Anno: Mutationem

Punchy, side-scrolling combat and a richly realized, anime-inspired world make Anno: Mutationem a blast, but the script is a bit rusty.

With the game’s ending hinting at a possible sequel, Mutationem stands as a messy first draft. If a follow-up does come, I hope ThinkingStars’ will have the confidence to boldly stand and tell its own unique story rather than remain so shackled to its inspirations.

There's surprising scope in the game — you can dismantle items to get materials, which you can then combine into new weapon modules. There are side missions and mini-games, like serving cocktails to earn money. It's also kind-of open world, albeit a very small one. While the ambition is admirable, overall we feel the game comes across as quite unfocused. It's an enjoyable experience, and everything here is reasonably good, but the result is a game that doesn't really shine, save for its rainy, neon-infused aesthetic.

ANNO: Muatationem tells a strong tale with its core mystery, strengthened by beautiful visuals and satisfying combat. While its inspirations are a little on-the-nose, developer ThinkingStars manages to carve out its own space in the Cyberpunk genre. Some long loads and minor balancing issues take the shine off a little, but it's still an incredibly impressive effort from a small indie team who has created a world that feels as immersive as any £60 AAA RPG.

ANNO: Mutationem is a brief-yet-solid cyberpunk adventure game with robust RPG elements.

ANNO Mutationem features a gorgeous cyberpunk world full of colourful, interesting characters, vibrant locales and stunning pixel art and animation. The visuals are rounded out by fantastic side-scrolling combat sequences and great exploration into the depths of a city I’d love to spend more time in.

New additions are the various difficulty modes. ANNO: Mutationem could be a pretty spicy action game at times, so less skilled players can enjoy a more casual experience with the new easy mode. The “Hell” mode lives up to its name and returning players will find Ann will have no hope of success. Not the best mode to play on Switch, due to the increased load times.

Anno starts rough, and that’s something you definitely need to know if you plan to dive in. Particularly story-wise, where it shoots off a firehose of ideas in an attempt to set up a core mystery. But if you’re able to stick through the first couple hours, things begin weaving together to create a much more graceful package. Aside from the graphics, I can’t say there’s any one aspect that the game particularly excels at. Taken as the sum of its parts, though, the developers at ThinkingStars have created quite an intriguing experience.

An essential cyberpunk anime adventure oozing in charm

Anno: Mutationem is a great action RPG that can, and should, win over any player who wants to give its rich Cyberpunk world a chance. Even without shining so much, the combats work within their purpose and the narrative manages to deliver a thought-provoking story with charismatic characters and deep moments. The game's performance on Nintendo Switch isn't the best, but the game is still worth it as a whole.