Biomutant (PS4)

Status:

Complete and Play Tested

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Biomutant (PS4) Review

Developer: Experiment 101
Publisher: THQ Nordic
Genre: Action RPG / Open-World Adventure
Release: 2021

Biomutant is an ambitious and unusual action RPG that combines martial arts, shooting, mutant abilities, crafting and open-world exploration into a colourful post-apocalyptic setting. Its concept is immediately appealing: you play as a customizable animal-like mutant travelling through a world populated by strange creatures, rival tribes and the remnants of a destroyed civilization.

Unfortunately, Biomutant is also a classic example of a game with more ideas than refinement. There is plenty to enjoy, particularly the weapon crafting, colourful world and variety of combat options, but the experience is held back by repetitive missions, uneven combat, excessive systems and technical issues on PS4.

Gameplay & Mechanics

Combat attempts to combine several different styles. Aloy-style ranged combat isn't the focus here; instead, your character can switch between melee weapons, firearms, special abilities and mutant powers.

The basic combat system is enjoyable when everything comes together. You can combine melee attacks with gunfire and special abilities to create flashy combinations. Dodging and movement are important, while different weapons provide different approaches to combat.

The problem is that the system doesn't always feel as responsive or impactful as it should. Enemies can absorb considerable punishment, particularly later in the game, and combat can become repetitive.

Strengths

• Mixture of melee, shooting and mutant abilities.

• Plenty of weapons to experiment with.

• Flashy combat animations.

• Character builds can be customized.

• Mutations provide useful additional abilities.

• Combat encourages experimentation with different equipment.

Weaknesses

• Combat lacks the polish of the games it draws inspiration from.

• Some enemies feel like damage sponges.

• Melee attacks don't always feel particularly powerful.

• Combat can become repetitive.

• Too many systems compete for the player's attention.

The game is at its best when you're experimenting with different weapons and abilities rather than simply fighting standard enemies repeatedly.

Exploration & World Design

The world of Biomutant is one of its strongest elements.

The setting combines beautiful natural environments with the ruins of humanity. Forests, deserts, contaminated areas, underground locations and destroyed settlements create a colourful but strangely melancholic post-apocalyptic landscape.

There are also numerous ways to traverse the environment, including mounts, vehicles and specialized equipment. This gives exploration some welcome variety.

Unfortunately, the open world is heavily populated with conventional objectives and activities. Once you've spent enough time exploring, many locations begin to feel familiar.

The world looks more interesting than the actual activities contained within it.

Story & Themes

The story revolves around the Tree of Life, which is being corrupted by creatures known as World Eaters. Meanwhile, several tribes are fighting for control of the world and attempting to determine its future.

Your character becomes involved in the conflict while also dealing with the consequences of the world's environmental destruction.

The setting has some genuinely interesting ideas. The contrast between cute animal-like creatures and the remains of humanity's industrial civilization creates a distinctive atmosphere.

Unfortunately, the storytelling is one of the weaker aspects of the game.

The narrator provides much of the game's exposition, while characters communicate through a combination of strange vocalizations and translated dialogue. This creates an unusual presentation but can also make conversations feel unnecessarily slow.

The story also struggles to maintain momentum because it is constantly interrupted by side activities and explanations of different gameplay systems.

There are choices involving morality and the fate of the world, but they don't always have the depth that the premise suggests.

Mission Design & Progression

The game offers a substantial amount of content, but mission quality varies considerably.

Main missions generally provide more interesting objectives, particularly when dealing with the World Eaters and tribal conflicts. However, side missions frequently involve travelling to a location, solving a relatively simple environmental puzzle or defeating enemies.

There are also numerous specialized activities involving things such as:

• Vaults.

• Old-world ruins.

• Underground areas.

• Environmental puzzles.

• Tribal conflicts.

• World Eater encounters.

• Resource gathering.

• Weapon crafting.

• Character upgrades.

The sheer number of systems can initially be impressive, but eventually the game starts to feel overloaded.

Character progression allows you to customize attributes, mutations, abilities and equipment. There's plenty of flexibility, although the number of menus and upgrade systems can make progression feel more complicated than necessary.

Final Verdict

Biomutant is a fascinating game because you can see the potential in almost every part of it. The colourful post-apocalyptic world, unusual characters, weapon crafting and combination of martial arts, firearms and mutant abilities give it a personality that many larger open-world games lack.

Unfortunately, Experiment 101 attempted to put too many ideas into its first major project. The combat is enjoyable but lacks refinement, the open world becomes repetitive, the story can be frustratingly presented and the sheer number of systems sometimes works against the game rather than enhancing it.

The weapon crafting and character customization are the highlights, while the colourful world provides plenty of incentive to explore. If you approach Biomutant expecting a polished AAA open-world RPG, its shortcomings are difficult to ignore. If you appreciate unusual concepts and can tolerate some rough edges, there is still plenty of fun to be found.

Biomutant ultimately feels like a promising foundation for a much better sequel rather than a fully realized RPG.

Score: 7/10