Nan Creatures Extended

I've had a few run-ins with browser games that call for real money of late, with varying levels of enjoyment. It usually depends on the amount of heckling on the part of the programmers: if they ask for money occasionally, and in a surreptitious manner, I don't really mind. As long as I can still play the game for free and not feel guilty, I might consider dropping some extra coin.

Nan Creatures Extended - and I presume the 'extended' just includes more creatures and levels - is another but subtle when asking for money. It is so NOT subtle that it's annoying.

Concept

If Nan Creatures has a story, I can't find it. The point is this: you are part of a glorified cock fight, populated by giant creatures whose sole purpose in life is to beat the shit out of each other. Sound familiar? Been done a billion times by now, and with no story to back up the action Nan Creatures is also pretty boring.

This, uh, 'concept' boils down to an RPG system. A maximum of three creatures on either side of the battle lines form up and attack each other. Take out the opposite three monsters in each level and you can move on to the next. Huzzah.

In theory, not horrible. Basic, but not horrible. My primary concern throughout the game was how damned often you're hounded for money. Not that it's quite so overt, but every time you beat a level you're 'recommended' to register on the Nan Games site. Not only that, you're 'recommended' twice after each battle. AND WHENEVER YOU TRY TO UP YOUR MONSTERS' STATS. Jesus, ENOUGH WITH THE MESSAGES.

Sorry. A bit worked up. Needless to say, there is no subtlety here.

Graphics

Meh. Pretty bland. The monsters don't stand out in any way. Even the god of the monsters (I'm assuming it's a god, anyway) looks rather unremarkable.

Also? When you switch between worlds? Try creating a new arena to fight in. Yeesh.

Sound

HERE'S where Nan Creatures stands out from other games. I LOVE the music. Everything is done in rumbling, operatic fashion, which, despite doubtlessly being synthetic, works very well. I'd love to hear the battle music used in some OTHER game. Thumbs up. Buuuuuut, of course, the music is used over and over and OVER again, so even the good stuff is stale after about half an hour.

The sound effects themselves are unremarkable, save for one: the death grunt. EVERY DAMNED MONSTER sounds like some weird surfer dude when they die. What the hell? Couldn't have worked up some artificial roars instead?

Challenge Rating

Nan Creatures is not overtly difficult. It's more plodding than it is tough: most battles can take upwards of ten to fifteen minutes to complete, as enemies will heal faster than you can deal damage. It also takes a hellishly long time to increase your team's level... which I expect is mitigated somewhat if you register. Oh, joy.

My biggest beef came with the move sets. Unlike other RPGs, Nan Creatures uses a rotating set of moves for each creature. Use up one move and another comes in to take its place. Quite often the result of this is a monster that has nothing useful in its repertoire during a given turn. And, sure, you CAN rearrange your moves for maximum potency, but it's an annoying process.

Conclusion?

I didn't finish Nan Creatures. I didn't even come close. I will admit this. It strips all of the soul out of RPGs and replaces it with pure, dull grinding. Extended or not, this game ain't very good.

PLAY NAN CREATURES EXTENDED