The world of Biomutant is filled with charm. Say what you will about combat or the crafting system, you have to admit that this game offers an incredible world to explore. While that world is a very big thing, I want to focus on some of the smaller things that really make Biomutant work for me.
So here are ten little things I love about this game.
This sunrise
Let’s open this thing up with an unexpected burst of color. See, in the video above, I was testing out my brand-new Pri Murgel sword, when I found myself wandering into an absolutely stunning sunrise. The lighting in this game is just gorgeous, and this sunrise scene really brings that out.
The monster design
If there’s one aspect of Biomutant that’s going to leave a lasting impression, I would argue that it’s the monster design. Everything in this game is covered in fur, which makes even some of the most dangerous monsters appear to be kind of adorable. On top of that, there’s just this ineffable weirdness to the creatures, deepening the intrigue of the world at large. Part of the fun of playing Biomutant is stumbling upon something utterly bizarre and inexplicable in an oft-overlooked section of the map, and oftentimes the thing you find is a goofy-looking ball of fur and teeth. It’s absolutely great!
Sol’s Trunk
If you don’t have Sol’s Trunk, you need to immediately go get it. I’ve explained the process for acquiring it in my complete guide to mounts and vehicles, so check out that guide if you haven’t been able to find this incredible item.
This is hands-down my favorite item in the game. It’s a suitcase that you equip as a backpack, but you can fly around in it like a magic carpet. While it has limited range and practical applications, it just feels so dang satisfying to use. I fly everywhere in it. Screw running!
Well, actually, since we’re on the topic of running…
Your character runs on all fours
While your character spends most of their time walking on two legs (or riding mounts or vehicles), you can use the sprint button to witness a more quadrupedal walking style. Yes, when you sprint, your character moves on all fours, which is a nice little touch that really sells the whole “evolved critter” theme of the game world.
Your character pees on signposts to mark them
In line with my previous point, the critters in Biomutant actually mark their territory by peeing on posts. Dog owners will be more than familiar with this habit. It’s a nice little bit of potty humor, but it also makes your character feel just a little bit less human.
There’s no encumbrance
There’s a ton of stuff to collect in Biomutant (mostly weapon parts and articles of clothing), so I’m glad to say that there’s no carry limit (at least, I haven’t found on in the 100 or so hours I spent with the game). I’ve always hated how games like The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Fallout 4 put limitations on your carrying capacity, and being freed from that in Biomutant comes as a real blessing in comparison.
The comic-book-style FX
In battle, you will often see comic-book-style words pop up in the heat of battle. Enemies scream, your gun clicks when its chamber is empty, and the names of your special moves flash across the screen in an exaggerated font. It’s a neat effect that brings a little bit of flash to the combat system.
My fellow Half-Glasser Julian refers to these text treatments as “’60s-era Batman Ka-pow! balloons.” I think he means that in a derogatory way, but I actually really like the effect.
Your childhood bullies become Tribe Sifus
One detail that eagle-eyed players will catch is that your childhood bullies grow up to become Sifus (or Tribe leaders). Just compare the screenshot of the trio above with the picture of three Tribe leaders below.
From left to right, these are the leaders of the Jagni, Ankati, and Myriad Tribes. What’s interesting about this is that two of the three end up being Light Aura Tribal leaders. This suggests that two of these bullies matured, while the third only became more evil and twisted with age.
It’s even more interesting if you walk the Dark path to its fullest and have the other Tribe leaders executed, as these are characters who have lifelong relationships with one another. That really is some dark stuff!
The narrator
Yes, most people absolutely hate the narrator. And I get it; by having to translate every single character’s dialogue, the narrator slows the entire game to a crawl. But once you get used to it, the buttery smooth voice with a wonderful British accent becomes kind of soothing. I think it adds a fairytale element to Biomutant that really works for me.
If you disagree, you should try changing the language to Japanese with English subtitles. A lot of folks have found that to be much more listenable. For me, though, I’ll stick with David Shaw-Parker all day long.
The nonsense words
I admit that this is the most controversial item on this list, but just hear me out for a minute.
I’ve heard the various nonsense words in Biomutant (the Bangsprutts and the Sprinkler Smicksharpers, and the Fry-Sparkers) referred to as baby talk. However, there’s actually an implication here that’s really interesting.
If the creatures in this game have evolved from human pets like cats and dogs, that means they descended from creatures who heard humans using baby talk as a way to communicate with them. Perhaps these words are long-remembered from an ancient time when humans still walked the Earth.
Does that means humans left their pets behind when they escaped on the Arks?
Now, I admit that the generation who had owners probably couldn’t communicate using these words to their offspring, assuming the mutations happened slowly over time (like real evolution) rather than super quickly (like comic-book-style mutation). And most of the creatures speak their own language, which is not the English-mixed-with-nonsense-words that the narrator is speaking. So that throws a bit of a wrench into this interpretatoin.
But then again, isn’t it sort of implied that the narrator was actually around before this apocalypse happened? Isn’t that how he knows so much about that world? In that case, my point stands!
