Biomutant – Review

Our Rating: 9/10

Since its unveiling in 2017, followers of Action-RPGs and unique projects have been keen to experience the lush lands of Biomutant. But after multiple delays, is it able to live up to the hype and expectations?

Biomutant describes itself as a post-apocalyptic Kung-Fu fantasy and the Experiment 101 project’s path is determined by this string of terms. This vivid story depicts the end of times, as well as the death of the Tree of Life, against the backdrop of a prophecy foreshadowing the arrival of a legendary warrior.

The world’s destiny is in the hands of this one-eyed Ronin. This is the beginning of a journey in which a hero, personified by the player, is free to make his own choices and is responsible for the repercussions and ramifications of those decisions.

The narrative is notable for its light tone and humor, which is often schoolboy and corresponds to the themes addressed. Biomutant tries to be silly in its writing, with simple vocabulary for the youngest readers, but it deftly highlights the brutality of war and the consequences of impending ecological disasters.

The game provides a dual interpretation of the events as told by an omnipresent storyteller who tries to ease the tension by doing too much. However, we strongly recommend reducing the frequency of voiceover interventions. Especially if you want to fully appreciate the world around you without being interrupted every two minutes by a commentary.

A very hasty narration

Biomutant, on the other hand, struggles from a hasty narration, as evidenced by its almost amorphous introduction, which bears no resemblance to the journey to come but does attest to a minimalist staging. The (too) static cutscenes struggle to convey the urgency and gravity of the situations to the audience. Flashbacks are the same way.

These playable scenes retracing the hero’s childhood are devoid of rhythm and fail to emotionally engage us in the same way that the hero’s current actions do. Undoubtedly, the adventure here delights in confronting you with your inconsistencies, demands, and relative kindness.

If you want to learn more about the one-eyed Ronin’s various fates, the “New Game +” option allows you to restart the story from the beginning while keeping your experience, weapons, and equipment, as well as your aura.

Lands of the Apocalypse

Experiment 101 studios’ artists have created a quirky open-world realm that welcomes players to explore. This opportunity to travel guarantees a change of scenery at all times. Primarily, outdoors with its 7 different biomes.

In this post-apocalyptic world, a contaminated and polluted nature reclaims ownership of the ruins of an ancient society. The fusion of various types of flora and urban elements creates unique and diverse environments. Wandering is enjoyable, even if the fauna shines only by its presence.

The surroundings may appear empty, even lifeless. The apocalypse demands it. But the visit is adorned with many characters, places, and mysteries. Discovery in its purest form is frequently rewarded with small revelations. Most importantly, the loot required to survive.

At first glance, the encounter with an NPC, lambda, appears to have the potential to alter the course of the adventure, if not the outcome. In addition, the creators have included a fast travel system. As well as a variety of unusual vehicles, such as a prosthetic hand and numerous mounts to tame. Making the hero’s recurring movements easier.

Gameplay

Of course, increasing the avatar’s power requires gaining experience. This leads to a gradual increase in various statistics, but this isn’t the only requirement. Mutations and other psychic abilities, some of which require access to your aura, add to the many possibilities.

These supernatural abilities, while not necessary for survival, spice up conflicts. It also adds a level of playful and visual unpredictability that we don’t mind. Weapons, choices, and his physical evolution as the adventure progresses all play a role in the legendary Ronin’s fate. To protect himself, the one-eyed warrior employs his skills to create a variety of weapons out of whatever he comes across.

Furthermore, Biomutant’s craft is one-of-a-kind due to the improbable design obtained by repeatedly modifying the items. The sheer pleasure of imagining and then creating the next gun or sword justify traveling around the world.

The same can be said for the hero’s outfit. It has been modified to give him a unique look that will be difficult to duplicate. All thanks to the vast number of options and the omnipresent randomness of loot.

The Disciple of Wung-Fu

Enduring in Biomutant’s vicious world requires mastering an ancient martial art that skillfully blends ranged and melee weapons. From a young age, the one-eyed Ronin has mastered the intricacies of Wung-Fu. He knows how to defend himself when the situation demands it.

The combat system is primarily based on the avatar’s weapons at a given time “t”. These determine the available combos, special moves, and thus the path to Super Wung-Fu, or a series of ultimate attacks to overcome the obstacles.

It’s all about dodging, with a Slow Motion effect to make the sequences more epic. Use your ranged attacks to reduce enemy health and melee combos to finish them off. The warrior can also draw on a variety of psychic abilities and mutations. These are acquired throughout the adventure to help him defeat even the most formidable foes. This Action-RPG isn’t intended to be a test in and of itself.

Biomutant is still a game that anyone can play, though the fights do take some getting used to. These, sadly, lack oomph. The impacts, which are mostly melee, struggle to convey the brutality of the blows.

The diverse bestiary, which includes anthropomorphic characters as well as simple creatures, the fruits of evolution, manages to maintain the intrigue of these clashes by alternating the forces involved. The boss fights, which come in fours, only add to the experience on the surface.

The encounters with the Mangemondes are certainly memorable, but they are conventional in both conception and execution. There is a general mastery of clashes. A mastery that deserved to increase in intensity and finish to satisfy fans of martial arts and warlike competitions.

New Gen Consoles

Despite its good intentions, Biomutant is finding it difficult to compete on a technical level. The work is dated, especially in indoor settings. However, once out in the open, the artistic direction compensates for the lack of technique with deft use of color and light.

On NewGen consoles, the game suffers from a short display distance, occasionally coarse textures, unexpected object appearances (clipping), and slowdowns. The Biomutant experience is available in 1080p at 60 frames per second on PS4 Pro and Xbox One X. 1080p at 30 frames per second on PlayStation and Xbox One, and 4K at 60 frames per second on PC.

Experiment 101, to put it frankly, provides fans flexibility with a complete editor. Biomutant starts without too many surprises with the creation of the main character. The latter features 6 races and 5 classes. Each of which determines a variety of passive abilities, coat options, DNA mutations, and even contamination resistance.

These characteristics are difficult, if not impossible, to change once the adventure has begun, depending on the circumstances. You can, of course, create a new avatar, but that will require you to begin your journey from the beginning. There are still some exceptions if you meet the right people while wandering around the map.

Final Thoughts

Biomutant is exactly what we anticipated. Namely, a generous project with good intentions. Bringing a breath of fresh air to the genre with its atypical vision of Action-RPG. It is true that concretizing and combining these various aspects is difficult. The fact remains that this experience, unlike any other, completely disorients, surprises, and throws you off to the point of becoming memorable.