Metal Mutation PC Review

Metal Mutation is the debut title developed by new faces on the block; T0 Studios and published by Microids. T0 Studios formed in early 2022 and not much else is known about the team as of this writing. Metal Mutation is the sixth release from Microids indie division, bringing smaller developers to the forefront. It now sits with titles like Scrap Riders, Grand Mountain Adventure: Wonderlands, and Murder Mystery Machine, to name a few. Metal Mutation is a 3D isometric action-roguelike/dungeon crawler akin to titles like SuperGiant’s 2020 smash hit Hades and last year’s indie darling; the cute but sinister Cult of the Lamb.

 

Metal Mutation is set in the not too distant twenty-second century in a dystopian cyberpunk world where mega corporations and technology have taken over the world and social organizations cease to exist. Strong people are molded into working for the large companies, while weak ones are implanted with mechanical parts, becoming cyborgs to do unskilled low-wage labor. As technological advancements in AI and prostheses ensued, so has the spread of nanoparticles, which in turn brought about the metal mutation, turning animals into killing machines. You are a cyborg, battle-ready with Tina the Valkyrie, An AI that exists within his arm to aid in combat. Together, they are the only ones that can save humanity from the brink of ruin.

The rather rudimentary plot is coupled with side characters that offer little of substance to the overall narrative. The simplistic story is compensated by highly addictive gameplay, typical of roguelikes. The more you die, the increased likelihood you will go back for more. The combat in Metal Mutation features plenty of options to suit your play style. You start off with a basic kit, the cyborg wields his python blade while Tina utilizes dual-wielding pulse guns. As you clear certain levels, they will give you a reward from a glowing orb. There are orbs that contain buffs for either the cyborg or Tina in addition to exp or currency they call Zed cash and weapon badges.

Zed cash can be used to recover health, buy buffs or other perks from merchants. Weapon badges allow you to buy weapons and perks at the vending machine; which is only accessible in the first hub area. There are buffs called artifacts that can imbue your skills and attacks with an elemental effect from thunder, ice, fire, and wind. The elements change how each attack is performed, with varying effects. For instance, if the cyborg’s normal attacks are infused with wind, he will send blades of wind at foes acting as projectiles.

 

The same applies to Tina. While she only has two commands compared to the cyborg’s four, you will want to make sure her abilities are up to snuff. A good example for Tina is to infuse her valkyrie skill with fire so that she can send meteors crashing upon enemies. What's cool about this is you can activate it and immediately switch back to the cyborg, allowing you to continue combo strings while the meteors apply additional damage. This is one of many ways you can spice up your approach in battle. Other buffs can improve your critical rate, critical damage, shield breaks for those tough to crack foes, and regenerative properties for energy and health to name a few. 

After you clear three to four levels of a particular area, you will fight a boss. Once you beat them, players gain access to boss skills; powerful attacks with a massive area of effect. You can opt not to pick up that boss’s skill, but rather a boss move specific buff, which can be applied once you find a boss attack you prefer. The first boss, Wrath of Crete, has an attack that lacks that oomph that a late-game boss would have. Ideally, you would hold out for a good skill while stacking boss skill related buffs from previously defeated ones, so you can really pack a punch! Easily the best part of Metal Mutation’s combat is figuring out lengthy combo strings for massive damage, too bad there isn’t a giant enemy crab around to wallop on. 

The game’s handbook is detailed, so you should never be at a loss to understand how things work in Metal Mutation. I had an awesome time figuring out the game’s mechanics and how their combo system works in particular. Players can perform a standard three-hit combo followed by a dash into an attack to pop enemies up in the air. From there, you can use the valkyrie’s skill to bring you back to the ground to continue another combo. This is but one example of different strings you can pull off, so you can get creative with it. For such a budget indie title, there is plenty of depth and customization to be had in combat scenarios. This just goes to show that it's not always about how expensive a game was to produce to determine its illustriousness.

 

Even for the most adept gamer with challenging titles under their belt, Metal Mutation gives the player a run for their money. Luckily, there are permanent meta-progression upgrades for your defense if the game is too “difficult. When I say difficult in this sense, I mean artificially so. Early areas are a breeze since the enemies don’t possess many attacks or shields. But as soon as you hit the second area, there are enemies that swarm you and keep your character in hit-stun for multiple frames, draining your health in seconds flat. Even with all the boosts to my defense, it felt unfair. Hopefully a patch will come out to address these issues.

The hub areas give the player access to customizing their weapons, equipment, and other features. The training area can be used for testing out your combat capabilities. The monster gallery is the bestiary of all the foes in the game. It also shows monster parts that can be unlocked through the employment agreement mode. This opens up once you complete the main game. Certain challenges unlock different monster parts used for status effects. Function modification allows you to allot points for permanent stat increases from leveling up. The shelter is a mode where you can take on challenges to unlock different equipment for the cyborg or shelter exclusive items. 

Negating equipment, all other items like batteries, and cola caps, are found only in the shelter, and used to buy items there exclusively. A bevy of equipment can be obtained with keys. This equipment grants permanent buffs like a max health increase that can help out in the latter half of the main game. In the shelter, you can play alone or with up to three others to take down some baddies for exclusive loot. Unfortunately, I was not able to find any rooms, nor could I get anyone to join mine. From what the developers have shown from this mode, it looks like a good time.

 

The overall art direction of the game is pleasing enough but nothing exemplary. The influence of movies such as Blade Runner and Terminator can be felt throughout, especially the latter with a totally non-blatant mention of Skynet. Quite fitting really. The industrial soundtrack accompanies the Cyberpunk aesthetic quite well, but doesn’t stick out otherwise. Heavy hitting synths galore. In the second area, you are in an underwater facility of sorts, and it was the nicest on the eyes, especially the water. 

The game is certainly rough around the edges in terms of its presentation. One example of this is the font used for the text, and is quite unappealing to look at. Some sentences are close to overlapping each other in some buff selection screens. The supporting characters are lifeless and the accompanying lines of dialogue add nothing of value. Metal Mutation is a game you play strictly for the gameplay and not much else. Not without its hiccups, the combat was mostly a blast. There were some performance issues where the game would stutter anytime I would pick up multiple collectibles at once or one too many enemies on screen. 

The constant pausing was quite jarring at times, as it shouldn’t be happening for something as trivial as picking up the currency. Conjuring up different ways to approach combat was easily the most fun aspect of the game. When you break a boss’s shield and follow up with a flurry of critical hits is enough to pump enough dopamine into any suspecting gamer’s brain. I’m not a numbers guy by no means, but when it comes to video games, I adore them. Simply put, game design is at its best.

 

Despite some grievances, T0 Studios delivered a mostly fun experience that kept my interest long enough to see it through to the end. If people can find a room to join in the near future, I have no doubt the Co-op could be a fun experience. The gameplay picked up the slack in an otherwise generic roguelike. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel in any fashion to set itself apart from its contemporaries, but that’s okay. For $16.99 USD on Steam, it's well worth the price point. A solid debut.

Michael Nicolosi (@ChipmunksMikey)
Editor, NoobFeed