Biomutant

Biomutant has a lot of the building blocks of a top-drawer action RPG but its cookie-cutter approach to objectives and puzzles starts feeling very repetitive very early on.

Biomutant presents a different take on the post-apocalypse, but a forgettable story and uneven gameplay hold it back.

For all the weirdness and fun it promises, Biomutant ends up a deeply conventional open-world action game.

Biomutant's stunning world barely survives the painful narration, broken progression, and dearth of stuff to do.

Repetitive, formulaic, and downright strange, Biomutant suffers from an abundance of problems that get in the way of great ideas.

Biomutant has fun moments, but it stumbles in too many significant ways to make it a wholly satisfying experience

There are so many borrowed ideas that you’re bound to find something you like about this game.

Biomutant’s feature list seems to include everything a successful open-world action RPG needs. But journey through its towns, fields and bunkers, and there’s no intrigue in its exploration or weight in its relationship building. Not even a worthy combat challenge to hold everything together. With so many ideas left under-developed, it wastes a setting that had far more potential.

I had a lot of trouble tearing myself away from Biomutant, and a lot of my grievances didn't really surface until I'd finished it and had time to digest. Before that, I was absorbed in exploring its well-designed world, plumbing ruins, collecting dopey looking mounts, and dressing like I just survived a landfill explosion. There are some unwanted mutations in its genes, but they're covered in fur and easy to overlook.

It’s a shame that Biomutant isn’t a better put-together piece of software. Its world feels unique, the way it blends different combat styles is fun and it’s a visual treat to look at on a big 4K TV. But countless bugs, performance issues, overly talkative NPCs, boring quest design, and a sense of overall jank makes it hard to excitedly share this game with people.