The Collection Chamber: CREEPERS + CHRISTMAS CREEPERS

You! Yeah you!
Are you looking for an environmentally responsible alternative?
A game that's super-friendly and ecologically sound?
Well then, have we got a game for you...

NOT!

The Creepers are on their way to their Butterfly Bowls but they can't make it alone. They need your intelligence and skills to get then there and only then can they spread their wings.

So how can we help? Takin' your swatters, ramps, fans and magnets, you take them on a great adventure through over 100 wondrous lands of caverns, forests and factories.

Can you save them from the bubbling tanks of boiling oil or from the hungry crows who swoop down to devour them on their fabulous journey?

Who knows?

But the real question is, are you good enough to survive the challenge of the Creepers?
Over 70 Puzzling Levels
16 Funky Soundtracks
256 Colours (PC)
Difficulty Grading from Easy to Brutal

~ from the back of the box

No, Creepers is not about that creepy neighbour who insists on going commando when wearing shorts in the summer. Creepers is about creeping caterpillars turning into butterflies. Big difference.

Released in 1993 by Psygnosis, it shares a lot of similarities between its other puzzle classic; Lemmings. Only here, a dash of Sierra's The Incredible Machine is thrown in for good measure too. The combination is a winning one too, making for a great alternative to those suicidal rodents.

You have to guide a specified number of rolled up caterpillars to a hatching pot where they will instantly turn into butterflies. The fuzzy insects will launch from their hiding place - be is a tap, a cannon or the mouth of a fish - and blindly bounce all over the place. When the settle, they will unfurl into the wriggling larvae we all know and love.

Creepers start the level by popping out of a launcher such as a cannon, a flower or a faucet (left).
Guide them to the cauldron-like hatching pots to turn them into butterflies and complete the stage (right).

When in their wriggling state, they creepy crawlies are insanely slow, inching ever-forward in the direction their facing. Any wall, incline or of other trip hazard will have them turn and face the other way, but if there's a ledge, they will roll up in a ball and fall into the depths below. In true Lemmings fashion, this will most likely be a deadly trap. Unless you've placed something there to save them.

You have a select number of objects at hand to subtly assist the creepers. Girders provide inclines, ledges and blocking walls while fans, magnets and trampolines add further complexity to the Rube Goldberg machines you'll inevitably create. There is a limit to what you can place, as denoted by the Energy number at the bottom of the screen. Each has a unit - usually 1000 - but you can pick them back up to add to your coffer.

The most useful item can be found on all staged; the swatter. This pest-control device can be used directly on these creatures sending them bouncing high in the air. A good tool if ever they get stuck in a tight spot. They cost 100 units of energy, though, which you cannot get back so use it as a last resort.

Use the Creeper Cam to focus on one specific bug (left).
Some environmental objects, like these falling blocks, can be interacted with (right).

As you progress further into the 72 stages (and the four Christmas-themed ones found in the demo), more fiendish obstacles await. Objects in the environment can sometimes be interacted with by your cursor, while others require activation by the touch of a caterpillar. You can keep track of them using the Creeper Cam, which will zoom in to focus on any errant little buggers. It's not entirely useful until you reach some of the larger stages later one, but it also displays a countdown to when the first bug is launched.

Overall, it's an enjoyable game. Just as entertaining and frustrating as both of its inspirations. The bouncing physics can be wildly unpredictable at times, and the nature of the game requires trial and error more often than lateral thinking, but it's an addictive little time-waster that I'm grateful to have re-discovered.

To download the game, follow the link below. This custom installer exclusive to The Collection Chamber uses the DOSBox-X build of DOSBox to bring the game to modern systems. Manual included. Read the ChamberNotes.txt for more detailed information. Tested on Windows 10.

File Size: 23.0 Mb. Install Size: 53.3 Mb. Need help? Consult the Collection Chamber FAQ

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CREEPERS