14 DAY TRIAL // The best way to describe Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden beyond words like “tactical adventure game” is an X-COM and Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun mashup. The game combines turn-based combat with exploration, stealth and strategy, but also tries to deliver a solid story.
During my 3-hour playthrough of the demo, I got a taste of all that Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden has to offer in terms of gameplay. The game is set in a post-apocalyptic world and it's based on the Mutant Chronicles pen-and-paper RPG.
In the little time I have spend in Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden, I've been fascinated by the potential of the universe. Imagine a techno-fantasy world in which humanity's last bastion, The Ark is at the mercy of stalkers, rare mutants specifically trained to venture into the wasteland to gather resources of utmost importance for the survival of the their home.
You control a team of two “unusual” stalkers – Bormin and Dux, who are in fact a mutant boar and a mutant duck. I only got to recruit another stalker during my playthrough, but from what I understand there are plenty others to find further into the game.
Since combat is the bread and butter of the game, let's focus on what's the best approach to have an easier time killing ghouls and sect members. First off, you can split your party members at any time and position them to provide as much firepower as possible when things hit the fan.
Before you engage in battles, it's best to use one character and scout ahead so that you won't be surprised by enemies hiding in the shadows. Another winning strategy is to set up ambushes for enemies who patrol areas where they are temporary isolated. At least one of your characters is using a “silent weapons,” and I've always made use of that to surprise patrols and kill them before they could alerts the others.
You will almost always face more enemies than your party, so it's better to kill as many as you can before you start a fight. Whenever you kill a single, isolated enemy, the game will automatically revert to exploration mode, so you can continue to ambush enemies or position your stalkers before a major fight.
An important aspect of the combat is “cover,” which lowers the enemy's chance to hit you, so you'll want to keep your stalkers behind “high cover” as often as possible. Obviously, the same goes for the enemy, so make sure to flank single targets that you want out of your way as fast as possible.
Each stalker has his/her own personality and powers, which you can unlock as you level up. These powers are called Mutations and require “points” that you gain each level. Some of them can be recharged, while others are “passive” and you benefit from them all the time. Beyond these mutations, there are no other stats that you can influence.
The Ark is the main hub of the game and the place where you'll get your story missions, upgrade weapons, install mods and buy new weapons using scraps, weapons parts and artifacts. The fast travel system makes it easier to stock up on medkits or upgrade weapons before an important fight.
I only found minor technical issues in the demo, but I feel that some aspects of the game need some explaining for newcomers to the genre. For example, I did guess that the accuracy of a weapon mostly depends on range, but others may not understand how some of the combat mechanics work.
From what I've been able to experience during my short playthrough, Mutant Year Zero shapes up to be a charming game, which I can't wait to play to its entirety.
Developed by The Bearded Ladies, Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden will be released on PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4 on December 4 for $34.99/€34.99.
