A mutated boar and duck walk down the road towards the Ark, the last known safe haven for humans. In a post-apocalyptic time mutants help the humans to continue to live on. These mutants are everywhere and they will help the humans to survive the ghoul attacks on the Ark. Then something happens, someone says that a perfect place called Eden exists, and this starts them down their own journey of discovery and survival. This is our review for Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden.
From developer The Bearded Ladies Consulting and Publisher Funcom, welcome to a world after humans, well at least mostly. Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden is a tactical adventure gaming which takes you on a wild ride with a Duck and a Boar. Featuring turn-based combat, a rich story, and the ability to explore and interact with your environment. This is a game I have been looking to play for a while, and I didn’t even know it. It has been a long time since I played a game like this that I actually liked and enjoyed, so let’s explore it some more.
Let us begin with the fighting in the game. Mutant Year Zero is a turn-based tactical combat game, so let us explore the tactics a bit more. From the very first battle, you will decide how you take your heroes into battle. Will you be stealthy or will you go in guns blazing? Then you have the option to decide to take cover behind a tree branch or to stand in the open field. All of these decisions will make you think about your next move and if it is safe to move forward or not. When you go into battle you will see how far you can move on one action point, and then you will notice you can travel a further distance if you use both of your action points. This is a strategic gamble though as you will not be able to attack without an action point to use. Using throwables such as grenades will be key to your strategy in some situations. Watch out for your area of effects and you will know what I mean.
Stealth. Stealth is key for this game in certain situations, and always when it comes to fighting the baddies. When you start the game you will see situations where the enemies are a very high level and you have no chance of winning. Using good stealth will save your life so you can continue your story. The area of view for the enemy increases when your flashlight is visible to them, so put that flashlight away and crouch walk by them. This also helps you get into a great position when you are getting ready to attack. Position yourself well and take advantage of the stealth kills.
The map is very big. Let’s get that straight right now. You don’t get to walk from area to area per se, however, you will be able to walk from the beginning to the end of the areas which will transition your from one zone to the next. After you have opened a zone you have the ability to quick travel from wherever you are to another area. This is especially helpful when you want to get back to the Ark quickly to level up your gear and equip new attachments to your weapons. You will walk through areas of interest that used to be occupied by man but has now been reclaimed by nature. Watch out for the enemy ghouls!
The Ark gives you several areas to explore with the click of a mouse. Delta’s Workshop is where you can upgrade your weapons with parts you find in your travels. This includes scopes, and other attachments to make your weapons go boom harder. Pripp’s Bar is key for artifacts that you find in the wild. Here you will be able to upgrade your group skills, in more of a passive way. Iridia’s Market is the stop for your new weapon purchases, healing, and armor. Make sure you save the money you earn if you want to buy anything here. So far I have not needed to buy too much from here as you get some good gear while traveling. The last spot is the Elder’s Office and that is just where you go to get assignments for your mutant group to go out into the world.
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There is also a level of RPG to this game that is just enough to make it interesting. As you defeat your enemies you get character experience points that you can use to level up your mutant’s skills and their health and storage capabilities. Each mutant is different so you will need to see what your party needs and level up accordingly. There are level up animations for the new “mutations” that you receive that are very cool. The better your stats, the longer you will survive contact with the bad guys.
So, as you make your way towards the legendary Eden, will you choose to go all out guns blazing, or will you choose the path of the ninja and go in stealth mode? Personally, stealth works better for me but you must decide for yourself what you want to do. Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden launches today, December 4, 2018, for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC. The standard edition is listed for $34.99 USD and the deluxe edition is listed for $54.99. Check it out and see the differences in the two options.
Note: Our copy was reviewed on PC with a code provided by PR.
Score: 9.5
Pros
- Tactical Battle System
- Role-Playing Features
- Excellent Story
- Plenty to do
Cons
- Top down too far to see the details in the characters
- Some areas difficult even at proper levels
