Impossible Creatures Steam Edition (PC)

2002 was an important year for real-time strategy games, with games like WarCraft III and Age of Mythology raising the bar for 3D graphics in the genre, and firmly establishing the concept of permanent hero characters that could develop and (in WarCraft III’s case, at least) level up in the course of a campaign. At the very end of 2002, Relic Entertainment released Impossible Creatures, which included many of these new features in a game revolving around genetic manipulation, allowing players to create an almost unlimited number of unique unit types. Almost 13 years later, an updated version of the title has been re-released on Steam, with fully functional online multiplayer support. Keep reading to find out if this classic game still holds up today.

Island of Abominations

The campaign of Impossible Creatures is set in 1937 and takes place on a remote chain of islands in the South Pacific, where industrial magnate Upton Julius, who is as unscrupulous as he is wealthy, has been mixing the DNA of various species together to create genetically modified creatures. He plans to clone these chimerical beasts indefinitely and amass an invincible army of monsters that he will use to conquer the world.

At the same time, adventurer and war correspondent Rex Chance arrives on the island in search of his father, who disappeared decades ago under mysterious circumstances. He eventually learns that his father is working for Julius, but soon after landing on the island, Rex becomes embroiled in a conflict with the powerful tycoon, and finds an ally in his father’s colleague Lucy Willing. Dr. Willing is intimately familiar with the technology that allows Julius to create his hybrid creatures, and she and Rex are able to use it in order to create a beast army of their own, which they plan to use to beat Julius at his own game.

So Familiar; and Yet, So Different

Before you plunge ahead into the campaign, there’s a tutorial that allows you to get acquainted with the basic gameplay mechanics of Impossible Creatures. And since other games in the genre don’t typically involve mixing together various gene pools, I’d really recommend playing through the tutorial. You also learn that instead of running your base using typical resources like gold, wood, or some strange type of crystal, you use coal and electricity. Coal is mined from the surrounding environment, and you get electricity by building generators.

Despite the major differences in content, the user interface and controls are pretty much typical for an RTS game. You use the mouse to select units and scroll around the map, and the mouse wheel allows you to zoom in and out with ease. If you want to change the perspective, hitting the Alt key will allow you to move the camera freely. And like any RTS game, the gameplay consists of building up and defending a base to launch your attack from. Research Clinics enable your Henchmen (workers) to carry more coal or heal wounded units, and Electrical Generators increase your energy supply. There are also defensive structures like Soundbeam Towers, Anti-Air Towers, and organic Bramble Fences.

From Hippo-Fish to Scorpion Cheetahs

During the course of the game, Rex can use his dart gun to gather DNA samples from any animal he comes across on the islands, which you can use in the “Biofusionator” to mix together two different species however you like. Depending on which body parts you choose to combine, this will create a unique set of stats for your new creature, which you can also give a name to. For example, if you combine a bull and a bat, you can use the bat’s wings to give your creature the ability to lift off the ground. The bat’s light and fragile parts allow for greater speed, but also make the animal weaker, and the bull’s head gives you a better line of sight than the bat’s would. This kind of creative experimentation is what gives Impossible Creatures its unique appeal.

While there are only a few species available at the beginning of the game, the number of creatures you’re able to combine steadily increases as the game goes on. The developers claim that it’s theoretically possible to create over 30,000 different animal hybrids, though not all of these would actually be any good in the game. Once you get familiar with the different species and know how to combine them effectively, it’s best to concentrate on creating the most powerful creatures you can.

Old-School Variety

The single player campaign of 15 missions feature a wide variety of level designs, taking place on several different islands and across a diverse range of terrain types (jungle, steppe, ice, etc.).

In addition to the campaign, there’s also a multiplayer mode that allows you to play with friends locally or online via Steam. Multiplayer features three different gameplay modes and 22 different maps for up to 6 players to duke it out against each other. In “Destroy Enemy Lab”, the objective is to infinltrate the enemy base and destroy the Lab, the “town center” in Impossible Creatures. The point of “Destroy Enemy Base” is to raze very last one of the enemy’s buildings to the ground. The last mode, “Hunt Rex” gives each player a Rex Chance unit, and the objective is to hunt down the Rex belonging to the enemy and eliminate him. Another cool thing is that the Steam version includes the Insect Invasion expansion pack, as well as a modding kit with the “Rock, Paper, Scissors” mod. This adds several new units, abilities, and maps to the base game. There’s also a map editor that allows you to piece together your own missions, which should keep things interesting long after you’ve completed the campaign.

The Ravages of Time

In 2002 (or 2003 for most of us), just having a campaign complete with decent voiceovers and well crafted cut scenes was still something new and exciting. And even now, the storyline of Impossible Creatures is really entertaining, with its witty dialogue and over-the-top characters. In the graphics, however, you can really see how old the game is, with its angular, low-polygon figures, lack of details like shadows, and fuzzy textures. This is really apparent in the cut scenes, which were state-of-the art a decade or so ago, but simply don’t hold up with modern games in the genre. I think it would have been worth Relic’s while to at least include an enhanced textures pack or something to lessen the gap a bit.

The soundtrack mostly consists of jazzy numbers and upbeat drums that go great with the island scenario and the game’s absurd subject matter. The music in the cut scenes is especially good, and sounds like it’s right out of a movie.