Creation

Players control a submarine in first-person perspective. Gameplay involves exploring the ocean, where players encounter marine life such as dolphins and whales. Players also encounter Syndicate installations such as genetic laboratories and research bases, as well as their cybernetically-enhanced creatures called G-Sharks. The world's fungi causes Earth's marine life to enter a psychotic frenzy, as well as attracting Cetacea to consume their tendrils.

The submarine is equipped with lasers and explosives, and players can be aided by dolphins, who have the ability to control unmanned machinery telepathically. In early versions, fish can be taken back to base, bred, and a device can be attached to them, enabling the player to control them. Dolphins can be deployed via an overview screen. Multiplayer support with up to eight players competing against each other was planned.

Creation takes place in the Syndicate Wars' timeframe. Earth's oceans have been destroyed by centuries of war, fishing, and pollution. The remaining marine life has been transported to planet Creation, terraformed by Earth probes. It turns out that the planet is not lifeless; there are fungi that are deadly to the marine life transported from Earth.

Fungi samples are returned to Earth to be analyzed, but the Syndicate realizes that it can use the fungi as a weapon, and send ships to exploit them. The Syndicate purchases the planet, and decides to destroy the player. In an attempt to stop their drug-harvesting programme, an appeal for help is sent, but this attracts mercenaries and pirates who were previously unaware of the planet. Ships are sent to Creation to collect the fungus drug and resell it on Earth.

Creation had been the title of previous Bullfrog titles Populous, Power Monger, and Magic Carpet. Bullfrog co-founder and managing director Peter Molyneux explained that there was a tradition to name each special game Creation. The one that became Magic Carpet came to be because Bullfrog designer Glenn Corpes had an engine which resembled Magic Carpet, but it was slow. Molyneux suggested that he set the game underwater so that the speed did not matter, and also came up with the idea of having cities and intelligent fungi competing for the world's resources. Development was progressing slowly, and speed became a non-issue, so the project became Magic Carpet.

Development of the second underwater game named Creation began in late 1993, and the development team was led by Phil Jones. It was set for a summer 1994 release. Development was aided by a group of researchers from the University of Surrey, who studied animal life's reactions in relation to the environments they evolved in. Molyneux believed that the game would be "more exciting" than Magic Carpet and Theme Park, which were in development at the time.