Palworld Fans Should Keep an Eye on Creatures of Ava

Highlights

• Creatures of Ava offers a unique gameplay experience, focusing on taming creatures and saving them from infection.
• The game is more narrative-driven than Palworld, with a troubled protagonist and deep lore surrounding the planet and its inhabitants.
• Unlike Palworld’s combat focus, Creatures of Ava prioritizes healing and restoration.

Despite Palworld all but dominating the survival scene in 2024, it has certainly had its share of competition. Although Enshrouded has been one of Palworld‘s biggest competitors, it continues to prove its dominance in more ways than one with its creature-collecting and base-building mechanics and its vast, beautiful open world. However, Creatures of Ava is another contender that will be entering the ring soon, and it may very well draw attention away from Palworld long enough to achieve success for itself.

Creatures of Ava is an upcoming indie game by Inverge Studios that the developer is marketing as a “creature saver,” and it already has a lot going for it in its visuals and charming art style. As a creature saver, Creatures of Ava perhaps inadvertently pits itself against Palworld, which focuses more on the collection of creatures called “Pals” and then those Pals being assigned to work at the player’s base. They are definitely similar in some respects, but Creatures of Ava may do enough to set itself apart. As such, Palworld fans may want to keep an eye on it ahead of and even after its release.

Palworld Fans May Find a Lot to Love in Creatures of Ava

Creatures of Ava Is All About Being a Selfless Savior

Palworld‘s creature-collecting gameplay loop has proven its worth over time, drawing obvious inspiration from the likes of Pokemon. Players venture out into Palworld‘s Palpagos Islands in search of exotic Pals who can prove useful to them back at their base, and while there are hints of affinity mechanics here and there with Pals, the primary purpose of capturing them revolves around how they can benefit the player. Creatures of Ava, on the other hand, is all about being a selfless savior.

In Creatures of Ava, players control Vic, a 22-year-old nature explorer on an expedition to planet Ava. On Ava, over twenty wild creatures can be tamed by playing music with a special flute. These creatures aren’t just present to make life better for players, however, as they are essentially saving the creatures from a deadly infection called “the withering.” Whenever a creature is rescued, players gain new abilities that allow them access to new areas and solve environmental puzzles, all to save the planet’s inhabitants from an unfortunate fate.

Creatures of Ava Appears More Narrative-Driven Than Palworld

One major feature that Creatures of Ava seems to have is actually the same leg up that Enshrouded has over Palworld. Judging by Creatures of Ava‘s game description, it appears the creature-saver game will be much more narrative and lore-driven than Palworld. Firstly, Vic is described as having a “troubled past,” which will apparently unravel as the game progresses. Secondly, apart from Ava’s various creatures, the planet is also inhabited by the naam, whom players will eventually encounter and have an opportunity to learn the people’s customs.

Creatures of Ava Prioritizes a Pacifistic Approach to Gameplay

Unlike Palworld, which has often jokingly been referred to as “Pokemon with guns,” Creatures of Ava prioritizes a pacifistic approach to gameplay, focusing on healing and restoration rather than battling and defeating. Sure, one of the main draws of other creature-collecting games like Pokemon is upgrading one’s creatures to be a powerhouse strong enough to take on any foe, but Creatures of Ava seems to focus more on the bonds created with its creatures — a notion that Pokemon and Palworld have mentioned but hardly delved into.

There is currently no release date set for Creatures of Ava, but players can expect it to arrive sometime this year. While Creatures of Ava may appeal to a broader demographic, Palworld fans should at least keep an eye on it, as it may serve as decent competition for Pocketpair’s creature-collecting phenomenon.

Creatures of Ava is coming to PC and Xbox Series X|S in 2024.