Developer: T0 STUDIO
Publisher: T0 STUDIO, Microïds
Platform: PC
Tested on: PC
Metal Mutation – Review
Dungeon Crawlers have always defined replayability, sending players through ever-changing sceneries while building up their powers, only for them to die eventually and do it all over again with that pinch of extra skill and knowledge. This is exactly the experience that Metal Mutation presents to players, pitting them against cybernetic beasts in a cyberpunk world.
Story
The story takes place in the not-so-distant future, where medical advances have progressed exponentially to bless people with hypermodern prostheses thanks to nanomachines. However, the downside of this progress is the creation of a parasite-like disease called Metal Mutation. Now it is your task to rid an overrun space station of this mutation, facing the fierce creatures affected by it.
This is all you need to know to enjoy the game. It becomes clear pretty early on that the focus of Metal Mutation lies more on its gameplay than its narrative, meaning that there aren’t really any big story developments. There are however a ton of extra information dumps in the form of NPCs and data files that give more context surrounding the virus and how the companies that created it come into play. This is a nice addition for players who want to learn a bit more about the universe, while also not distracting gamers who are just here for the monster fighting.
Graphics
The graphical design of Metal Mutation is just fine. The station you find yourself in consists of different locations each with its own look, but the floors in these locations don’t look too distinct from one another. The same can be said about the creatures you will be facing, they each have their original design, but there’s a lack of variety. This lack of variety can make things quite repetitive. Along with these surroundings and creatures come some flashy neon effects from attacks, and these look nice but don’t do anything too unique.
Sound
Metal Mutation is one of those games that has a sound design that fits the game pretty well, as it’s rather average across the board. Each location you visit is accompanied by a standard track that you won’t remember after turning off the game. The same can be said for all the sound effects, enemies, and attacks, as these sound exactly like you would expect them to sound. This combined with the pretty basic graphical design delivers a very unmemorable presentation.
Gameplay
Metal Mutation is an action-packed dungeon crawler with a big focus on replaying randomly generated dungeons and building a unique arsenal of special moves. Each time you kick the bucket, you will have the chance to get some permanent upgrades to make the next run just a tiny bit more manageable.
When you enter a brand-new dungeon, it can feel like you’re taking on the challenge while being very underequipped, only having access to normal attacks and dodges that don’t do anything too special. This will change very quickly, however, since there are tons of upgrades to be found throughout the space station. The most important ones you’ll encounter are the upgrades for normal and special effects, adding an elemental effect and changing how they work. This might add a gust of wind to your normal slash or turn the ranged attacks into destructive fireballs. The variety in effects you can find is pretty extensive and the game rewards experimentation to find a build that suits your playstyle and the enemies you’re encountering. Aside from these, upgrades are also a ton of effects that boost your stats and can even turn you into one of the bosses for a short amount of time. While all of this adds to the replay value of the game and adds a ton of customization, the big problem with the combat lies in its performance. The combat doesn’t feel that good and is pretty slow due to some sluggish design choices. Things like clunky controls and a lack of variety in enemy types take away a ton of fun from the experience.
Outside of this combat, Metal Mutation offers a pretty fun dungeon-crawling experience. When you descend to the next floor, there are a few options presented as to what kind of level you want to visit, like one with weapons to unlock or a place where you can heal. This adds another layer of tactics to the game, where you have to consider what the biggest need is at the moment. After you complete a few floors or die, you will be visiting a hub location where permanent upgrades can be unlocked to improve your overall performance. The biggest ones are permanent effects unlocked through leveling or weapons that can be bought. These have a pretty big impact and give a permanent feeling of progression.
Conclusion
Metal Mutation is a pretty hard Dungeon Crawler to recommend. There is a fun gameplay loop with ever-changing dungeons filled with unique upgrades and a progression system that has a noticeable impact. But, at the same time, the game falls flat when it comes to combat, which doesn’t feel as good as it needs to when it is such a critical part of the game. The bland and uninspired presentation also doesn’t help the game. While there is some fun to be had with Metal Mutation, there are just too many other games that do everything it tries to deliver better.
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