[h2][b][u]Note:[/u][/b][/h2]
This is a review originally written for [url= https://www.opiumpulses.com] Opium Pulses [/url]. The full article can be found [url= https://www.opiumpulses.com/article/892/mutation-review] HERE [/url]. Feel free to take a look at the Opium Pulse Steam Curation page [url= https://store.steampowered.com/curator/3800356/] HERE [/url] as well.
[h2][u][b]Authors Note:[/b][/u][/h2]
I was absolutely delighted to be informed that the developer was kind enough to take the time to read my article. Additionally, he was kind enough to clarify some areas where I needed to correct some facts, and gave some further understanding. The article below has been updated to reflect this.
Of note, while published under the Ossified name, this was the passion project of one person (who has been accurately credited below) over the course of a year. During that time he made no profit off Mutation, entirely self funding.
I would like to take the time to thank the developer for reaching out, as I am always happy to be further educated on titles I review. I would absolutely love to make a full revisit to Mutation when it's had a bit more time, as overall it is very clear he is passionate to deliver the best experience possible.
That being said, this review may have a change of rating in the future.
[h2][u][b]Main Article Below:[/b][/u][/h2]
Mutation is both developed and published under Ossified Games though the game itself was passionately developed by, a single member of the team: Manuel. Playing as Subject 1753- a convict sentenced to death. While you may have thought it was a god-send, an alternative, perhaps you did nothing more than purchase a one way ticket straight to a procedurally generated Lovecraftian nightmare. Simplistic in it’s current execution, seek out items and codes to make your way out, and help yourself survive. In addition, meld with your eerily sentient suit… and find a way to survive. With a thrilling concept, and the promise of an ever-evolving Abomination hot on your heels, I couldn’t wait to dive right in.
The excitement, however, waned within minutes. While claiming to be procedural generated, and they are (arguably) “unique”, but it only extends to a “skin deep” visual level. Halls and rooms are basic carbon copies, arranged in various ways, adjoining large vast empty rooms. Some rooms are curiously filled with things like… multiple toilets, where items can be stashed. Other rooms may have cabinets or crates scattered randomly on the ground. With little rhyme or reason, it’s a lot of traversal with very little payoff.
Not only do you need to collect 4 pieces of a code to help you escape, but your stress health and thirst gradually decrease over time, requiring you to keep yourself nourished. Easier said than done. Items are few and far between, and you’ll more often than not die of hunger or thirst than by the Abomination or zombie-like corpses that roam the halls. The presentation is, overall very empty, and there is VERY little to hold interest, aside from some very repetitious assets.
Navigating through the long halls and enormous rooms a hassle, but navigation in general leave much to be desired. While the game offers an easy mode that allows you to “ask” your suit about exit locations, you are also given view of the whole map layout- additionally pointing out materials and nutrients that give you XP to aide in leveling up. However, outside that easy mode (that MASSIVELY nerfs your experience) you have no use of your map. I found this wildly baffling. I would have thought that you would have at least had the map unveil as you discovered rooms. But no. Bare minimum, a functional compass? Again, no. It sits, worthlessly in the bottom right of your screen, twiddling it’s thumbs, looking for something better to do. You’re left to wander the lengthy halls and vast room with no help of any sort, and it’s absolutely infuriating, and at the end of the day, feels as though it’s not considerate of players time.
The music, unfortunately, falls flat as well. It feels as repetitive as the fathomless halls, doing very little to impress. The same can be said about the sound design. While initially it may have you on the edge of your seat hearing a critter scurry through the air vents, it loses impact quickly. Controls feel unpolished and clunky, and how they work with the UI feels very minimum. There is no true pause menu, so if you need a break in your run, you’ll be meeting death via surrender. The corpses roaming the halls only vary ever-so-slightly, all of them moaning the exact same audio loop as they go. If you want to shove them, you best pray you’re aiming just right in the hit-box, or you might find yourself out of stamina, and a goner in the process.
While patch-notes imply there was a tutorial implemented, I never saw an option for one, nor was I offered one in my initial play through, and you’re really left to find out what you should be doing with no help or guidance. (Of note, this was very likely a bug that I encountered, as it is clear the developer has implemented one- I was just very unfortunate in my runs.) And sadly, that fact alone hugely overshadows the really cool concept of the thing that is hunting you: The Abomination. Boasting up to 144 different combinations via mutation, its just presently not enough to be a driving factor. The concept of the skill tree, while interesting, is frustrating based off of not being given enough points for anything to feel impact when it comes to upgrades. Not only that, but the rate of experience gain is so slow (even on a standard difficulty, easy mode being disabled) That you’ll be playing through multiple runs. I roughly sank 2 hours into the game before I got 1 experience point. It felt incredibly unrewarding, to say the least.
Ultimately, Mutation feels like a game with a solid concept, but it presently feels like it needs to have far more going on before it had even hit Early Access. Lacking basic quality of life features, and lacking the attention and care in details that would seem like a bare minimum, there’s not much to be had here. Do I think it’s a poor idea? Absolutely not. Do I think it requires a heap of work from the ground up to make it something truly unique that stands out and carries it’s own… yes. However it is clearly a passion project. While I may recommend leaving the Tome untouched for now, the developer is clearly more than committed to providing the best experience possible. That said I think this is a title worth keeping an eye on, and I would strongly recommend giving Mutation a follow to see how it continues to progress- even a small gesture bolsters a large amount of support. Overall, I look forward to seeing how far this game goes in the future- and look forward to revisiting it farther along in development.
