Biomutant
About Biomutant
Jack of all trades, Hamster of None
Biomutant is a beautiful role-playing game with an interesting story, unique characters, and a gorgeous open world dripping with vibrance. Biomutant was developed by Experiment 101 and published by THQ Nordic. Experiment 101 is a Swedish game stuido that was acquired by THQ Nordic who is most notable for publishing Ori And The Blind Forest, Quantum Break, State of Decay, the Darksiders series, and many more.
Biomutant is currently priced between $39.99 - $59.99 depending on the platform and is available on PlayStation, Xbox One, and Steam for Microsoft Windows. While there is much to review in this content-filled RPG, I don't cover every aspect. Below I provide excellent resources on character creation and combat. Afterwards I discuss The Story, The World, and finally, the Conclusion & Rating.
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The Story
From the moment I laid eyes on Biomutant, I knew I would be playing it. Whenever a developer creates a beautiful open world, adds a Kung-Fu martial arts theme, and drops the story setting into an apocalyptic world, I play it. It doesn't matter if you're already suffering from Open World and Post-Apocalyptic Fatigue (OWF/PAF - Consult Your Doctor); you jump in. It's worth noting up front that we could write large tomes on the combat mechanics and optionality in battles and also the complexity of the character creation, but both have been done in detail by above average, non Busch League gamers who don’t wear dad hats.
On character creation, I enjoyed this video by Fextralife and Polygon's write-up.
Biomutant has multiple plots that tie into the main story. Beneath these plots, you'll find powerful themes that resonate with many because of present-day affairs but these themes can also found across the history of humanity. The first is regarding the Toxanol Cooperation, where corporate greed has destroyed the earth, making it uninhabitable by humans and responsible for the hideous furry mutations you see in every character throughout the game. Another plot is the warring tribes vying for territory whom you seek to conquer or join. Within this plot, you'll find an interesting backstory of how your mother once led the tribes of the land in unity. Unfortunately, due to her deep anger and inability to co-exist with different mutated species that she thought shouldn't exist, chaos eventually ensued. The tribes split, allowing conflicting views to drive the divide further. Lastly, we have the World Eaters, which are ravenous monsters who have funny names highlighted by a comedic narrator. It's also worth noting that in this plot which is a part of the overarching story, your narrative path depends on the decisions you've made leading up to the battles. You will have the ability to destroy the World Eaters or tame them, providing a separate sequence of events for each.
The story is complex and, at times, not entirely clear. At other times the story and dialogue almost feel unimportant, as if your actions hold little weight in the bigger picture. One aspect I hope you'll enjoy as much as I did was the narrator's voice, performed by David Shaw Parker, which I found splendidly pleasant throughout the experience compared to the made-up animal speak, which begins each dialogue. As mentioned above, Biomutant also provides humor throughout the story, whether through the egregiously made-up names and slang or the protagonist peeing on outposts to mark the territory discovered. While some of the comedy didn't land for me, the latter of the two examples never got old. For lovers of dialogue and narrative, slow down and be intentional about the crisscrossing plots and more minor details. For button mashers interested in the world, fighting, and doing weird things, blaze on, and I am sure you'll find peace.
The World
Of the entire experience, my favorite was exploring the world. If you've watched any trailers, I'm sure you've been sucked in by the vibrant environment hitting every point across the color spectrum. There are eight biomes on the map resulting in the geography fluctuating as you enter new territories. A few of them are lush, green, and full of sharp colors—others, utterly barren as you waver through dry desert-like climates. Later, you'll find yourself in the swamps and an apocalyptic biome full of dead fauna and half-standing structures.
While each territory brought about new scenery and new enemies, I found the unique gameplay offered in multiple biomes to be an enjoyable surprise. An example would be the time spent within the Deadzone. The air is so toxic that one cannot enter without being inside a giant mech suit called Mekton Mech, which left me feeling like I instantly teleported from Kung-Fu Rodent to Gundam Wing. In the Surfipelago region, you'll experience the Googlide, a water jet ski to travel along the rivers. In addition to these unique mounts, which once unlocked become an instant choice in transportation, you'll find a variety of different mounts to call upon and ride at any time throughout the game.
While the reviews on the world within Biomutant are mixed, I found them different from the most recent open-world RPGs I've spent time with. That in itself allowed me to explore the other regions with excitement as a change-up from what I'm used to.
Conclusion & Rating
Despite our overall concerns that Biomutant tried to be too many things and jam in features that both fell flat and seemed mechanically irrelevant, we gave Biomutant a 7.5 out of 10. This game has much to offer, and although I beat the main story in 14 hours, one could double the time played easily. If you enjoy what you have seen or read thus far about Biomutant, I will bet that you'd want the game, and it would be worth playing. If you are interested in listening to our podcast for a full breakdown, you can listen to it here.
Disclaimer: One of our reviewers was provided a code by THQ Nordic for review and the other purchased their copy.
