MUTANT YEAR ZERO: ROAD TO EDEN
All animals are equal…ly able to wield shotguns
Anyone familiar with the Mutant: Year Zero tabletop RPG may not have been filled with confidence by the promotional materials for this game. The series is known for its share of mutated bears, but… a duck and a warthog? Thankfully, instead of hakuna matata and “duck voice acting”, you get the oppressive atmosphere of fighting for your life at the end of times. The look is familiar: rusting cars, dilapidated ruins taken over by trees. Games certainly haven’t lost their fascination with the end of civilisation. Ostensibly a turn-based strategy game in the vein of XCOM, Mutant: Year Zero makes clever use of this setting in order to add storytelling and exploration to the mix.
As mutants, Dux and Bormin are immune to the radioactivity that turned most humans into ghouls. They scour ruins for anything the remaining ones can use. When the mechanic at their settlement disappears in search of mythical safe haven Eden, they set out to find him.
MYZ has desperation written into its DNA. It’s vital to comb each of the beautiful maps for money and equipment, and even then there’s never enough to go around. Your party is small and, thanks to surprising spikes in difficulty, constantly overpowered by ghouls, so sneaking and silent takedowns are vital. This blend of stealth and strategy makes the game exhilarating: every success is hard-won. Downing enemies with a critical hit before they can call for backup will have you and your team whooping.
OUTFOXED
Sometimes you need to sneak past foes entirely. Chances are you will have to come back, as the experience points and gear they drop will be vital down the line. Each map needs you to make use of cover in a different way, so backtracking never feels like grinding. You can spend XP on ability upgrades as well as special mutations, including wings, stone skin, or magic that bends nature to your will. Each of these is crafted to help you turn the tide at the last second – a common occurrence.
MYZ stumbles on its storytelling as much as from being a PC port with a clunky control scheme and tiny text. Instead of a gripping narrative, you get jokes misconstruing the meaning of artefacts of our bygone civilisation, like the “Tale of (P)Izza and Fala(fel)’s Magical Palace”. The setup feels like a tabletop RPG one-shot, yanking you into and out of its world with nary a conclusion. It knows well where its strengths lie, however – as the old saying goes: come for the duck in a top hat, stay for the combat.
“THANKS TO SURPRISING SPIKES IN DIFFICULTY, SILENT TAKEDOWNS ARE VITAL.”