The Creature

The Creature is the main antagonist of the game. It is a dangerous monster that follows the player across the island of Eden. The Creature has no official name. A post from one of the developers mentions that the Creature's AI originated from a pet cat named Milo.

The Creature

On the hunt...

Fending off the creature with a makeshift torch

AI

You are safe for the first 3 days, during this time the creature does not appear. Afterwards...

Green Calm Spawns, Red Aggressive Spawns (DarkStarSword)

The Creature spawns on a hotspot/location trigger system. In other words, it is not traveling around on the island . It will appear near the player in "hotspots" (locations of interest such as near important plants the player needs to finish the story) along with random locations. Running, falling, swimming , and other loud activity that one might think attracts a predator does not cause the Creature to spawn. Becoming sick or injured does have a higher chance of attracting it, as does being near/carying ingredients for The Cure. The more agents you synthesise, the more aggressive and persistant the creature becomes.

However, when the Creature does spawn, it acts very much like a predator. It will slowly stalk towards the player, and if spotted, it will growl menacingly and swipe at the player with its big, powerful claws that will knock the player off his feet or kill them. When the Creature has spotted the player, turning away from the Creature or running from it will cause it to give chase. The Creature moves at a higher speed than the player and cannot be outrun.

This is the large graphic overlay seen on your screen when the Creature spawns after you use a mental stimulant or the Brain Emphasis Drug. This graphic turns red when the creature sees you.

If the Creature has lost sight of the player, it will walk away and despawn. Occasionally the Creature will frantically search the area near where it last spotted the player (particularly if the chase led to a camp) and does not despawn, in which case the player needs to remain out of the Creatures line of sight but move far enough away. Moving far enough away from the Creature will cause it to despawn, making travel safe again. Because of the spawn mechanics of the Creature, getting up and sprinting in the direction that it despawned will not cause it to respawn.

The simplest and most effective way of getting rid of the Creature (even if it has already seen the player) is to immediately duck behind an object such as a tree that blocks direct line-of-sight to the Creature. More often than not, the Creature will circle the object the player has chosen to hide behind, so making sure that they are able to move around the hiding place is important. Thick trees, head-statues, pillars, and rocks are perfect for this. The Creature can't see the player for as long as the object is between the player and the Creature's eyes. If the player stays out of view of the Creature long enough, it will give up and run off. This is done much easier with a mental stimulant or the Brain Emphasis Drug, as the player's head will turn to face the Creature while crouching and not moving the mouse.

Notes

The following notes are subject to change and are largely based on speculation and experience.

• The Creature is invincible. All attacks won't hurt it, but may buy you time.
• Two hits from the Creature will kill the player. The first one knocks the player down. Clicking repeatedly to skip the animation will allow the player to get back on their feet faster.
• The time of day does not affect how often the Creature spawns. Daytime is just as dangerous as night time. The Creature spawns much more often in the late game.
• Occasionally, the Creature will spawn immediately after despawning.
• The Creature will detect the player more easily if they are running.
• As long as the Creature hasn't spotted the player already (slow heartbeat), hiding in bushes or tall grass is one of the easiest ways to get rid of it. If the player has been spotted, waiting for the Creature to turn its back and then moving to a bush or some tall grass should allow the player to escape the Creature.
• In some cases while travelling and immediately after hearing the heartbeat, turning 180 degrees and running in the opposite direction will cause the Creature to despawn due to the increased distance between it and the player. However, the Creature may respawn behind the player on random occasions.
• When running away from the Creature, make use of dense trees, etc. - the animal is quite wide, and cannot squeeze through small gaps that the player can. Climbing steep slopes is another good way to evade it. The Creature isn't able to climb and has to find another path around the slope. Similarly, descending steep slopes (whether the player manages to avoid falling or not), can cause the Creature to seemingly become trapped up above, especially if there is no short path circumventing the steep incline in order to catch up with the player (this can be further aided by hiding as soon as possible after the successful descent or fall).
• If not necessarily attracted to fire (it keeps clear of camp fires, torches, etc. and has a natural wariness of them), at the very least it can be said that its attention nevertheless is easily grabbed by the bright flames. Waving a Torch in front of it will cause it to pause and watch the movement of the flame. Throwing the burning object will cause the Creature to turn and look towards it, then sometimes run over to investigate. Due to this behaviour, burning sticks or torches are generally more useful in distracting the Creature than conventional weapons such as the knives and axes found throughout the island (especially since none of those weapons, nor rocks, can harm it any more than they can harm the other, smaller and presumably more fragile creatures inhabiting the island: all weapons of any sort simply lack any harming or interactive effect on the environment, whether used in an attempt to fend off an aggressor, hunt for food, chop down a tree, cut a branch or a slice of apple).
• Throwing items such as rocks at the Creature will cause it to roar and shake its head, yet remain undaunted in its advance, so this is mostly ineffective. It will sometimes cause the Creature to turn and investigate the spot where the rock landed, or, occasionally, as reported by some, to run away (at least in the early stages of the game - as the player progresses and gets closer to achieving the main goal of assembling the cure, the Creature becomes both more persistent and more brazen).
• The Creature does not spawn on water. Travelling along the waterline may be an effective way to prevent it from spawning close to the player and navigating. However if it does spawn (see map above) there will be little chance of evading it and no cover as it appears betwen you and and trees or rocks. In this situation you are very likely to die.
• Usage of mental stimulant will help locating the Creature as well as identifying whether or not it can see the player. The Brain Emphasis Drug is a permanent solution. When the Creature spawns, crouch immediately to take advantage of the HUD upgrade from the medicine.
• If the player attempts to run away from the Creature, it will give chase and tackle the player. Thus, it is advised to face it and back away if it spots the player. Throwing a burning stick behind the Creature might help distract it long enough to allow the player to hide.
• The Creature can only swim short distances, so swimming across a span of water far enough will help escape it. Using plants that provide extra swimming strength (to prevent drowning) are useful here - Herculean tonic and Muscle emphasis drug.
• Hiding or swimming away from the Creature are the most effective forms of evasion. Hiding behind trees, logs, landmarks , large rocks, or the best option - inside camps where the Creature cannot go - are the optimal solutions. Tall grass will also work, and will prevent being in the Creature's line of sight.
• Steam Achievements are available for hitting the Creature with certain objects, such as an apple, a banana, an orange or a tin can.
• Other animals, the small creatures inhabiting the island (squirrels, hares or rabbits) fear the Creature and tend to flee from it en masse, if in the vicinity - so, if the player notices an animal running past them, it's a fair assumption (which turns to certainty, if more than one is running past) that the Creature isn't too far away, even if the player character's anxious heartbeat can't yet be heard.

After taking The Cure, the Creature will no longer spawn, allowing the player to explore the island without fear of being attacked (its sudden post-cure disappearance perhaps further reinforcing the thought that it is a figment - perhaps materialized thanks to the island - of a plague-ridden, feverish mind; as seen in some of the earlier expedition's members case as well, who have either obsessed with painting after painting of the Creature, sabotaging the research of team members or even killing them, or generally displaying signs of psychosis, sociopathy, odd behaviour).