Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden

This post-apocalyptic strategy role-playing game (RPG) is packed with atmosphere and engaging touches, but it’s the challenging fights that will keep strategy fans coming back for more. Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden is based off of a table top RPG where players take the role of Stalkers, brave adventurers on a Mad Max-like journey through the wastelands. These aren’t typical heroes either; Dux and Bormin are a talking duck and boar, respectively, each with their own mutated superpowers. While you don’t know much about the characters until the very end (with a reveal that’s clearly set up for a sequel or a franchise), you do get glimpses of what these battle-hardened, cynical warriors think from snarky comments about situations they find themselves in. As you explore the world, you’ll come across things they’ve never seen before; airplane crashes are regarded as “metal birds,” and in their eyes, a lumber mill with piled up timber has “strange sideways growing trees.” The glimpses of this devastated world, especially as you start to put together what they’re exploring, is a lovely atmospheric touch.

Gameplay's a mix of exploration and stealth, as you search for items while avoiding possible hazards and threats. But this also raises one of the game's biggest issues, which is that combat really tests your tactical skills. You can’t distract opponents and can only pick off a few enemies with stealth attacks. Unfortunately, that means that when battle starts, every enemy in the area comes running, and frequently calls for back up. At that point, if you’re not at a high level or have the right gear, the only solution is to reload your game and try again, which can be frustrating. Fights are complex puzzles here, and it’ll take time to figure out each solution. Nintendo Switch owners should also be aware that while the game includes both this game and the original, the visuals are a bit muddy and hard to see, which can be a problem when you're searching for items in the environment. Playing it on a television helps slightly, but it's still a bit rough to pick up all the details you'd like, so you may miss vital items. For role-playing gamers and strategy fans willing to put in the time to solve these fights or adjust their tactics in the middle of battle, they’ll find a lot of fun in taming the wastelands of Mutant: Year Zero.