5 things we loved about BIOMUTANT - Our review

The story is based around a post-apocalyptic land as the Tree of Life slowly starts to die. Though this may sound like a fantasy tale, there’s some surprisingly poignant messages that any gamer can use as a stark reminder of how to treat the environment, or the consequences of the human race failing to do so.

This running commentary goes on throughout the game, and provides a captivating tale in which you can control the outcome.

The size of BIOMUTANT’s world is massive! Once you get out of the vault and into the overworld, you’re hit with an explosion of color and scale. However, it’s not just the fact that it’s a world full of height, as it really feels like it's a bustling land full of interesting characters, and hidden remnants of the past.

A great example of this is the small villages that you can stumble upon throughout your journey. Each one of these is special in some way, and makes you feel like a tiny (albeit key) part of the land. 

You’ll also find broken railways, highways, and other nods to the world of the past. Including ‘up and downs’ which is the future world’s name for elevators, and gave us a chuckle when we first heard it.

You may have already seen BIOMUTANT’s vast customization in terms of player models as you can pick from a range of breeds, sizes, classes, resistance, fur style and color. All which affect not just the look of your character, but also their stats and skills too. Of course, we went for an Orange and Grey friend.

Once you’ve started the game though there’s even more with lots of weapons, gear and Wung-Fu moves to unlock, alongside your abilities, classes and levels. Plus, you’ve got your handy sidekick that can provide different purposes dependent on your choices.

All of this creates a massive amount of personalization that means that you can progress your character exactly the way you want to.

We realise that the voice narration may not be loved by all, but for us it’s a source of much joy. The witty commentary, storybook style narrative, and translation of the characters makes the commentator not just an occasional figure, but a constant in your game.

For us, this is a welcome pleasure as the narrator becomes like a companion in your game and provides additional depth that really immerses you into the story and world.

A Karma System isn’t new in gaming, however, the fact that each of the Karma systems has a virtual representation in the game is a welcome addition. The Light and Dark side interact and banter with one another when your alignment changes, which puts yourself right in the middle of not just a world-saving struggle, but also a moral one too.

Karma and the decisions don’t just impact how the story ends, but also how characters respond to you. You may get massively varying dialogue and reactions from a character if your alignment doesn’t match theirs, and this makes every interaction feel fresh and dangerous at the same time.