Impossible Creatures

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Impossible Creatures is an 2003 RTS by Relic Entertainment (of Homeworld fame), where you take 2 of 76 creatures, combine their features and then use 9 of them in your army. Although the game was rather well received by critics, Impossible Creatures sold poorly, thus denying options of a sequel.

The campaign mode followed the story of Intrepid Reporter Rex Chance, who teams up with scientist Lucy Willing in a quest to find his father, Dr. Eric Chanikov. He finds out about his father's death, and thus resolves to stop megalomaniac executive Upton Julius, who plans on using Sigma technology (combining animals) to rule the world. Along the way, Rex defeats Julius' minions: the whaler Whitey Hooten, the fashionista Velika La Pette, and the mad scientist Dr Ganglion.

While he and Lucy do this, Rex discovers more about himself, eventually finding that he is the first product of the technology, accidentally fused with thousands of animal traits. In the end, Rex defeats Julius, the game ending with a The End or Is It moment as Rex looks to the camera with the blank eyes of the creatures.

The game's engine would later be reworked and used in a later game from the same company, a game that goes by the name of Dawn of War...

Tropes used in Impossible Creatures include:

• Awesome McCoolname : Rex Chance
• Card-Carrying Villain: Every single one of the villains; the Big Bad wants to conquer the world, his "dragons" are a whaler, a Femme Fatale and a Mad Doctor, and are all proud of it.
• Cruella to Animals: Velika La Pette
• David Kaye: The voice of Upton Julius and the Henchmen
• Diesel Punk: Set a vague amount of time after the Spanish Civil War, with technology far more advanced than anything in the 30's or 40's. Despite everything being coal-powered, it follows the Diesel Punk aesthetic more as far as setting and building design.
• Design It Yourself Equipment: or should we say design it yourself units.
• Everything Fades
• Fake Longevity: As Computer Games Magazine pointed out, there were countless combinations that one could make, yet only a handful of them were worth using.
• Fridge Logic: Why does Rex's enhanced abilities and glowing eyes only activate now?
• For Science!: Lucy Willing has this as one of her quotes, and it also characterizes her view of the Sigma technology until they discover that the villains are experimenting with using it on humans.
• Glowing Eyes of Doom / Prophet Eyes: For some reason all the creatures have white, glowing eyes. After he is revealed to be a genetic experiment; Rex Chance's eyes become like those of the other creatures.
  • In a limitation of the engine, even the normal animals you harvest DNA from have no pupils in their eyes.
• Heel Face Revolving Door: Dr Ganglion defects to Rex after his base is destroyed, then goes back to Upton in the final level.
• Lego Genetics: The entire basis for the gameplay
• Mad Scientist: Dr Ganglion.
• Mix and Match Critters: Possibly the ultimate example.
• Mook Face Turn: the source of your Redshirt Army
• Portmanteau: The combined creatures' base names
• Samuel Vincent: The voice of the Villagers
• Spike Shooter: Porcupine DNA can grant this ability.
• Talking to Himself: Rex Chance, Whitey Hooten and Dr. Ganglion, Lucy Willing and Velika Le Pette and Upton Julius and the Henchmen
• The Tunguska Event: Leads to the story events