DaRmaZat Developed and published by Ossified Games, Mutation is a survival horror roguelite that enters Early Access on Steam on January 29, 2025. In the game, players take on the role of Specimen 1753, a captive of the mysterious Sigiltech organization.
Set in a decaying, blood-soaked laboratory riddled with supernatural disturbances, the game tasks you with surviving against monstrous foes, including the terrifying Abomination. Procedurally generated levels provide variety, ensuring that room layouts, puzzles, and resource placements differ with each run. While this mechanic promises replayability, it can result in wildly inconsistent experiences, with some playthroughs leaving you ill-equipped to progress.
Survival, and Frustration
Survival mechanics are at the game’s core, but they often feel more punishing than engaging. Players must manage hunger, thirst, sanity, and temperature while scavenging for resources. Unfortunately, the clunky inventory and crafting systems make this process cumbersome. Limited resources and the constant ticking of meters create tension, but it often crosses into frustration due to poor balancing.
More frustration than Mutation, due to poor balancing.
Exploration is hampered by the game’s overly dark visuals. While darkness is a staple in horror games, here it feels excessive, making it difficult to spot items or navigate effectively. The flashlight offers some relief but drains batteries quickly, forcing you to either ration its use or crank up the game’s brightness—a workaround that feels more like a necessity than a choice. Animations and environmental details also lack refinement, detracting from the atmosphere and making the world feel less immersive.
Unforgiving Mechanics, and a Dimming Atmosphere
Combat struggles with similar issues. The Chronus Abyssus, your primary weapon, is both unwieldy and unintuitive. Checking whether it’s ready to fire requires looking down at your arm, which feels clunky during high-stress situations. Enemy design also leaves much to be desired, with smaller creatures feeling predictable or outright annoying rather than terrifying. The Abomination, while conceptually interesting due to its randomized mutations, often feels more like an arbitrary difficulty spike than a genuine threat.
The narrative hints at a Lovecraftian influence, with supernatural artifacts like Dagon’s Heart and the Chronus Abyssus playing a role in both gameplay and lore. However, the story feels undercooked, with scattered lore and vague cutscenes struggling to provide a compelling hook. While questions about Strandloper, Sigiltech’s experiments, and Doctor Alma may intrigue some, the storytelling is unlikely to keep most players engaged.
Preliminary Thoughts
While the game shows glimpses of potential, Mutation is bogged down by clunky mechanics, frustrating controls, and a lack of polish that overshadow its promising ideas. Ossified Games has been transparent about using AI-generated assets as placeholders, with plans to replace them as funding allows, and the Early Access launch presents an opportunity for improvement. Community feedback could help refine its mechanics and visuals, but whether these efforts can address the game’s deeper issues remains uncertain. For now, Mutation struggles to stand out, making it difficult to recommend in its current state.
Additional Information
Release Date: January 29, 2025 (Early Access)
Reviewed On: PC. Download code provided by developer and publisher.
Developer: Ossified Games
Publisher: Ossified Games
Relevant links: Mutation on STEAM
