If you’ve ever played XCOM and thought, “Yeah, it’s pretty good but it could do with a few more ducks” then this one’s for you. Say hello toMutant Year Zero: Road to Eden.
FormerHitmandesigners have teamed up to build a cool and quirky tactical RPG around an XCOM core. It’s based on a pen-and-paper RPG called Mutant, which was released in 1984. There’s also a greater emphasis on stealth than in XCOM. Check out the trailer below.
The post-apocalyptic future can be tough - especially if you’re a genetically mutated animal. You need to fight and scavenge to survive. Unlike XCOM, exploration is a key aspect of the game. It’s also a fully-fledged RPG, with characters to level up, tonnes of loot and a story. You also have the option to stealthily scout out an area before triggering combat. Once you start a fight — or get spotted while you’re trying to be sneaky — it switches to XCOM-like tactical combat. You’re limited to 3 party members though.
Mutations areMutant Year Zero: Road to Eden’s perk system. When characters level up, you’ll spend points to unlock mutations in three categories: minor, major and passive. Before battle, you can equip one mutation in each category, so you can tailor your approach to the fight ahead of you. There’s around 30 different mutations split up amongst the recruitable heroes.
“What we want you to do, embracing the pen-and-paper RPG, is scout it up, come up with a great plan, and then fail on your second die roll and improvise from there. It’s not a resource management game in the same way as XCOM, but you do bring artifacts and things back from the Zone, which improve the lives of these people” - David Skarin, developer, Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden
Want more indie-related news? If so, you could readSoulblight, through the eyes of a developer. Alternatively, you could readAdorable mouse-based RPG Ghost of a Tale is out on Steam.
