Black & White: Creature Isle
What do you get when you mix a hit title, with a weak concept, rushed features, tamagotchi, and dumbed-down gameplay? Well, that's an easy one, this add-on. From what I can assume, Lionhead expected its gaming fan-base to gobble this title up without any second thoughts. Well that's what I'm here for; to let you folks know that if you were expecting anything resembling the first Black & White game, you'd better look elsewhere.
Contrary to popular belief, this game bares little in common with its predecessor. The complex resource design, the intuitive gameplay, and the difficult moral decisions that we all appreciated from the first title are all gone, no where to be found. And what you ask is left in its place? Think big furry animals, overly frustrating pets, and simplistic tasks. Yes, a dumbed-down version of Black & White, for all those who thought the first was (in whiney voice), "too hard, and too complex." Well here you have your game, one built for three year olds, I hope you enjoy.
The basic premise of Creature Isle is that you no longer are in charge, or have to worry about the whole world, as a god. Now the only task you must complete is to train and help your 'creature' complete 25 trials, to help him join "The Brotherhood." In doing so, you will have allowed him to retire a happy. umm. 'Creature!' You can choose a creature from your previous Black & White saved game, or you can start anew, neither of which options will spark any type of interesting gameplay. The exciting tasks set before your are vast and highly creative, such as; Bowling against a cow, The age old race of tortoise and hair, and you even get to be Doctor Doolittle and rescue a bear from his near death cliff hanging (notice the sarcasm). Again, if your looking for any kind of innovation, or revolutionary element, its best to look elsewhere.
For all this title lacks in originality, it makes up in. nothing, this game took little thought, or effort for that matter from the game designers. They used the graphical engine from the previous title (which still looks marvelous by the way), and threw some extra things in it. Normally an add-on is supposed to renew the level of excitement you got from a game when playing it the first time. An add-on is supposed to give the game more replay value then it originally was endowed with. Well this one doesn't do much in way of those task, but it does allow three to five year olds to play a once sophisticated game. Just when you think its all too easy to dismiss this title as little more than pure boredom, Peter Molyneux and his band of designers add insult to injury.
The straight forward story line had to have a kink somewhere correct? Well along came a pet, and this one I can assure you'd hate. The only thing you'd even consider to doing with it, is chopping it up, then frying it like you were worked at KFC. Your goal now is to train this, 'apprentice (PET!!!!!),' to learn the ways of the world. As we all know from the first title, your creature often does that which you wish it not to. Making training this toddler only but PURE JOY! So now you've got two creatures to look after, having one try to train the other, while the other does whatever is seems to want. All this put together wouldn't be so bad, if you could keep at least one of them on task. But Lionhead doesn't grant you that courtesy, so you are left with an animal that doesn't want to teach, and another that doesn't want to learn. "The Way Of The Creature" is the obligation this young pet is charged with learning, if he is not taught, then your previous creature cannot move on and finish his trials. All random events (and pointless ones at that), that give little inspiration towards completion of the title.
So what can be said of Creature Isle? Simply that it's a light hearted attempt at a once more serious game. Not built for adults but children, sure it's a more positive experience in the end (save training that little monster thing) then the last title, but it's also a less fulfilling accomplishment. A beginners title at best, for those who enjoy light hearted pointless non-sense (it has its moments), this is the title for your. Black & White: Creature Isle, not quite sure how much work went into this game, but one can only assume the majority of the effort went into the title before it. This is a tamagotchi game on crack, for the B&W fans out there, I'm sorry. For the 'tama' fans enjoy, this ones for you! ;)
-silver