Game review: Biomutant (Nintendo Switch)

Back in the '80s and '90s, gaming protagonists featured more playable animal mascots. As a kid, I used to love playing Sonic the Hedgehog or Crash Bandicoot because they looked cute the colourful. Sadly, nowadays, playable animal mascots are dying in favour of more realistic human protagonists.

Well, Biomutant finally bucks that trend because this is a game where you can play as a furry animal mutant of some sort. The original version of Biomutant came out back in 2021 for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One platforms. A better version of the game then hit the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S consoles in late 2022. 

It's now 2024, and Biomutant has finally been ported to the Nintendo Switch, which is the version we are currently reviewing. Let's dive in and see if this game is worth your time if you did not check it out previously on other platforms. 

Even though Biomutant has been out for three years now, the Switch version is actually the first ever time I have played the game. Before I booted up the game, I was hoping Biomutant would be a good Switch port because the Switch version of Kingdom Come: Deliverance was atrocious. 

Before I begin talking about the gameplay and story, let's talk about the graphics of the Switch version of Biomutant. Sure, the game isn't going to compete with PS5 and Xbox Series X games, but I thought the graphics looked decent enough for a Switch port. The game looked far better than the flat colours I saw playing Kingdom Come: Deliverance on the same system a few weeks earlier. 

People who own the PS5 or Xbox Series X versions of Biomutant will instantly notice the graphical downgrade, but the graphics here aren't as offensive as the Switch port of Mortal Kombat 1. The Switch version still retains the original game's bright aesthetic and it also runs smoothly in handheld mode most of the time. 

Anyway, if you haven't played Biomutant before, the game has a really interesting story and premise. The mutated critters in this world rely on something called the Tree-of-Life, but it's now dying thanks to getting polluted by poisonous oil. 

In order to restore the Tree-of-Life to its former glory, the main character that you create has to defeat several creatures that have been gnawing at its roots. Aside from this, the player also has to align themselves with any of the six tribes that live in the world. Some tribes have good intentions, while others just want to rule the world for themselves. 

In terms of gameplay, Biomutant gives players a lot of options on how they want to play the game. For example, at the start of the game, you can choose the class type and even body type for the character that you want to play. Since I've gained weight in real life due to COVID-19, I chose to play as a big, strong, and hairy character. 

By being a big and strong character, I was able to have powerful melee attacks and my armour was quite sturdy too. On the flip side, my character was obviously slow, and his attacks weren't as swift or fast. Nevertheless, this is the type of build I usually like to choose in video games because that's how I like to play. 

Another thing I like about Biomutant is its combat system. The fun part about this game is that your main character is armed with both guns and a melee weapon. The character I created wielded two pistols at the beginning of the game and this was helpful in taking potshots on enemies from afar. Not to mention, ammo is infinite, so I was able to shoot as many times as possible. You can even jump, evade, and shoot giving you lots of maneuverability.

At the start of the game, I was also armed with two swords used for melee combat. Melee combat is arguably the predominant type of combat in the entire game because it deals a lot more damage and is more helpful during epic boss fights. The game also has a Ki meter which acts like a stamina bar if you attack too many times. Recharging doesn't take long, but it's important to pace yourself during battles. 

When you progress further into the game, you can unlock and use other types of weapons when you encounter them. You can even craft new weapons, giving you new abilities, and in turn, this makes the combat never feel too boring and monotonous because you have so many options to customise the player.  

Biomutant also has a ton of special attacks and moves that you can unlock, too. These are categorized under mutations and they are separated into 'biogenetics' and 'psi-powers'. Many of these abilities are really unique, such as throwing poison at enemies or even using the elements to damage opponents. Again, this just proves how unique the gameplay is and how varied the combat skills are. 

Biomutant is also an open-world style of video game and there are many different ways that you can explore the environment. Aside from running around, your character has access to an air balloon, jet-ski, and even a mech. These things aren't all available at the beginning, but it makes traversal fun when you get them. 

While Biomutant is a fun game, there are a few things that I didn't like. The lack of voice acting is a bit noticeable because the British narrator has to translate every character in the entire game. Characters in this game only speak gibberish so it can be boring hearing the same voice over and over again. 

Another thing to note is that not everyone will like the game's downgraded visuals on the Switch. While I said before, the game doesn't look too bad for a Switch game, it will still appear very outdated by 2024 standards. By the time the Switch 2 is out sometime next year, this game will look like a dinosaur in comparison. 

Aside from a few flaws, I thoroughly enjoyed playing Biomutant on the Nintendo Switch. It reminded me of video games that I used to play in the PS2 era many years ago. This game is worth trying if you want to experience something different. 

Verdict: 8.0/10