Classic artificial life game Creatures to get a new release for iOS

Back in the late 1990s, the Creatures series of games provided a cutting-edge collision between artificial intelligence, genetics and Tamagotchi-style gameplay.

Yet despite success on PC and PlayStation and a strong online community, various business issues saw the franchise grind to a halt - until now.

Resurrected through a combination of publisher Bigben, IP holder Gameware and developer Fishing Cactus, Creatures 4 is in development for PC, Mac and iOS devices.

Splice and dice

Designed for a new free-to-play model, the game will follow the pattern of earlier releases that had you breeding Norns, guiding them through their lives, and changing their genetic make up in the process. In turn, this results in new types of Norns being born.

As well as Norns, other species include Grendels, who steal Norns' food, injure them and spread diseases. There are also Ettins, which are mechanically minded creatures.

DNA dynamics

As Fishing Cactus points out on its blog, 'Creatures is all about artificial life. By modelling the building blocks of life, we believe it is possible to recreate life-like behaviours inside a digital device.

Everything from their [Norns'] poses to the individual chemical reactions inside their bloodstream are genetically specified.'

"As huge fans of the original games, we are thrilled to be working on bringing it back to today's audience," said Fishing Cactus' studio manager Bruno Urbain.

"We are determined to create a new great Creatures chapter, both modern and respectful of what made it the best virtual life game in the first place."