Clyde Radcliffe’s rescue mission has a different sense of movement on Atari STe. A new Creatures beta from AtariCrypt adds scrolling to the Atari conversion, revisiting a presentation choice which frustrated the project’s creator in the original release.
The first beta became available on 26th October 2026. AtariCrypt describes an initial playable build with flickering and graphical glitches, followed by further revisions before sharing it. The download remains a work in progress, with players invited to report bugs.
Creatures began on the Commodore 64 in 1990, developed by Apex Computer Productions and published by Thalamus. Brothers John and Steve Rowlands divided the principal creative duties: John handled programming, while Steve supplied the graphics and music. WJS Design subsequently produced the Atari ST conversion, with Philip Watts credited as its programmer.
Behind its colourful characters sits a much nastier premise. Clyde belongs to the Fuzzy Wuzzies, whose fellow island inhabitants, the demons, capture his companions and imprison them in torture chambers. His journey to rescue them combines platforming with the game’s distinctive rescue puzzles.
Even the title hides a joke: CREATURES expands to “Clyde Radcliffe Exterminates All The Unfriendly Repulsive Earth-ridden Slime”. The original earned 96% in Zzap!64, and Apex followed it with Creatures II: Torture Trouble in 1992. An Amiga conversion of the first game followed in 1993.
The Atari conversion has its own set of credits, including graphics by Noel Hines and music by Tim Bartlett. Atarimania also documents enhanced STe palette support and digitised sound in the original Atari release. The new beta tackles scrolling within that existing version of the game.
Alongside the scrolling changes, the beta adds an extra screen to the introduction. AtariCrypt also credits Peter Putnik’s earlier work on the game.
The free beta is linked through AtariCrypt’s Creatures page, alongside a demonstration video.
