Games worth discovering

The Kreator Review: Adventure Blossoms

3K View2022-05-10

Whenever I have free time, casual games like Flappy Bird and Piano Tiles keep me stuck to my phone. They are easily accessible, spontaneously enjoyable, and most of the time, not too hard to understand. The latest casual game to eat up my weekend is The Kreator.

The Kreator is a casual game featuring an endless platforming experience wherein you collect light orbs, protect yourself from the darkness, and grow nature across the planet you roam. It sets you on a tranquil adventure towards making a better world with the help of soothing music and radiant visuals. The Kreator has a free-to-play trial with only one accessible mode and two soundtracks. However, in-game DLC boasts ten soundtracks spanning thirty-plus minutes in total and a zen mode for a meager $0.99 to keep you playing the game for longer.

Image Credited to The Kreator | StarRyhme Co., LTD | Lucida Games

As a casual title, The Kreator’s gameplay isn't too complicated. You're presented as a giant glowing light that can only jump or float in a barren, uninhabited world that you need to cultivate yourself. The main objective is to gain as many points as possible and survive. Starting off, you'll move forward and circle the planet automatically, traveling across land and ocean and acquiring little light orbs that give you a point each. Points are classified as days, so ten points scored equals ten days passed as your longest journey.

As you touch the ground, you’ll leave a path of flowers and saplings which grow as you circle the planet and pass over them again. Growing flora and forests didn’t give me any in-game bonuses, like extra points, but it was nice to see my progress in the game represented visually. I got a kick out of watching the cute little stubs grow into large trees of different shades, and seeing the flowers blossom after I touched them.

Image Credited to The Kreator | StarRyhme Co., LTD | Lucida Games

While The Kreator can be a relaxing game, it’s not completely without some danger. If you miss or don't collect a light orb as you move forward, the uncaught light morphs into an entity of darkness chasing after you. Once the darkness touches you, the game ends. At first, I found it relatively hard to get through the game without dying, mainly due to my own sluggish reaction time. Despite my poor gaming skills, though, I found myself naturally getting into a rhythm over time, and before long I started hitting scores past one hundred.

Other forces of light operate as power-ups, such as a blue orb that allows you to pick up other orbs farther away from you, a pink tracking orb that radiates darkness-destroying light like a shield, and a white light orb that follows and illuminates the darkness, destroying it to protect you. Both orbs follow you, the pink orb sends out multiple pulses of light while the other specifically protects you once. I found this mechanic pretty cool when I found myself in tricky situations. I particularly enjoyed picking up pink orbs as they saved me many times from losing the game to the chasing darkness.

Image Credited to The Kreator | StarRyhme Co., LTD | Lucida Games

My only significant issue with The Kreator was that I was unable to purchase the aforementioned DLC, despite really wanting to expand the game’s soundtrack and test out zen mode. There appeared to be an error in the payment process while I was playing which caused the payment options to not open when I selected the DLC. My attempts to enjoy The Kreator to its fullest were sadly frustrated.

It speaks to how solid an experience The Kreator is that I still got a lot out of it, even in its free-to-play form. As with most casual games, it grew a little boring after a while, as the gameplay was pretty linear and repetitive. Don’t go into this game expecting to play it for hours on end, because it's not that type of title. There aren't any collectible cosmetics, achievements, or special rewards given to you for reaching certain point milestones. Ultimately, The Kreator is a calming game to be indulged in whenever you want; it’s there for relaxing and refreshing your mind, not for chasing the next epic high or completing a thrilling adventure.

SCORE 3 STARS OUT OF 5

PLAY IF YOU LIKE:

• Flappy Bird or any of its knock-offs. The Kreator features an almost identical gameplay experience to Flappy Bird, and the only difference in its game setting is that you're flying an orb of light and not a yellow bird.

• Nature. The Kreator is filled with nature whether it’s trees, flowers, or plants in an almost pastel, simplistic art form. Its game design is further complemented by soothing soundtracks that might connect and calm nature-loving gamers out there.

Mentioned games