Step into a world of genetic mayhem with Impossible Creatures Steam Edition, a reimagined classic from Relic Entertainment—the legendary developers behind Homeworld and Company of Heroes. This real-time strategy (RTS) title breaks the traditional mold of the genre by replacing standard faction archetypes with a revolutionary DNA-based system. Instead of choosing between predefined armies, players utilize Earth’s most formidable animals as biological building blocks to engineer a custom legion of mutant monsters.

A Genetic War in the 1930s

Set against a fantastic 1930s pulp fiction backdrop, the campaign takes place across a remote chain of islands in the South Pacific. The story follows Rex Chance, an adventurer and war correspondent searching for his long-lost father. His quest leads him into a confrontation with Upton Julius, a wealthy and unscrupulous industrial magnate. Julius has been using advanced genetic research to clone chimerical beasts, intending to amass an invincible army to conquer the world.

To combat this threat, Rex teams up with Dr. Lucy Willing, a scientist intimately familiar with the technology used to create these hybrids. Together, they use the same gene-splicing technology to build their own beast army, fighting to protect an unsuspecting world from Julius's biological onslaught.

Innovative Gameplay Mechanics

The core of Impossible Creatures Steam Edition lies in its unprecedented creature customization. The game features over 50 base animals that can be combined to create a vast array of unique, genetically-altered units. Every choice matters; even small anatomical tweaks, such as selecting a specific head or tail, can impact a unit's combat statistics.

While the gameplay follows established RTS conventions—including base building, resource management, and unit micro-management—it introduces several unique twists:

  • Resource Management: Unlike traditional games that rely on gold or wood, players must manage coal and electricity. Coal is harvested from the environment, while generators provide the power necessary to sustain your operations.
  • Strategic Depth: Players can define their own strategies by building specialized armies of melee, flying, or area-of-attack units to counter enemy compositions.
  • Transferable Progress: Units refined during the single-player campaign can be tested and utilized in other modes.

Steam Edition Features and Multiplayer

The Steam Edition has been fully remastered to ensure compatibility with modern systems. This version includes all previous patches, the Insect Invasion expansion, and a robust Mission SDK (C++) for community content creation. For those seeking competition, the edition features re-implemented multiplayer with improved NAT traversal for a smooth online experience, alongside Steam Cloud support and Steam Friend invites.

The multiplayer component allows up to six players to wage war in real time. To streamline the competitive experience, players can build and refine their creatures offline, storing their custom armies for future online battles.

Who Is This Game For?

Impossible Creatures Steam Edition is a must-play for RTS enthusiasts who crave something different from the standard "rock-paper-scissors" unit dynamics. It appeals to players who enjoy deep customization, creative experimentation, and the tactical satisfaction of building a custom army from the ground up. Whether you are navigating the 15-mission single-player campaign or testing your biological engineering skills against other players online, the possibilities are limited only by your imagination.