It is quite refreshing to see an up-and-coming game studio try out something that has been done by someone far bigger than themselves and almost reach the same highs that their bigger rivals mustered within the same genre.
Anno: Mutonium is a rather unique take on the cyberpunk genre that blends both its 2D and 3D art together and has had its memorable showcase during its many previews on platforms such as the PlayStation Youtube channel.
But beneath its beautiful art is a game that feels rather flawed in its execution of story and gameplay. Kinda like its AAA rival but not as stand out as they hope it to be.
So is it worth picking up ANNO? A “Perhaps” is in order.
Presentation
As mentioned, ANNO has a very distinctive art style that pops on your screen the moment you boot up the game and as first impressions go, this is as perfect as it can get. It welcomes you with the pixelated beauty that blends well with the world that we’ll be spending our hours in.
Its pixel-like graphics blend together with the 3D-ish world space, which makes the small space feel rather huge with its twists and turns that make the viewing angle wider, complimenting one another.
But the sentiment doesn’t translate well to the music, which although nails the soundscapes of a game that’s fitting with this genre but doesn’t have any noteworthy tracks that bring to mind when playing. It sets the mood perfectly, but besides that, it’s just there being the background music. And it’s fine really.
Story portions are a hit and a miss at times. It sees you play as Ann searching for her brother as she battles a glitch within her systems to the best of her abilities. The story does start off strong but like many within the steam reviews, it goes rather “off the walls” after the quite slow-ish start and doesn’t really recover it all by the end.
And although I haven’t reached the end at the time of writing this review, there have been complaints about the Ending that they pushed an update to that said ending to make it more meaningful, so it is quite of an interesting tidbit to note there.
Gameplay
One polarizing topic in hand right now is the game’s combat, which feels like Strider but less flowing and not as accurate, as you can use firearms in tandem with your light/heavy melee attacks. Nothing too fancy but it gets the job done.
But not helping matters is the really clunky control scheme on both Keyboard and Controller. That firearms attack doesn’t really go well with the keyboard controls and on a gamepad, you can’t really direct the shot well due to not showing a projected range of where your bullet will reach the enemy.
Its bosses are fun to discover though, with its many variations between stages (like one of it literally crashing down before you duel), it does keep you on your toes when trying to navigate and defeat them. And it’s specticle does help with the fights being super elaborate too.
Though their built-in targeting system, where you can see the health bars of the enemy, does help you gauge their remaining HP, with the caveat of having to stand for a second to get that reading and being vulnerable to a sudden attack.
Really, its gameplay has been a bit of a hit/miss for the most part. Even their leveling system is nothing to write home about, being quite generic with its perks and all, but that’s another non-issue. But there is some info about them tweaking the combat so this review part might be different from the main game in the future.
Content
ANNO: Mutiationem has quite of a good running time for an indie game, with quest lines and side-questing that might get players around 6 – 10 hours of game time across its 2D/3D-ish world. An admirable length for a game that might capture your attention when you play it for the first time.
Personal Enjoyment
I was lowkey excited for this release, because of its release during the Steam Demo Fest from way back. It looks promising and playing the retail release, the excitement does dissipate after a playthrough.
Though I enjoyed its world-building, the combat does feel like some work needs to be done (and it is, at the time of writing). But for those wanting a new Cyberpunk-genre game, ANNO does help scratch that itches a bit. And it’s a shame that it’s rather disappointing really.
Verdict
Anno: Mutationem is a fascinating look at a game that has a pretty good first impression but falters when you go deeper into the game . A lackluster but promising showing for the new developers and a game that you could pick up during a sale in the near future.
Played on PC, Review copy purchased by reviewer.
ANNO: Mutationem
A fascinating look at a game that has a pretty good first impression but falters when you go deeper into the game.
- Presentation 7.5
- Gameplay 6
- Content 7
- Personal Enjoyment 7.5