Gameplay style and game length is similar to Chuchel. Which is to say, it's a simple point and click puzzle game, and fairly short. The game asks you to solve simple puzzles by observing what happens when you click & drag objects. Instead of a cherry (in Chuchel) you're tracking down childhood toys. Instead of light hearted humour the visuals and music are creepy as hell. This is the first amanita game I would not play with my kids. Like Chuchel, the fun comes from seeing how the environment changes with your actions. Like all Amanita games, the focus is shared equally between gameplay, art, and sound. If you're new to Amanita games this should probably not be the first one you play. But if you're a fan of the company and their style then this one is worth picking up.
Disclaimer: I'm a huge fan of every game this company has made so far. For those don't aren't familiar with Amanita games: the devs put just as much effort into art, music & story as they do gameplay. For that reason, some gamers feel Amanita games are overpriced because the games are not super long nor are they super challenging. I haven't finished this game yet but I read it takes maybe 10 hours max to complete. What's different: Creaks plays more like platformer than any of the previous games. This threw me off a little at first but I quickly got used to the new puzzle mechanics. I'm not disappointed but I do miss the whimsical "click everything to see what happens" fun from the previous games. Botanicula & Samorost 3 did that particularly well. What's the same: Quirky, but amazing art, sound, & story. These games are special in that I love them as much as my kids do (and their ages range from 6-13). This game, like all their others, takes you to a whole new world. I often sit and soak up the sights and sounds of the rooms for a minute before I even worry about the puzzles. Amanita has done it again.
It's fair to say I'm a little biased. I have played through both Machinarium and Botanicula several times as well as the previous Samorost games. It seems like we have been waiting for a new Amanita game for ages so I was very excited to download this game. Samorost takes everything Amanita does to the next level. Both graphics and sound are off the charts in their attention to detail. The producers have clearly spent the last five years fine-tuning every aspect of the game. As with the other Samorost games (and Botanicula) the puzzles are not very difficult and usually solved intuitively. Most people will barely get stuck in this game if they simply study each scene for action points (when the cursor changes to a hand). Like in Machinarium, if you do get stuck there is an in-game hint book anyway. I can't think of a single criticism for this game except that it felt like it took forever to come out. I am really worried that their next game (if there is one) will take another 5+ years to be released.
