‘Mutazione’ Review (PS4)
A pleasant, narrative-driven adventure with strong audio work, Mutazione is a wonderful world well worth visiting…
Kai is a teenager from a fractured but loving background, with the tables turned in their relationship, Kai is the one that looks after her mother until she is asked by her grandfather to visit him on his island home as he is unwell. Dislocated from her grandparents years ago, kai finds herself on an island filled with mutated flora, fauna and folk due to a meteorite hitting that area decades before, altering it forever. During her adventure, she will get to know more about not just the mysterious island but her family history and most of all, herself.
Mutazione is presented in a vivid graphical style with broad strokes and plenty of colours. Utilising an inventory-based system reminiscent of Grundislav Games’ Lamplight City, whereby most items are used automatically when required, the game has a very flowing feel to it. As in Secret Experiment’s Beckett, the ‘voice-work’ of the island inhabitants is presented through sounds that reflect their physical presence and personality as the text boxes scroll, which I like as it allows room for projection on behalf of the player.
A very narrative-driven game, whilst there is the option to make multiple choices in some dialogue throughout the game, it only has a relatively minimal effect overall, mainly existing to gently aid immersion in giving a touch of choice to the player, allowing them to shape Kai’s personality on a more superficial level, in keeping with the tone of the rest of the game. Kai cannot die and there is no way to get ‘stuck’ in the game as the puzzles and directions are clear, this isn’t a game to grind through but to casually enjoy and get wrapped in the tale being told.
The music was a real highlight for me with effected, ambient guitar being the order of the day, each scene acting as a mood piece with music ebbing and flowing with the story and locations visited.
Mutazione is a game I found myself putting on when I came home from work to unwind, relaxing on the couch and dipping into Kai’s world, knowing that I was in safe hands. The art-style, writing and music exudes quality on a more modest scale, it feels well-designed and yet accessible enough to be open to even a more casual player. If you like adventure games for a tough challenge or perhaps darker subject matter, Mutazione probably isn’t what you are looking for, but for a lighter experience that feels like a warm hug complete with themes that are universal and delicately handled, it is definitely worth your time.
Mutazione is available on PS4 and PC now.
