Unfortunately, it looks like Biomutant, the debut game from developer Experiment 101, isn't quite living up to its hype. While Biomutant's intriguing combat is certainly supported by the engaging enemies players will encounter, many critics agree that its overall verbose gameplay is further hindered by a storyline with a confused delivery.
Sometimes referred to as Horizon: Zero Dawn with rodents, it's clear where Biomutant's inspiration came from, but the game itself is found to be uninspiring, according to critics. Though the game certainly looks unique, drawing elements from so many places such as Breath of Wild's open-world exploration could be the reason why Biomutant may feel so unoriginal. But rather than a linear storyline like Horizon, Biomutant's post-post-apocalyptic story is a collection of branches based on the chosen tribe out of six total. Three of these tribes want to save the Tree of Life while the others have their own plans, but the players can influence their motives through a karma system. However, the overall narrative struggles to ground itself between childish storytelling and meaningful dialogue on philosophy.
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While Biomutant starts off as engaging, especially with its unique character creation system and stunning scenery, missions grow stale quickly, becoming redundant even within the first few hours of the game, critics say. Though the game features seemingly different paths between the morality system and the different tribes, the journeys and quests within them are largely the same, as are the boss battles no matter if players choose to heal the Tree of Life or not, and the decisions, unfortunately, aren't enough to drive motivation throughout the narrative.
Still, where the game shines is Biomutant's diverse array of enemies and their rich designs alongside the slew of power and weapon options, allowing the player full reign to decide how they want to take opponents down. Still, using the same few combos again and again can grow tiresome after some grinding.
Game Rant (Cameron Corliss)
"Those shakeups are a godsend, too, because combat is central to everything BioMutant has on offer. Visually, the mechanics are interesting, boasting an action movie flair that few games can replicate coupled with comic book-style "thwacks" when hard hits land. There are a few different weapon types, though many of them share the same combo inputs. There's a radial menu that allows players to equip different weapons on the fly, so having similar combo inputs does help keep combat from feeling bogged down."
Score: 2.5/5
IGN (Luke Reilly)
"To its credit, the way Biomutant fuses all its components together has resulted in something that is actually unique, at least broadly speaking. It’s certainly the only open-world post-post-apocalyptic kung fu action RPG starring anthropomorphic animals I’ve ever played. The key disappointment is that the structure of the actual game that all these ingredients have been injected into is anything but unique, with objectives and tasks overtly recycled or riffed upon mission after mission."
Score: 6/10
Gamespot (Richard Wakeling)
"Unimaginative mission design compounds the story's shortcomings, as your quest to defeat all four Worldeaters always boils down to a formulaic back and forth. The general structure is decent enough, with the Tree of Life looming high in the center of the map--its mammoth roots jutting out in four distinct directions. There's a Worldeater waiting at the end of each root and a supporting character that's willing to help you reach them. The problem is that the way you reach each one is always the same. You meet a character, they reveal the vehicle you need to use, then you're sent to grab a part they need to get it working, and repeat."
Score: 6/10
PC Gamer (James Davenport)
"Biotmutant feels like it's going to be much more, but in practice it's an endless stream of new ideas that go nowhere and beautiful, toxic landscapes with little to offer except an excuse to use photo mode. (I'm at 127 screenshots and counting.) It's especially disappointing because Biomutant's nonchalant, optimistic vision of the post-apocalypse is a refreshing take on the end times, with a weasel dressed like Elvis for every fascist cannibal emperor in Fallout. But if you strip out the gangly, affable muppets, all that's left is a broken open world RPG with little else to discover except another cheap riff on the same color-matching puzzle, plastered over a rotary phone or microwave or whatever. At least it looks amazing."
Score: 60/100
Game Informer (Marcus Stewart)
"Combat blends stylish melee with wacky gunplay but lacks the polish it needs, often feeling messy and imprecise. Parrying feels especially unsatisfying, and the loose lock-on system makes staying on target a finnicky [sic] pain. I appreciated the variety of special powers at my disposal such as creating trails of fire or conjuring ice storms. These abilities add a flashy wrinkle to the action, but they also don’t pack as much punch as I wanted in battle, even after investing stat points into them. Biomutant’s combat became more tolerable once I acquired stronger weapons via a robust and rewarding crafting system. After collecting random junk like old sniper scopes, trumpet horns, or even bananas, you can slap together devastating killing machines. I had a great time maximizing this system, and seeing my creations tear through monsters always felt rewarding."
Score: 6.5/100
GamesRadar+ (Sam Loveridge)
"It's such a shame, because there is a great game in here. Biomutant's world and its characters are wonderful and brilliantly silly, but these elements clash against some of the more serious elements of the core story. The intensely formulaic and repetitive moments distract from the brilliant ones that'll have you nodding in approval, or laughing at its bizarreness. And it all comes down to the fact it doesn't really know exactly what it is or wants to be. If you got Biomutant in a sale, you wouldn't be sad, but as a full-priced offering, it feels too confused to easily recommend."
Score: 3/5
Between the customizable weapons and many skill sets, variety is what keeps Biomutant interesting, at least for as long as it's able to before the plot and missions grow dull. Still, Biomutant didn't quite live up to the hype that came before it, according to reviewers.
Many are sad to see another game with so much hype around it turn out to be somewhat of a disappointment, especially upon hearing of Biomutant's performance issues, but some fans believe Biomutant was never meant to be taken too seriously and exists purely for fun.
Biomutant releases on May 25 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.