Biomutant is a Refreshingly Weird Action-RPG With a Lot of Potential
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In terms of the gameplay,
Biomutant feels very much like an action game in the style of something like the
Batman: Arkham games, but with added RPG elements to give the player a sense of progression and customization with their character’s abilities.
What I didn’t expect to see from playing
Biomutant was how seemingly tongue-in-cheek and over-the-top that the game would be.
Developer Experiment 101 really seems to be embracing the unique aesthetic of
Biomutant and the possibilities that its mutated creatures offer. It’s a weird game, but I mean that in the best way possible.
That tongue-in-cheek quality especially comes through in the combat, as players can utilize a range of kung-fu powers to take down their opponents, including a set of powerful Super Wushu abilities that can deal devastating blows to enemies.
Outside of the game’s characters and combat, what really struck out to me as well was the world of
Biomutant, which feels refreshingly lively and colorful. While it does take place in a post-apocalyptic setting,
Biomutant felt closer to something like
Enslaved: Odyssey to the West or
Horizon Zero Dawn in how it blends the post-apocalypse with a vibrant setting that feels lived-in and natural. Though I was roaming through dilapidated cities and areas that suggested the collapse of civilization long ago, the lush environments all gave
Biomutant the feel that life has begun anew, and made me want to continue diving in further to see the rest of this world and what has become of it.
While I only had a brief window of time to play
Biomutant (about 15-20 minutes), what I played so far still felt like a wholly unique experience that has a lot of potential, from its action-packed combat to its (seemingly) extensive RPG mechanics. Though it seems like there are a ton of systems that I had only just begun to scratch the surface of in the demo,
Biomutant seems like it has the right amount of character, satisfying combat, and deep exploration to make it feel like one of this year’s potential sleeper hits. Like the mutated creatures that make up the game,
Biomutant seems to have found an unusual mixture of genres and gameplay styles that somehow has managed to work in its favor.
https://www.dualshockers.com/biomutant-preview-pax-east-2019/