Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden Reviews
Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden's blend of turn-based tactical combat with stealth is interesting, but not always successful, and its story doesn't take advantage of its unique setting. Although the ability to explore the world and sneak up on enemies adds a fun twist to the genre, it brings unwelcome complications and technical hiccups as well. I also ran into numerous performance issues, including game-ending freezes, that strained my initial fondness for the game.
While it mostly iterates on the foundation laid by other games in the genre, quirky writing and characters help keep things fresh. Unfortunately, Mutant Year Zero's short campaign and predictable story hold it back from being a slam dunk.
Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden is a competent albeit narratively underwhelming tactical RPG with novel stealth mechanics and solid turn-based combat.
Mutant Year Zero has appeared out of nowhere and turned out to be a very cool game. It’s great for fans of difficult tactical games that don’t want to spend millions of hours in XCOM or Jagged Alliance. Neat graphics, interesting characters, and a good storyline make this game the complete package.
Review in Polish | Read full review
Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden is a fun romp through an apocalyptic, post-human Earth, Mutants and all. Engaging gameplay mechanics and room for creativity make this lovely title worth giving a shot. And your brain will surely get some healthy exercise from strategizing victory in this turn-based, tactical adventure and may even undergo a mutation or two.
With an emphasis on stealth and a healthy dose of absurdity, Mutant Year Zero is a unique take on the XCOM formula that is as challenging as it is engaging.
This is a game worth trying—just not on Switch.
Far from the perfect port. The reduction in visual fidelity not only makes the game harder to enjoy, but makes sections of it tougher to complete. With that said, the underlying gameplay stands alongside the best tactical strategy games the Nintendo Switch has to offer, and the bundled Seed of Evil DLC is a welcome addition.
Having never heard much about the developers or this game, I was genuinely surprised at how great Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden turned out to be.
Smart tweaks to an aging formula, fun characters and an excellent new stealth element more than make up for a disappointing by-the-numbers premise. A true sleeper hit.
A scrappy but confident tactical RPG with a surreal and engaging world straight out of an obscure tabletop game
Whether or not this stance too critical of the deep and well-executed combat, well, who the duck knows? If the idea of a hardcore XCOM-like experience in a post-apocalyptic mutant world sounds enticing, then, hey, this is essential.
With decent production values, interesting characters, visceral and demanding battles, and great writing, Mutant Year Zero is a game that is easy to recommend to those looking for a unique genre mashup in a fun, if not a bit overdone, setting. Playing on normal difficulty will require you to think a bit more tactically than that you're probably used to and it may cause some aggravation, but getting through the battles and progressing through the game is worth it.
Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden has some very good peaks, as for example stealth and exploration, but it also has some missing points, as for example the lack of classes and a low number of weapons and powers.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Nevertheless, unless you’re thoroughly sick to death of post-apocalyptia, you’ll find that Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden is a charming, entertaining outing; one that gives the turn-based combat genre a much needed shot in the arm.
Mutant: Year Zero is one of the better turn-based strategy games in recent memory. It has some shortcomings, but most of them can be overlooked in light of its strongest elements.
An atmospheric title with a solid gameplay loop blending stealth and strategic planning while bringing something fresh to a stale trope, Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden is a great addition to any Nintendo Switch owner's library.
Hardcore fans of turn-based tactics may be slightly put off by Mutant Year Zero's obvious missteps but that aside, The Bearded Ladies have cooked up a special game here that's got great potential for the future. Road to Eden isn't perfect but it's definitely stood out from the crowd for me in what's been an excellent year.
As a whole I really did enjoy my time with Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden quite a bit. While it may not win any awards game of the year awards it is however a damn good time. PC gamers should be warned however that this game does use the DRM Denuvo. While this may affect the want to purchase the game for some, at $35 for the standard edition of the game it is a great time, with good value, and is definitely worthy of your money.
For fans of XCOM and turn-based gaming in general then Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden is definitely worth a look, especially if you are an Xbox Game Pass owner.