Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden REVIEW

Boarman and Dux walk into the zone. Which is, not just the opening to a joke I have no punchline for, but also the first scene in Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden. Based on the tabletop game of the same name, you’re welcomed to a familiar X-com style combat system. However, the narrative unlike X-com comes with a roster of pre-created characters and a more defined story. Although it was released in 2018, I have only just managed to play it, as it is included with an Xbox Game Pass. Don’t get me wrong, I loved everything it had to show when it was released, and I probably would’ve picked it up. Yet, this gem flew under my radar and waited for the perfect opportunity, when im craving a turn based strategy game, to ambush me. 

The Story

Welcome to the Zone, you are a stalker. No, not that type of Stalker; this isn’t set in Chernobyl and you are not Strelok. Instead you’re a squad of Dux and Boarman two mutants which share remarkable similarities to their animal counterparts. They have been genetically affected by the Zone which makes them the most likely to survive in the heavily irradiated environment. You start the game walking through the woods on a resource retrieval mission for the Elder, the leader of your group which inhabits the Ark; a large ship in the sky, which acts as your safe haven for the game.

In the Ark you can buy resources, weapons and equip upgrades. The game’s story is centered around one overarching quest to find Eden. And having one quest rather than multiple side quests and story quests makes the experience extremely focused and linear. However, the player always has the option to branch off and explore other routes. Which, although may be a dead end, could have a great stash of weapons and armor hidden away, even an extra piece of lore for those narrative lovers. 

Seeing as the story is Mutant Year Zero’s main appeal I won’t be delving too deep into the lore. Experiencing the Zone and all its inhabitants without spoilers is the ideal way to enter the game. The stories length is dependant on your chosen difficulty, yet for a normal player it could range from 10-20 hours. Its content is extremely focused and to the point making the playtime short, yet consistent. 

The Gameplay

A blend of X-Com and Divinity Original Sin is how I would describe the gameplay; with a splash of stealth integrated into the game. While roaming the world you are at a 90 degree, over the head, angle and able to freely move around to explore the zone, similar to Divinity Original sin. However, when entering combat the perspective changes. Switching between overhead and third person.

This combat is extremely Similar to X-Com. You have Action Points (AP) which allow you to perform actions (ofcourse), such as walking and shooting. Each time you take a shot you have a percent chance to hit the target and a seperate chance to critical strike. I found stealth ambushes to be the most ideal way of entering combat. The game actively suggests and gives you multiple options for engaging with enemies. However, after the first combat, it is impossible to think about going in guns blazing. Stealth is clearly the most efficient and safest way is to pick enemies off one by one. This favourtism in gameplay is a deeprooted design flaw which became an issue for me about 7 hours in.

Levelling up rewards each character with points, which can be spent on upgrades. Do you want a duck that can fly with giant grotesque bat wings? How about a Boar with stone skin that can run into combat with high armor and smash walls down. Well these are just the base upgrades, and with more characters to meet the combination of characters and mutations should make the game extremely replayable.   

However, this is where Mutant Year Zero slightly disappointed me. Upgrades are extremely subtle and offer very little deviation from the ambush heavy gameplay that Mutant Year Zero instills early on. Although, you spend these points on mutations for the characters combat, the majority feel like cosmetic upgrades. Because, the only viable playstyle is stealth based. My issue is that none of the base upgrades feel like they could ever turn the tide of a battle. Therefore, the game unintentionally forces your playstyle into repeating stealth ambushes over and over; which, im sure you can guess is extremely repetitive.  

The Performance

My pc specifications are as follows:

Graphics: GTX 1060 3GB

CPU: Intel i5 7400

RAM: 16GB

I have a mid range PC and I found a few issues with running the game; which shouldn’t have been the case. The game is extremely beautiful to look at. However, not so much, that it should have frame drops or graphical issues like it does. These issues are at fault of the game design and not my system’s specs. However, the frame drops and issues, although annoying don’t affect the gameplay too much and the game can be enjoyed even with these issues. 

The Verdict

Mutant Year Zero sits at a price of £29.99 on Steam, which is quite steep for what it offers in terms of a linear gameplay loop and slight graphical issues. However, it is also on the Xbox Games Pass (PC) which at the fraction of the price makes this game worth while to pick up and sink a few hours into.Overall, the gameplay loop is extremely enjoyable, even though it is frustratingly restrictive in how you can play. Yet, I find myself wishing it had more flexibility in the combat. Although, I can’t lie, I had a lot of fun playing the game.

The experience of exploring the well fleshed out world, and character stories within the Zone is worth the price of Mutant Year Zero. And although, the game does have issues regarding its slow paced opening and restrictive gameplay. I would still highly recommend Mutant Year Zero. Especially, to anyone who wants to play a heavy story based game. Pick it up here for Steam or try it on Xbox Games Pass.