Era: Mutation Review: Wild Rose Blooming in the Cyberworld

I believe for many players, the first time they saw the name "Era: Mutation" should have been at the press conference of the second issue of "China Star Plan" in 2019. A few years earlier, TapTap users may also have some impressions of it.

When the production team announced the release date last month, I saw many people exclaiming, "Finally, it's time for this game to be released.". Indeed, after such a long time, I even had some concerns before receiving the game, whether it was any link that went wrong after so many years - such examples have not been uncommon in recent years.

But this idea now seems to be overthinking - Age of Mutation has fulfilled its promise to players.

*This article is based on the media review version provided by the official. The official informed us that there are a few bugs in this version, and I have indeed encountered some issues that affect the gaming experience in the game. I hope that the official version can be improved.

Sexy Cyber City

The most impressive aspect of Age of Variation at first glance is undoubtedly the cyberpunk aesthetics presented in pixel images.

Colorful neon lights flicker intermittently under the dark night, and huge billboards in various languages hang between tall and low buildings. Various types of renovaters and robots mix on the dirty and messy road, and from time to time, one can hear arguments and curses. Mechanical dolls tremble endlessly on the disco floor, while virtual singers hold concerts in the streets and alleys.

These are all scenes that will be encountered in the game. Several cities have also shown different styles, such as Noctis City, which is a classic cyberpunk visual style city. Initially located in Scop City, it can be described as bright at first glance, but just by listening to the gossip of a few passersby, one can feel the undercurrents surging deep within the city.

And I don't think this pixel image is simple at all. If I had to describe it in one word, the first thing that came to my mind was——

Sexy.

It's really sexy. The curves and clothing details of the characters are outlined as much as possible through limited pixel points, and the colorful colors and lighting make the entire scene look quite rich.

When this 2D pixel world is presented in 3D, it also reflects the depth of the city.

It is interesting that after accepting this pixel art style, the game occasionally appears with more realistic light and shadow, such as the water surface reflecting the light, and the water droplets passing through the screen in the loading page, making this retro and modern overall style wonderful and attractive.

If you observe carefully, you will find that there is not a stationary NPC in the city. They all try their best to highlight their existence, even the characters who are stuck in place chatting are swaying their bodies slightly.

Although several cities are not big, it really attracts me to talk to every person I meet on the road and explore and discover in every corner of the neighborhood during the trip.

poster is one of the collection elements

Outside of the screen, "Age of Mutation" is also scattered with many elements that enhance the atmosphere, such as dialogues between passersby involving body modifications, assassinations and kidnappings, and shops selling "replicas" that can experience the memories of others. Although they are all considered trivial things and have little to do with the main storyline of the game, they can actually enhance immersion.

In addition, the game is also filled with many small Easter eggs. Jill from VA-11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action came directly to the set to mix drinks, and a girl resembling Akira appeared on the street, with a big sword inserted on the ground like a destructive sword. The TV in the recycling store played racing game scenes similar to Outrun

By the way, the scene with a logo in the game is quite beautiful.

Going deep into the foundation all the way

The delicately portrayed cyberpunk world gave Age of Variation a shiny shell, but the game's story did not delve deeper and explore in the direction of cyberpunk, but rather towards SC. Anyway, it is a three letter foundation organization theme (hereinafter referred to as the foundation) that runs wild all the way.

roast in the Story

The protagonist of the game, An Flores (hereinafter referred to as An), and her partner Ayayin (a super hacker who appears in a virtual projection) set off to search for An's missing brother. On this adventure, An will encounter many strange creatures (everyone should have seen 682 in the trial version), touch the truth hidden behind the event, and go to save the world.

To be honest, I am not someone familiar with the relevant culture. However, the scent of the foundation in the game can be felt by people like me who are half knowledgeable. In the middle and later stages, it can even be said that it is saturated, making people think about playing games while searching for information, and finding which foundation documents correspond to the content in the game.

There are many documents related to data deletion in the game

I was once worried that due to my lack of understanding of the foundation, I would miss out on many tribute elements that the production team had carefully incorporated, as well as not being able to fully understand the game's main storyline. When I came back to review the plot after getting through the game, I felt that I might have missed many moments where I could smile heartily, but at least the story was told clearly, and there were many texts in the game to supplement the details. Even players who were completely unfamiliar with the foundation could enjoy this story.

It has twists, suspense, and climaxes, and the portrayal of the protagonist An and her partner Ayayin is very three-dimensional. The relationship between the two is also particularly intriguing. However, in my personal opinion, the story in the later stage may appear somewhat awkward, as the pre laid atmosphere of dark clouds and pressure on the city may weaken the truth when it is revealed.

After getting through the game, I particularly liked the character Ayin - initially, I didn't really like her because of her mischievous and talkative appearance. However, as the game progressed, a lot of dialogue and diverse body movements showcased Ayin's lively and energetic personality. She expressed her love for An loudly, making me unable to help but cheer for her.

However, in contrast, the portrayal of other characters in the plot is relatively sloppy, and the significance of individual characters appearing is probably to serve as tools to drive the plot or fight with An, which is not very impressive.

Pleasant battles, a growth curve that remains to be discussed

During world exploration, the game can move up, down, left, and right, but during battles, it becomes a serious side scrolling action game.

An Hui uses three types of attack weapons, namely light weapons (lightsaber, double-edged), heavy weapons (large sword), and long-range firearms. Each weapon has its own unique combo and energy storage techniques, ensuring sufficient differentiation in both feel and performance.

Light weapons emphasize high attack speed, using continuous attacks to defeat enemies, while heavy weapons, although slow, have high power in ordinary strikes. In addition, it can also shield others and give them back. I believe that after the game is released, there will definitely be experts who develop exciting sequences of playing from the ground to the sky and then back to the ground.

The vast majority of enemies have armor value, and clearing the armor value can trigger execution attacks with greater damage. After executing an attack, the enemy's armor value will quickly recover, and it can cause a lot of damage to them until it is fully restored.

In the game, An can also transform and activate the "Super Saiyan" state. Although the time is short, it is full of explosive power.

It's great to have a fight. Especially when the armor is shattered and the output is racing against time, it is very pleasing to watch the falling health bars and large numbers popping up. Some bosses are also full of courage, allowing people to enjoy the pleasure of fighting.

However, there are some issues with the balance of the weapon, and I haven't used much other melee weapons since I received the Double Blade. As for remote firearms, most of the time I think of them because I have found another unusable bullet.

And the growth curve of the protagonist also needs to be adjusted. There are two ways to become stronger, using stronger weapons or upgrading talents with skill points. Talent can also be divided into two categories - used to unlock new weapon skills and increase character attributes.

As the process progresses, weapons can naturally be purchased/synthesized better, which is not a problem, but when you click on a new talent, you may not necessarily feel stronger - to put it bluntly, most new weapon skills are not easy to use, and a flashy set of attacks may not be as effective as my regular attacks.

Especially in the later stages, important enemies either dominate or teleport, which not only greatly affects the rhythm of combos, but also makes energy storage techniques a decoration. As a result, "rolling away after a few hits" has become the norm in my attacks.

Increasing character attributes is indeed a visible benefit, but the acquisition of skill points in this part mainly relies on boss battles. A skill tree points to the end consume "1" points, "5" points, and "10" points, respectively. The sudden increase in demand in the later stage makes people sigh helplessly as they only look a few points away.

epilogue

Players have been waiting for so many years, and the production team has finally played "Age: Mutation", which has been developed for so many years. I can't help but feel a little emotional.

The most eye-catching pixel 2D+3D art style has maintained a high level throughout the entire process, with rich details that make people love this world.

Its story involves the grand proposition of saving the world, as well as the emotional connection. If you are a fan of foundation themes, then you are likely to be more involved. If you are not familiar with supernatural phenomena before, but interested in describing a terrifying existence of scalp tingling in a serious manner, you may also find joy in it.

The battles in the game ensure a satisfying experience, but there is still a certain lack of diversity. If the character's growth can be smoother, then the experience is likely to be better. I also encountered some technical issues while playing the media review version, sometimes getting stuck for a while because I couldn't understand whether it was a bug or a design like this. I hope the official version will fix it as told to me.

Overall, it is a work that does not hide its flaws, suitable for players interested in such gameplay or themes.

Welfare

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Announcement

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