets. A bit of advice, always eat the bugs if you can. Unless they are close to a save point before a tough battle, there’s no reason to not eat them.
The post-game is rather poor though. Throughout the game, eating grubs will earn you points to unlock galleries for concept art. Art that is really interesting and cool to look at, don’t give me wrong, but it’s not really worth the hustle of eating the 450 grubs hidden throughout the levels. No OST player, no developer’s commentary, no alternate skills or skins… This game has very little replay value, and to top it off it’s a rather short game as it is: ten levels that are considerably short. Good for a rental or a discount price, not as a fully priced title.
Deadly Creatures is one of the most interesting games out there for the Wii, both because of its ideas and because of its potential. However, the execution of this title is limited by too many factors, and all of this small problems take a heavy toll on the overall product. Remade as a budget title, with more playable creatures and post-game content, and this would be amazing. As it is, though, it’s an interesting game that shows the creativity of many studios when working with unorthodox ideas for the Wii.
Score: 6/10
