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Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden

Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden

One of our standout E3 experiences turned out to be a mutant-filled Xcom-like tactics game.

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Xcom's iconic brand of tactical combat has been the inspiration for many different games over the years, and now we've got another one to add to the list called Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden, based on the Mutant pen-and-paper roleplaying games that were born in the 1980s. This isn't your usual military affair though, as the unique world of mutant puts an original coating on the Xcom formula, and we got to try the game for ourselves at E3 in Los Angeles this month.

What sets it apart is the fact that you're in control of a group of mutants exploring a world that humans no longer inhabit, and these mutants include Dux, Bormin, and Selma. While the inclusion of a big brawny boar and an aggressive duck would indicate a game packed with comedy, we actually found the game was a rather bleak and serious affair. We're assured by developer Bearded Ladies that it's not all sombre, but don't expect a Howard the Duck-esque romp through the world; the team ducks out of that.

The demo we saw was a mechanically-driven series of skirmishes, showcasing the visual style, world, and combat while the narrative took a backseat. We took control of Bormin as we led our party of three through the wastes, and despite story being absent for the most part, the dialogue between the trio helped to give us confidence that the adventure will be a good one for fans of narrative, not just those who enjoy tactical battles.

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We crept through the world, navigating our way through the darkness with a flashlight, but when we got to enemies we turned our flashlight off to remain undetected, since the best way to survive a world full of mutated enemies is to stay stealthy. Once we got close a simple press of a button allowed us to ambush our foes, and we seamlessly moved into a combat scenario, going from real-time to turn-based in the process.

If you've played Xcom the overall formula will be familiar; you move around on a grid, use action points to decide what you do, and take down every enemy to continue. Whereas Xcom can sometimes be a bit complex for newbies, there's a simple layout in Mutant Year Zero, as there are a select number of moves you can make at the bottom of the screen, and the whole thing works effortlessly with a controller. There are even percentage indicators to indicate how likely you are to make each shot.

Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden

Destructible environments are one element that helps make the action in the game incredibly fun, especially as cover doesn't matter when you launch a grenade into a building and turn it into rubble. Hell, even if you don't have grenades and someone's on the floor above you, you can always fly with Dux's ability to get a tasty shot on them. That's not to say that stealth is unimportant; getting the jump on your enemies before the shots start flying is a massive bonus.

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When your enemies fall and the combat's over there are a few things to consider, including the looting of enemies to make sure your pockets are full of everything from grenades to medkits and ammo. Using your flashlight to scour the environment becomes very important so you can pig out on supplies, but there are also mutations to consider; upgrades that allow you to progress each character and make them more effective in combat.

We don't want to brag, but we were told that we were one of only two people to complete the demo, and we thought that the two skirmishes were very enjoyable, even for a relative Xcom amateur. Making sure you could get each shot away and at the same time keep yourself covered was always a challenge, especially when enemies could launch Molotovs your way as they did. It all played out like a game of chess, rewarding calm and considered strategy above all else.

We'd have no problem with saying that Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden was one of our highlights of E3, and served as a pleasant surprise among the big hitters of this year's show. It's easy to learn but hard to master, and it's Xcom style of tactical combat produces incredibly satisfying results, be it from blowing an enemy's cover to smithereens or executing that sweet critical hit from distance with a cinematic cutscene thrown in for good measure. With a unique and intriguing mutated coating too, this is definitely one to watch for the future.

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Mutant Year Zero: Road to EdenMutant Year Zero: Road to EdenMutant Year Zero: Road to Eden

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Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden

REVIEW. Written by Bengt Lemne

"We found ourselves savouring every combat encounter and new map we got to tackle and that speaks volumes about the experience."



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