Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden (2018)

English I have long been looking for games that have a nostalgic component -with old mechanics- and that simultaneously refresh the genres to which they belong.

Mutant Year Zero is an excellent example, as it combines Commandos-style stealth with XCOM-style turn-based combat, as well as traditional RPG elements such as character leveling, weapon, items and loadout management, for each character and their specialties.

The post-apocalyptic universe and it's charismatic mutants are quite entertaining, and although the plot doesn't have many surprises and is generally linear, it is narrated efficiently through interaction, exploration and conflicts with different types of enemies.

It's a joy to play indies like this and I look forward to the next thing from the studio. A must for all fans of real-time strategy and turn-based tactics!

Español Hace tiempo que busco juegos que tengan un componente nostálgico -con mecánicas antiguas- y que simultáneamente refresquen los géneros al cual pertenecen.

Mutant Year Zero es un excelente ejemplo, ya que combina sigilo al estilo Commandos, con combate por turnos al estilo XCOM, además de elementos RPG tradicionales como el nivelar a los personajes, y seleccionar loadouts correctos para cada uno de ellos y sus especialidades.

El universo post-Apocalíptico con mutantes carismáticos es bastante entretenido, y si bien la trama no tiene muchas sorpresas y es en general lineal, se narra eficientemente a través de la interacción, exploración y conflictos con los distintos tipos de enemigos.

Da gusto jugar indies como este y espero con ansias lo próximo del estudio. Imperdible para todos los fanáticos de la estrategia en tiempo real y táctica por turnos!

I like this game, it's got an interesting world, pretty well done tactical combat, and relatively neat character designs.

The big problem is... The interesting and unique seeming 5 characters, end up recycling the same set of mutant abilities, making none of them really feel that different from any of the others. By the time you get the fifth member, all her major mutations were on the first three characters, and all that serves to do is make the first three characters seem less unique and interesting (ability-wise at least).

The enemies clearly share these abilities too. The weapons are neat, until you realize you've seen pretty much everything you're going to see by level 30 (which I reached in less than 10 hours of playtime).

If you go in with floor-level expectations for a neat little 15-20 hour side diversion, and you like turn-based tactical games with stealth elements, you'll probably enjoy the experience. Just take it for what it is, don't expect much escalation and also, just a pro-tip going in. There are 3 stealth weapons, one you can get two copies of (and it's probably the worst of the three). Once you have them, just build them up and keep them as sidearms to help pick off enemies before you go into big fights.

Honestly, it's just worth knowing that ahead of time.

I was going to not do a review and just most on but i try to say something about games i play.

This game is a mixed bag. It has some things I really like and some things that are lame.

It's nice in that it has a very old school pen and paper rpg type feel. In fact I think the game is based off Gamme World: Alpha Mutation and other similar RPGs from 30 or so odd years ago. It carries the look and feel of the Wasteland reboot. But it also does something else which is notable, it brings back the beauty of the isometric RPG! Indeed, MY0 has really nice maps, different environments (and weather) and has an interesting mechanic of a flashlight to explore the maps for loot. While a gimick its nice because it makes you hunt and comb through the map for loot and gives you a reason to spin the camera angle around, simultaneously showing off that sweet isometric ish type map art. This is a nice thing to have and give the game some body and feel, which are enhanced by jagged alliance-ish type banter from your party members. However, beyond this the game goes south The story is goofy like really cheesy and the ending is bethesda level bad. the mechanics look a bit like xcom but play nothing like it really. It's not a very solid system, it has exploits and there are some odd bits in it (such as the way health works, the way skills work, the way 'stealth' works) as i learned to play the game i became more resentful of what seemed like a simple and stripped down TBT game. the character progression isnt bad but its not good. the basics are nice, its a good compromise between some customization and easy to learn, the problem is mostly how some skills are crap and some you simply wont ever stop using.

tldr a short game with some great ideas but flimsy implementation of a TBT game. its tied together with a shallow story despite having quite a bit more potential due to decent backstory.

Still if you really liked Wasteland, and churn through TBT games, you'll wanna pick it up. But if you are simply a fan of the newer XCOM (which the game kind of markets itself towards) i would avoid this.

It would be nice to see more games like this one and Pillars of Eternity. If it wasn't for the fact that the game DOES do a decent job at preserving the look and feel of that classic 'black isle' era of isometric artistry (but with modern means) i would rate the game sub average.