REVIEW: Biomutant

Biomutant is Experiment 101's debut game. It is an action/role-playing/role-playing adventure that follows a mutated rodent who has become an inhabitant of the New World. This Earth has regrown since the human apocalypse. It must traverse landscapes to stop the Worldeaters from ruining their new way of living.

This is a game I've been waiting for. It was first announced in 2017 and even had a place at Gamescom 2018. It was announced in 2017, and even had a spot at Gamescom 2018. However, there were constant delays due to the small team that spent the game. This meant it was delayed until this year. Although I was only introduced to this game at the beginning of 2020, my patience has been greatly rewarded. Biomutant can be a great experience, even if it is a bit buggy right now.

Character customization is the first task that the player faces when they start a new game. This aspect of games is something I love, so it was a delight to see all the options available. My playthrough was with the Psioni class. They have magical powers. Given the variety of fur colours available, I chose a bright green and purple rodent for my character. Your abilities and strength are also affected by the customization. If the character is small in stature but has a large head, your intelligence won't be as strong as other body customizations but your strength will be greater. Although I normally choose what looks good, I found this process helped me think more about how I wanted my character look, even if some attributes could be improved later.

You are then transported into this steampunk world where mutant animals roam the streets. The first aspect to notice are the visuals--Biomutant is gorgeous. The combination of the green elements and the grey technology left by mankind is beautiful, reminding me in a way of Portal 2. There's an even darker reason: pollution and corruption eventually caused our extinction. The Earth was allowed to repair itself with some interesting consequences. This exposition is only given to the players in the first level. However, the story is memorable because all enemies players face are now mutated in some manner. The story is not only a commentary on humanity, given the year that it was released and the current events in the world, regardless of whether or not this was intended.

The world feels rich and grand with its own culture, aside from the exposition. Biomutant was designed to feel like a modern-day martial arts epic with modern weaponry and combat. Every area is unique and fascinating. Each creature you interact with has its own rules, regardless of whether they are a tribe member, an old friend or a resident from a village that was destroyed. Each creature has a unique story and history, which makes this game very engaging. All of this is accompanied by the fantastic narration of David Shaw Parker ( Horizon Zero Dawn). You feel as if you are reading an epic story.

You must also complete Biomutant combat. The combat is fast-paced, despite the fact that the fighting is spread out so exploration is the main focus. It's also surprisingly simple to learn, despite all the buttons. Each battle won and completed task is rewarded. Players get XP points which can be used to upgrade weapons and armour as well as increase certain attributes. It's clear that the fights are a motivator.

Character dialogue segments can also bring you other rewards. This was a feature I loved and hadn't seen before. It determines the story's direction and rewards you based on which dialogue option you choose. Inner balance is a system that determines whether characters trust you. I chose to be the Psioni class (Magic). The game gave me PSI-points depending on the dialogue choices I chose, which could be used to upgrade my magical abilities. This is a great example how to take a system (dialogue choices/trust system), and add rewards. There's an incentive for characters to speak to each other, regardless of whether they are plot-dependent.

I would have to say that I experienced a lot more freezing during cutscenes. It's unfortunate that bugs are an everyday reality in games. Biomutant however, did receive a lot more patch updates which greatly improved the game's performance. It is also clear that this game was made by 20 people. In that sense, it's still very impressive.

Biomutant was worth the wait. I applaud Experiment 101 for their debut game. I would even go as far as to say that I look forward to any future projects by them. They have created a game that is fun and evokes the feeling of an epic story. Additionally, they have added something new to existing games like power upgrades and weapon weapons. It's also stunningly beautiful and has many different levels. I found it so fascinating that I wanted to explore every level. Although it took a while, the final product was worth it.