Summary

A story-rich action adventure set on a colourful planet full of strange critters. As a conservationist of alien life forms, you must herd creatures to an orbital “bio ark” where they’ll be safe from an unstoppable disease ravaging the planet. But the native people refuse to budge. It’s up to you to understand why.

I worked with Inverge Studios to completely re-write placeholder dialogue, and massage elements of the story into a coherent whole. A lot of the world-building and major plot points were already firmly in place thanks to Rhianna Pratchett, who spearheaded the narrative. It was up to me to give a voice to the characters, and to imbue the moment-to-moment dialogue with the emotional energy needed for the tale. After a full script re-write from beginning to end, I also worked on some menu text and helped a little with the localisation process, among other tasks. An incredibly satisfying project to work on, with a hugely professional and helpful team.

Praise for Creatures of Ava

The game was nominated for three awards at Gamescom 2024, and was the winner of the Games For Impact award. Here are some quotes from press coverage.

“It routinely defies tropes in every corner of its world, yet still feels like the sort of game that is approachable, familiar, and easy to love. With a story that goes harder than one might expect and gameplay that routinely throws new tools and challenges in front of you, Creatures of Ava is surely one of the year’s coolest surprises.” – Gamespot

“…an unforgettable game. Having a somewhat heavy message behind such a sweet game is a fantastic way to get players of all ages to listen and understand that it’s a fictional representation of a very real problem. And who knows, it could encourage the next age of Vics to get out and see what wonders the world has to offer.” – PC Gamer

“Creatures of Ava was a game that I went into expecting some fun animal collecting and puzzle solving. For the most part, that’s what I got, but one major aspect of the game that I didn’t expect to come away from was a shift in perspective about conservation, climate change, and how we always view it from humankind’s eyes.” – Techraptor

“Creatures of Ava is a deeply human game about monsters on an alien planet. Its themes of empathy and acceptance shine brightly, setting itself apart from similar titles. It manages to deliver a thoughtful message about acceptance and living in harmony while also being something I can play to kick back and relax after a long day.” – Shacknews

“Some of Creatures of Ava’s funniest and most surprisingly touching moments come in side quests. I wasn’t expecting to teach an alien about the human concept of love or help a near-stranger come to terms with their inability to have a child, but those became some of the highlights of my time with the game… The world of Ava is one of the most compelling environments I’ve explored in a video game in some time, and its subversion of worn-out story tropes is nothing short of brilliant.” – Inverse

“Players old and new will inevitably find themselves immersed in Vic’s journey and Ava’s fate, somewhere between its unique creature designs, evocative soundtrack, and moving story. As a whole, Creatures of Ava is a wonderful experience, and is likely to stick with players for a long time to come.” – ScreenRant