We may earn a commission when you buy through links in our articles. Learn more.

Creature Keeper brings together the best of Zelda and Stardew Valley

All that and a dedicated pet button

There’s two things that I can always enjoy more of: Zelda-style action-adventures and adorable games that use farming as a central mechanic. An upcoming indie title called Creature Keeper has us covered on both counts, along with a helping of animal and monster friendship. The game’s solo developer has just brought the title to Kickstarter.

Creature Keeper looks and controls like a Zelda, but its basic combat is buoyed with varied weapons and damage types to let you strategise advantages against varied kinds of enemies. You can set up quick access to get to different equipment loadouts on the fly, and get new combat abilities like shield throws to one-up the monsters.

But the big hook is that the monsters aren’t just enemies. You can make friends with those creatures, train them for combat, and go adventuring with a full party of adorable-but-vicious animals behind you. The critters naturally have their own abilities – some are bruisers right off the bat, while others grow in power as you add more of their kind to the party.

Importantly, there is also a dedicated pet button.

Rather than returning to a farm in between your adventures, your farm comes with you in the form of a pocket garden. This 5×5 grid lets you plant seeds that come in Tetris-block-like tiles, which will grow into crafting ingredients and everything from equipment to creature parts.

Developer Fervir is looking for $30,000 to bring the game to life on Kickstarter. A pledge of $15 will get you a copy of Creature Keeper, which is set to be delivered in March 2021.