Developer: The Bearded Ladies
Publisher: Funcom
Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tested on: PC
Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden – Review
Nuclear war began and with that notion the world has ended. Welcome to a post-human world. It’s time to look for Eden, a safe haven, a paradise, a happy place in the middle of hell. Or isn’t it? Set out on a journey with a team of Mutants to explore the ruins of Sweden and engage in tactical turn-based combat. In the new and groundbreaking Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden, the developers including former HITMAN leads and the designer of PAYDAY, will definitely take you on an exciting adventure.
Story
Old and new superpowers continue to battle, nuclear weapons are used in armed conflict, and of course, the world ends. The post-human world has been reclaimed by nature and Mutants, deformed humanoids and animals alike. They’re all just looking for something to eat. In order to survive, you and your companions must venture out to explore the Zone. Maybe one day you will find the Eden of legends, a potential safe haven in the middle of hell. That’s where truth awaits. Or so the stories say. Will you find your answers there or is it all just a lie?
Your heroes are Dux, a duck with an attitude problem, and Bormin, a boar with anger issues. You are later joined by Selma who is mostly human. This small band of explorers is called Stalkers.
The story behind the game isn’t anything groundbreaking. The world ended; well it has ended a million times in both games and on television. However, the whole story package is fun and keeps you entertained throughout the whole game.
Graphics
Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden is set in the ruins of 1980s Sweden. The game looks beautiful and really sets the mood. While walking around the environment you’ll get to take in the beautiful art style in which the game was designed. Every part of the map has its own feeling and is executed in detail. The characters each have their own vibe and characteristics, as well as their own look.
Sound
During your journey you’ll accompanied by fitting and charming tunes. The writing is amazing; fun dialogues and some humor appear every now and then. The Stalkers each come with some great voice-acting.
Gameplay
Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden is a tactical adventure game that combines the turn-based combat of XCOM with real-time stealth and exploration. It’s based on the Swedish pen-and-paper series RPG from 1984 and later 2014. You can play a tutorial to get familiar with the game.
You can pick one of three difficulties. First, there is the normal mode is for players who are new to tactical games. Here, enemies do less damage, Stalkers regenerate all health after combat and skill cooldowns are reset after combat. Secondly, we have the hard mode. This is for players who have a little experience with tactical games. Enemies will do more damage, Stalkers regenerate 50% of their health after combat and skill cooldowns are not reset after combat. The last one is the very hard mode. Players who are experienced at tactical games can pick this option. This last mode is the intended experience of the game. Enemies deal a lot damage, Stalkers regenerate no health after combat and skill cooldowns are not reset after combat. You can also turn on the ‘Iron Mutant’ option in all three difficulty modes. This option enables permadeath and won’t save manually. The only saves taking place are the ones after every combat turn.
If you want to, you can turn on subtitles during the gameplay. Furthermore, the game saves automatically at certain points. In the options menu, you can also choose to autosave after combat. Mutant Year Zero can be played with both a keyboard and a gamepad. You can switch between three Stalkers per mission.
You’ll be playing in two main environments; the Ark and the Zone. The Ark is your home in the post apocalyptic world. The game lets you develop the Ark in the areas of warfare, food supply, technology, and culture. It is up to you to decide which projects you work on. You can return here to stock up on supplies before you head out on your next adventure. The Zone is the wasteland around the Ark. You’ll wander around here to look for food, artifacts and other Mutants.
The combat system in Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden is turn-based. You either initiate battle on purpose or you’re detected by enemies. You can enter into combat with various enemies. The ones with red skulls above their heads are too high leveled for you and your team and will kill you. Each Stalker gets two action points per turn. Some moves, like shooting, throwing and sprinting, will end your turn immediately. You can hide out to avoid combat or you can sneak up on your opponents. The red circle around the enemy shows where you’ll be detected. This can be very helpful when you want to ambush a camp with your team. Scout the area, count the enemies, split up and get into position! The analyzing of the various scenarios is key here. This turn-based combat is enjoyable but gets repetitive at times.
When you’re not engaged in combat you’ll be walking freely around the map. The Zone in which you’ll be walking is divided in different areas that are connected. This RPG part of the game is very delightful. You can search for scraps around the areas, which are highlighted a little so they catch your eye rather quickly. You’ll need these for things like weapons and medkits.
Of course your Mutants can also gain mutant points. Every time you level up, each Mutant gets mutation points. These can be used to to unlock powerful combat mutations or to improve your Stalker’s stats such as health. Mutations are either major, minor or passive. Only one of each can be set in your loadout.
In total you’ll spend about 20 hours on this game. This will of course vary according to your experience and the difficulty level you choose. It feels like the game is a little unfinished and more content should be available for the price it’s selling at.
Conclusion
All in all, Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden is a fun game. Even though the story is rather basic, and not the most original one you’ll find out there, the gameplay is enjoyable. Besides the repetitive character of the game, the combination of turn-based tactics and real time stealth was a great idea. One of the best features remains the graphics, which are detailed and just beautifully done. The in-game sounds and voice acting are top notch as well. It’s too bad the journey didn’t last longer, but you’ll most likely still enjoy it.
Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden - Review,
No Comments