The newest addition to the Apple Arcade series, Creaks, is now available for iOS devices. The game is developed by Amanita Design, a company that also produced other game titles for Apple Arcade, such as Machinarium and Samorost. Creaks is, however, not a point and click adventure game and is focused more on solving puzzles. Players will control a character, who will explore the mansion for hidden paintings, find solutions to carefully designed puzzles, and uncover the great secret within the underground mansion.
Creaks was “inspired by the topics of ambiguity and pareidolia—the psychological phenomenon of ‘seeing things’—Creaks aims to surprise players with its diverse surreal environments, hand-drawn, hand-painted, and carefully animated, as well as refined puzzles,” said Amanita Design. The visual art style also “goes hand-in-hand with music from Scottish composer and multi-instrumentalist Joe Acheson, aka Hidden Orchestra” (if interested in more of Joe Acheson’s works, you can find them on his website). Therefore, the combination of eerie environments and music is what makes the game both unique and thrilling for its players.
Within this surreal environment, the characters within the game are another highlight. First, there is furniture that transforms into animated characters. These are called Creaks, beings that seem to be both friendly as well as deadly. If they do attack, players can distance themselves from Creaks whenever they surround themselves around a beam of light. They seem to be afraid of it and, when hit, return back into furniture. Second, there are “eccentric avian folk,” or bird people, that inhabit within the mansion. These characters seem to be more supportive than hostile throughout the player’s journey, but it may be better to keep a distance just to be safe from these mysterious creatures.
If interested in learning more about the game, check out their website. Creaks is also available on the Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Playstation, PC, and in the App Store.