Creature Keeper is a 2d RPG where you fight alongside different creatures to solve the mystery of the spreading sickness. Read our review to see what it did well, what it didn't do well, and if it's worth buying.

Creature Keeper Review Overview

What is Creature Keeper?

Creature Keeper is a 2D action-adventure RPG where players step into the shoes of a freshly appointed guardian, tasked with protecting and befriending a wide array of creatures in a world thrown into chaos by a strange sickness. As the world begins to decay and once-friendly creatures turn hostile, players must explore various biomes, battle corrupted monsters, and uncover the mystery behind the blight.

Creature Keeper features:
　⚫︎　Real-time 2D Action
　⚫︎　Multiple Weapons and Charged Attacks
　⚫︎　Creature Management
　⚫︎　Pixel Art
　⚫︎　Surprisingly Heavy Themes

Steam

Wishlist Only

Creature Keeper Pros & Cons

Pros	Cons
Robust Creature Management System Diverse Environmental Puzzles	Creatures Fail to Respond to Commands UI Elements Become Unresponsive Placeholder Descriptions and Incomplete Features

Creature Keeper Overall Score - 70/100

Creature Keeper shines with its colorful world, engaging story, and creative creature management system, earning high marks for storytelling and charm. However, its gameplay suffers from clunky combat mechanics and frequent technical issues, while the visuals, though vibrant, are marred by glitches and inconsistencies. The audio, while pleasant, lacks standout moments, and the game’s overall value is questionable due to its uneven pacing and lack of polish.

Creature Keeper Story - 8/10

Creature Keeper’s story is a surprisingly heartfelt journey filled with colorful NPCs and a world struggling against an all-consuming blight. It balances lighthearted moments with heavier themes, exploring the cost of survival and the strength of companionship. The narrative is strong, but it’s weighed down slightly by a rushed pace.

Creature Keeper Gameplay - 7/10

The game’s core gameplay is a mix of real-time combat and creature management, allowing you to customize your party and explore various biomes. There are clever systems at play, like gardening to boost creature stats, but bugs and unresponsive creature commands often undermine the experience. Combat, while fast-paced, can feel inconsistent due to occasional input issues.

Creature Keeper Visuals - 7/10

Creature Keeper’s pixel art style is vibrant, with bold colors and well-animated creatures that make the world feel alive. Each biome is distinct, with clear visual themes that enhance the sense of exploration. However, the visuals are sometimes marred by technical glitches, like missing UI elements or placeholder text, which break immersion.

Creature Keeper Audio - 7/10

The audio in Creature Keeper is a mix of whimsical tracks and ambient sounds that suit its colorful world. However, the lack of a final track during the ending creates an awkward silence at a critical moment, dampening the impact of the conclusion. While the music and sound effects are generally fitting, they’re not particularly memorable.

Creature Keeper Value for Money - 6/10

Creature Keeper offers a decently sized adventure, but its frequent bugs and occasional unfinished elements make it hard to justify its full price. While it provides a good amount of content, the replayability is limited due to its linear story and lack of alternative paths. It’s an experience worth trying on sale, but not one that feels complete in its current state.

Creature Keeper Review: Full of Bugs; Some Lovable, Some Not

Somewhere between chaos and serenity, there’s a world where beasts and humans coexist, their lives intertwined by bonds of trust, duty, and, sometimes, desperation. Welcome to Creature Keeper, a 2D action-adventure RPG where you, a freshly ordained guard, are thrown straight into a crisis. On what should have been a simple training day, a strange blight begins to spread, infecting the very creatures you were meant to protect. Friendly faces become feral threats, lush landscapes rot, and the once-stable regions of the land spiral into chaos. And you? You’re left with nothing but a handful of creatures who still trust you, a dwindling supply of resources, and a single, crushing responsibility: figure out what this sickness is and put an end to it.

In its essence, Creature Keeper is a top-down 2D action RPG, blending exploration, combat, and creature management into one peculiar package. You’ll travel across various biomes, each with its own troubles and leaders, all while trying to uncover the mystery of this blight. It’s a game that promises adventure, danger, and heartwarming companionship… well, at least on the surface.

The world of Creature Keeper doesn’t just lean on its premise—it dives into themes that are surprisingly deep. It tries to balance a light-hearted, almost comedic tone with unexpectedly heavy narratives. One moment, you’re laughing at a quirky character who speaks in riddles, and the next, you’re staring down the raw consequences of a leader’s desperation or a community’s suffering. The writing pulls you in, but the way it guides its characters often feels stiff, as if they’re just puppets being yanked along a pre-written path. You’re left wondering if you’re reading an epic or an awkwardly staged play.

But beneath the rough edges, there’s something worth discovering. The story is one of survival, of facing unknown threats with nothing but a few allies and a determination to help. It’s a tale that wants to say something profound, to make you feel both the weight of loss and the warmth of companionship. And while its words may sometimes stumble, the message it tries to convey is clear: there’s beauty in fighting for those who cannot fight for themselves.

A World of Bonded Beasts and Blighted Lands

Yet, a story, no matter how ambitious, is only as strong as the world you’re playing in, and in Creature Keeper, that world is a constantly shifting battleground. At its core, this game is a dance of blades and claws—real-time action combat where you juggle three weapons at a time, letting you swap between blades, boomerangs, staves—whatever you fancy. Each weapon comes with its own charge attack, rewarding you for timing your swings rather than just mashing buttons. It’s fast-paced, but not always smooth. You dodge, you weave, and you strike… or at least, you try to, because there’s a lingering problem here: bugs, which we’ll talk more about later on.

You befriend beasts and bring them into battle, each with their own skills and elemental strengths. It’s a rock-paper-scissors hierarchy, a reminder that even your most trusted ally can be countered by an unfortunate matchup. A fire-breathing fox might roast a swarm of plant creatures but finds itself helpless against a flying beast. But strategy goes beyond type matchups—your creatures can use special abilities, unleashing powerful attacks or buffs at your command. Or at least, they should. Again, more on this in another section.

Your party isn’t just a collection of wandering monsters though—it’s a family, and like any family, they need care. That’s where the hub area comes in. Early on, you unlock a garden where you can plant seeds around statues of your creatures, enhancing their stats with buffs. Want your beast to have more health? Plant a seed that boosts vitality. Want their attacks to sting a little more? There’s a seed for that too. It’s a clever system that encourages you to nurture your team.

But the creature management doesn’t stop there. As you continue to explore and battle, you’ll come across the Bestiary, a central feature that expands your creature care system. This bestiary isn’t just for tracking the beasts you’ve encountered, it’s a full-fledged progression tool. You’ll unlock new skills, buffs, and even items for your creatures as you fill out the bestiary. The more creatures you collect, the more you learn about their potential, and as you level them up through the bestiary, you can further enhance their abilities.

This progression system deepens your connection to your party, making the bond feel more like that of a trainer and their creatures rather than a simple collection of allies. It’s not just about their health or strength in battle, it’s about their growth and how you can shape them to fit the strategy you want to pursue. Whether it’s unlocking a special attack or gaining access to a new item that boosts a creature’s elemental affinity, the bestiary provides a sense of ownership and investment that feels incredibly satisfying.

A Colorful World with Stories to Tell

One thing Creature Keeper absolutely has going for it is its world—a patchwork of distinct biomes that each tell their own story. There’s a charm to how the world is laid out, almost like flipping through the pages of a colorful storybook, where every chapter brings you somewhere new. Misty forests, corrupted deserts, frozen peaks that glisten under an icy glare—each area has its own personality, and exploring them is always an adventure.

But these aren’t just pretty backdrops. Each region you wander into comes with its own challenges, its own secrets, and even its own puzzles. One moment you’re dodging air currents in a mountain, and the next, you’re navigating a maze of twisting sand traps. It gives the world a sense of depth, as if every area has its own story to tell, even without a single line of dialogue. There’s always something new around the corner, and even when the journey feels rough, the world itself keeps pulling you forward.

Visually, Creature Keeper leans into a 2D pixel art style—a tried-and-true look for indie titles—but it’s not just about nostalgia. The pixel art here is vibrant, with bold colors and lively animations that bring the creatures to life. Your beast companions, in particular, are wonderfully designed, each with a personality that shines through their sprites. There’s a fox with a fiery coat, a tiny bat warrior that hops eagerly into battle, and even plat based beasts. Seeing them grow and fight by your side is a joy, even when the game itself tries its best to trip you up.

A Cast of Memorable NPCs

If there’s one thing Creature Keeper isn’t lacking, it’s a cast of NPCs. They’re everywhere—desperate leaders clinging to hope, cryptic mages hiding secrets from society, a scarecrow that just wants to chat. It’s a kaleidoscope of personalities, and while I’ll be honest, by the end of it, I’d already forgotten half their names, they still left an impression. The game throws you into a world teeming with characters, each with their own little dramas, and you’re caught right in the middle.

It’s this constant stream of personalities that keeps the world of Creature Keeper alive. More than just quest-givers or background decorations, they feel like real people—messy, stubborn, hopeful, and flawed. Their problems are often small in the grand scheme of things, but they still matter because they feel grounded in something real. And sometimes, it’s their stories that hit the hardest.

The irony is, even though I couldn’t keep track of all their names, I remember their stories—their little triumphs, fears, and quirks. It’s like wandering through a crowded town square, catching snatches of conversations and seeing tiny snapshots of other lives. And while the main plot may struggle with storytelling, these colorful NPCs turn the world into something more than just a backdrop. They make it feel lived in, chaotic, and oddly comforting.

Bugs and Broken Promises

And this is where we need to talk about the elephant in the room—or rather, the glitch in the code. Because for every moment Creature Keeper shines, there’s a bug lurking in the shadows, ready to trip you up. It starts small, little things you brush off at first. You begin the game, ready to carve out your own legend, only to find you can’t even name your character. "Blank," the game insists, because the naming screen simply never appeared. Fine, I can work with that. But then you start noticing other cracks. Items with placeholder names, like they’re still waiting for someone to come along and give them an identity. It's a bit like wandering through an unfinished painting, beautiful in some parts, but with entire sections sketched out in pencil.

But it doesn’t stop there. You’re exploring the world, hacking through monsters, and suddenly you try to open the map. Nothing. You click again, still nothing. Panic sets in as the game simply refuses to let you close the map screen. Your only choice? Quit to the main menu, losing any progress since your last save. And this isn’t some rare fluke, it happens often enough that you start dreading the very tool meant to help you navigate. It’s like being given a magical map that sometimes decides to blindfold you instead.

Then there are the creatures themselves—the very heart of the game. They’re your companions, your partners in battle… except when they aren’t. Because there’s nothing quite like watching your loyal beast stand perfectly still in the middle of a fight, refusing to use their special ability no matter how many times you command them. You’ve got this amazing system where you’re supposed to direct them, trigger their powerful moves, and outsmart your foes. But the game doesn't always register this so most of the time they just stand there, staring blankly at a charging enemy. It’s like inviting a friend to a brawl and watching them suddenly decide to take a nap.

And let’s not forget the ending, no background music. Just silence. You’ve fought through waves of corrupted beasts, solved puzzles, saved regions from chaos, and the game’s big finale? It plays out in an awkward, quiet emptiness. It’s like reaching the climax of a thrilling movie, only for the sound to suddenly cut out. You’re left staring at the screen, wondering if you missed something—if maybe there was a grand, emotional track planned but never added.

What’s frustrating is that there’s a good game here, there are moments when Creature Keeper finds its stride, when you’re swapping weapons, commanding your beasts, solving puzzles, and exploring its colorful world. And then it stumbles. Not in some grand, dramatic way, but in a dozen little ways that chip away at the experience. It’s a game that feels like it’s peeking out from behind a curtain, half-finished, begging for a bit more time, a bit more polish, a bit more love.

But… you keep going, because the core is solid, because the concept of commanding creatures in a 2D action RPG is genuinely fun. While the experience is constantly being interrupted, pulled down by the weight of all these bugs and missing pieces, the story is still there, and it’s still worth following.

Is Creature Keeper Worth It?

Hold Off Until It’s Fully Polished

Playing Creature Keeper feels a bit like discovering a hidden gem, only to realize it’s still half-buried in the dirt. At its best, it’s a charming 2D action RPG that lets you step into the role of a creature-wielding guardian, commanding a squad of beasts through a colorful, dangerous world. It has all the right ingredients—engaging combat, a world full of puzzles and mysteries, and a creature collection system that should be endlessly addictive. But the further you go, the more you notice the cracks.

It’s a game that’s constantly at odds with itself. It’s a rollercoaster—one minute you’re smiling at a clever puzzle, and the next, you’re sighing at a glitch that forces you to quit and reload. But here’s the thing, despite everything, Creature Keeper has a heart. It’s a game that clearly wants to be something special, something that players will remember if they give it a chance. The world is imaginative, the NPC and creature designs are bursting with personality, and the combat has that fast, fluid feel that keeps you coming back. It’s just that for every moment of magic, there’s a bug or a missing feature that pulls you back to reality.

If you’re the type of player who loves 2D action RPGs, who gets a kick out of building a team of quirky creatures and exploring a colorful world, then there’s a good chance you’ll find something to love here. Just be ready to forgive a lot. You’ll need patience—patience for the glitches, for the placeholders, for the occasional sense of playing a game that’s still finding its footing. But if you can look past that—if you’re willing to see the spark hiding under all the rough edges—then Creature Keeper might just charm you. It’s not perfect, it’s not polished, but it’s trying.

Platform	Price
Steam	Wishlist Only

Creature Keeper FAQ

How Do You Unlock Stats of Creatures in the Bestiary in Creature Keeper?

Killing that same creature will give points which then can be used to unlock abilities in the Bestiary.

What is Creature Keeper's System Requirements?

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Creature Keeper Product Information

Title	CREATURE KEEPER
Release Date	May 8, 2025
Developer	Fervir Games
Publisher	Graffiti Games
Supported Platforms	PC (Steam)
Genre	Adventure, Action, RPG
Number of Players	1
ESRB Rating	N/A
Official Website	Creature Keeper Website

Allisandra Reyes

I find joy in the adrenaline rush of horror games, but my thrill-seeking doesn't stop there. Beyond the digital realm, I like to take on the role of designated GM in TTRPGs.