An ambitious game in which there is almost nothing good: what the press writes in Biomutant reviews
Today was the release of Biomutant, the debut ARPG from the Swedish studio Experiment 101, which faced a lot of postponements and problems on the way to its “dream game”. Judging by the prevailing number of mixed and negative reviews, there was no miracle. Biomutant is scolded for almost all elements — from basic gameplay mechanics to a boring and empty open world.
About the game
Biomutant is an ARPG in an open world populated by anthropomorphic animals. The combat system is based on a combination of melee attacks, shooter mechanics and the use of special abilities. The developers promised not only an exciting gameplay, but also a well-developed world that will change depending on the player’s actions.
Work on Biomutant began shortly after the natives of Avalanche Studios (the authors of the Just Cause series) founded Experiment 101 in 2015. The full announcement of the title took place in 2017, and soon the studio announced the full readiness of the project. However, after that, the release of Biomutant was repeatedly postponed, and the game itself was sent for revision.
As a result, the average score of Biomutant on Metacritic was 68/100 for PC and Xbox, and 62/100 for PlayStation.
Opinions of critics
The VGC edition gave the game 2/5, praising only the large picturesque world and the weapon crafting system. Almost all elements of Biomutant were criticized, including boring exploration of the world, uninteresting characters and a “stupid” moral system.
Biomutant seems to have everything a successful open-world ARPG needs. However, there is no intrigue in exploring its cities, fields and bunkers. There is not even a decent, challenging action game in the game that could fix the situation. Given the lack of such a large number of ideas, it seems that the developers wasted their efforts on a potentially interesting setting.
— VGC
The PC Invasion edition gave the project 4.5/10. According to the author of the review, Biomutant is not the worst game of all time. However, she is mediocre at best, and at worst, simply unbearable. The optimization of the PC version was also criticized.
Apart from the visual series, there is nothing good about Biomutant. This is a boring, too simple game that young children may like, but I can’t imagine a more tasteless and uninteresting game in the open world. It has a boring narrative, a sluggish combat system, and all the content is weak and constantly repetitive.
GameSpot rated Biomutant 6/10, praising the colorful world, crafting and partially combat system. The plot, mission design and routine gameplay were criticized.
An interesting game is still hidden inside Biomutant, but with many reservations. It doesn’t always hit the target exactly, but it’s an ambitious project with its drawbacks from a small studio, and I would like the gaming industry to always support such risky endeavors.
— GameSpot
PC Gamer also delivered Biomutant 6/10. The disadvantages of the project were again recorded poor narration, boring gameplay and a broken progression system.
Gritting my teeth, I tried to wade through the terrible narrative and useless progression system, if only to see what kind of unknown creature the game would push me against next time. Biomutant is an extravagant cartoon diorama, unlike any of the other PC games. It’s just not that much fun to play or listen to about it.
— PC Gamer
The same assessment of Biomutant was made by IGN. The publication praised the character design, beautiful world and diverse combat system. According to the author of the review, the main problem is that the game is several generations behind in game design from other open-world projects.
This is by far the only post-apocalyptic RPG in the open world about anthropomorphic animals who know kung fu. The main disappointment is that the structure of the game itself is not unique, and the goals and objectives here almost do not change from mission to mission.
— IGN
Despite the criticism, some publications praised Biomutant, giving the game 8, 9 and even 9.5 points. For example, the Shacknews portal praised the game for its impressive world, diverse combat system and decisions affecting the world.
This is a strong debut of Experiment 101. Let some concepts seem unfinished, the game has something to appreciate. A diverse narrative and action game ensures that two players will not have the same experience. Thanks to the flexible combat system and style, Biomutant is still an impressive and high—quality RPG.
Russian publications were also not enthusiastic about Biomutant. Most reviews, if not negative, are at least mixed. Igromania, for example, rated the game 3/5.
Her best ideas are drowned in a mass of shortcomings caused by extremely outdated ideas of the authors about game design. Today she is unlikely to surprise anyone, but she is quite capable of brightening up a couple of evenings if you really want to look at the beautiful post-apocalypse.
StopGame gave Biomutant a “passable” rating, citing a boring open world and an unbalanced combat system.
If it had been a linear adventure, it would probably have turned out much better. As it is, this is a game that tries to offer much more than its budget allows.
— StopGame
The DTF publication criticized most of the elements of Biomutant, noting that almost no mechanics work in it.
I’ve seen a lot of bad games, but I’ve tried to find something good in almost every one: both in Fallout 76 on release, and in Left Alive. But there are too many bad things in Biomutant — so much so that it is unbearable to play it.
— DTF
