Biomutant is almost here, and I haven’t been this hyped for a game since Cyberpunk 2077. So you can see why I’m trying to keep my hype in check and not get too far ahead of myself on this one.
Don’t get me wrong, Biomutant looks like it could be exactly the game I want to play these days. It’s been far too long since I’ve played a charming, systems-deep RPG (which, to be honest, is something I hoped Cyberpunk would deliver).
With each new trailer and gameplay video, each new content dump and developer update, I can feel my anticipation rising, and my pre-order trigger finger itching.
But then there’s the combat.
And for a game that looks to be heavy on the combat, that is rather worrisome. I mean, I’m not trying to make hay out of nothing here, but with every new trailer for Biomutant, I find myself drawn to the world and the environment, the goofy and horrendous-looking enemies, the adorable-yet-badass Usagi Yojimbo player character aesthetic and all of the craziness the character creator seems to offer. But every time Biomutant shows off its combat system, all I see is a mess of bubbles, mushrooms, ’60s-era Batman Ka-pow! balloons, and arcing spreads of errant gunfire.
I guess when I describe it like that, it actually sounds pretty cool.
But something about seeing it in action from a hands-off perspective makes it seem unwieldly and hard to follow, which could prove frustrating.
I really hope I am wrong. Perhaps it is just too insane to properly depict in clipped gameplay videos. Perhaps the people actually playing those segments were struggling to make sense of it all themselves. Perhaps I’m just crazy and looking for fire where there is no smoke, still recovering from Cyberpunk’s massive letdown.
I still plan to play Biomutant. I expect I will still enjoy it for the world and characters and (hopefully) lore and story. But the combat is giving me real pause. I have not yet played Biomutant (others on the Half-Glass Gaming team are more fortunate than I am in that regard), so maybe it will all click when I finally get my hands on it.
Here’s hoping.
