ANNO: Mutationem Review Summary

Visually stunning, unique art style: The game features a unique and appealing aesthetic, often described as a blend of 2D pixel art and 3D environments, creating a visually stunning cyberpunk world. Reviewers consistently praise the art style, character designs, and overall visual presentation as a major strength of the game.

Enjoyable and satisfying combat: The combat system is generally considered enjoyable, fun, and satisfying, with responsive controls and a good sense of impact. While some find it simple or easy to learn, others appreciate its potential for complexity and the variety of approaches it offers.

Excellent music and sound design: The game features a high-quality soundtrack and sound design that complements the gameplay and enhances the overall atmosphere. Reviewers specifically praise the music during boss fights and the immersive environmental effects.

Well-developed and likable characters: The game features well-developed and likable characters, with reviewers often highlighting the dynamic between specific characters like Ann and Ayane. The voice acting, particularly for these main characters, is also praised for adding depth and personality.

Engaging side quests and exploration: The game offers engaging side quests and rewarding exploration, encouraging players to delve deeper into the world and its lore. Reviewers appreciate the unique objectives, interesting storylines, and the sense of discovery that comes with exploring the detailed environments.

Story confusing, poorly written, generic: The story is confusing, poorly written, and relies on overused tropes. Many reviewers found the plot difficult to follow due to unexplained elements, inconsistencies, and a lack of depth, with some feeling it detracts from the overall experience. Some reviewers noted a shift in the story towards SCP themes, which felt out of place.

Cyberpunk setting feels superficial: The game's cyberpunk setting feels superficial and underutilized. Reviewers felt the game could have explored the cyberpunk themes more deeply, and some were disappointed by the shift away from the city environment.

Lacks content, scarce resources: The game lacks content and replayability, with limited side quests and a short main story. Additionally, resources for upgrades are scarce, making it difficult to progress and explore different builds.

Buggy, pacing issues, short: The game suffers from numerous minor bugs that detract from the overall experience. Some reviewers also felt the game was too short, while others felt it was too long, indicating pacing issues.

Poor quest design, guidance: Many quests are uninspired fetch quests with obtuse objectives and poor guidance. The saving system is also inconvenient, requiring backtracking through long corridors.

Crafting and skill progression: Players can craft and upgrade weapons using gathered materials and chips, enhancing weapon attributes and providing buffs. The game features a skill tree for upgrading stats and unlocking new combat abilities, but some reviewers feel that the skill tree is not very impactful.

Varied weapon selection, aiming issues: The game offers a variety of weapons, including swords, greatswords, and guns, but some ranged weapons suffer from ammo consumption issues. The game lacks a lock-on system and auto-aim for firearms, making aiming difficult.

Mix of 2D/3D gameplay: The game blends 3D exploration with 2D side-scrolling combat and platforming, creating a mix of genres. Exploration occurs on a 3D plane, while combat and platforming are on a 2D plane. The transition between 2D combat and 3D exploration is interesting.

Imprecise platforming, tedious exploration: The game features platforming elements, but some reviewers feel that the controls and movement can be imprecise and unintuitive. Exploration can become tedious due to infrequent save points and fast travel locations being far apart.

Features various mini-games: The game includes mini-games such as fishing, bartending, and hacking. Hacking is integral, requiring a timing-based minigame to unlock doors, but hints are often unclear.

Performance varies by system: The game's performance varies across different systems. Some players report smooth gameplay on both high-end PCs and the Steam Deck, while others suggest it requires at least an entry-level PC configuration. This suggests optimization may not be consistent across all hardware.

Minor graphical imperfections: Reviewers noted graphical issues such as blocky pixel art during camera zooms and awkward animations. These visual imperfections detract from the overall presentation.

Inconsistent bug reports: The game's bug presence is inconsistent. Some reviewers encountered few to no bugs, while others experienced minor, non-game-breaking issues like respawning collectibles. One review mentioned a game-breaking bug.

Game-breaking loading screen bug: One reviewer encountered a critical issue where the game became stuck on the loading screen, preventing further progress. This is a significant bug that severely impacts the player's ability to enjoy the game.

Full Russian localization: The game features full Russian localization, including text, interface, and quests. This is a positive feature for Russian-speaking players, enhancing accessibility and immersion.

Fun, unique, and recommended overall: Many reviewers recommend the game, citing its fun gameplay, cyberpunk aesthetic, and unique pixel art style. Some suggest trying the demo or waiting for a sale to assess personal enjoyment before purchasing. Despite flaws, the game is considered a worthwhile experience, especially for fans of the genre.

Wait for a sale: Many reviewers suggest waiting for a sale before purchasing the game, as the full price may not be justified by the content or quality. Some feel the game is worth the discounted price, while others advise against purchasing it at all, even on sale. This point reflects concerns about the game's value proposition.

Desire for sequel or DLC: Many reviewers express a strong desire for a sequel or DLC to expand the story, characters, and world. They hope that a potential sequel will improve upon the original's flaws and further develop the game's potential. Some reviewers specifically mention wanting to see the adventures of certain characters continued.

Style over substance: Some reviewers feel that the game prioritizes visual presentation over substantial gameplay or story content. They describe the game as feeling empty or unfinished, with a shiny exterior but lacking depth. This point highlights a concern that the game's appealing aesthetics may not compensate for its shortcomings in other areas.

Mediocre, poor New Game Plus: Some reviewers found the game to be mediocre, with the New Game Plus mode not offering a good experience. This point suggests that the game's replayability may be limited, and that the initial playthrough may be the most enjoyable experience.

Blends cyberpunk, anime, SCP themes: The game's aesthetic is a blend of cyberpunk, anime, and SCP elements. It draws inspiration from various sources like Cyberpunk 2077, Evangelion, and the SCP Foundation, creating a unique but sometimes conflicting mix of themes and references.

Story: Searching for missing brother: The main story revolves around Ann Flores searching for her missing brother Ryan while dealing with a mysterious illness. The plot evolves into a complex narrative involving paranormal phenomena, secret societies, and the protagonist's origins, drawing comparisons to Evangelion and Control.

Lacks polish, uncommitted genre: The game has flaws common in indie RPGs and lacks polish. It doesn't fully commit to either sci-fi or fantasy elements.

Mixes 2D and 3D graphics: The game utilizes a mix of 2D and 3D visual elements, often combining pixel art with 3D environments. This 2.5D style creates a distinctive look.

Minor localization inconsistencies exist: The game's localization has some minor issues, including inconsistencies in honorifics and discrepancies between voice acting and translation in different languages. The sound effects are considered average.