Biomutant Live Review, Part Zero - Introduction

Something I’ve been thinking about for a while now is that the review process across games media is broken. There’s an inherent crunch built into getting something definitive up on the day of release. I get why - it’s the time when most people want to know about a game, therefore the time most eyeballs are trained to your space on the internet. The problem is it’s also chicken & egg in finding a solution - everyone expects there to be a flood of reviews at release, so everyone searches for it.

The result is an unrealistic, crammed experience of a game, a rushing to come to a critical conclusion, and a time crunch to get “good enough” words out there. This is exacerbated by code dropping in inboxes extremely close to launch, as well as the increasing length of big budget games - not to mention huge open worlds filled with side activities.

With Biomutant, I’m trying something different. It’s an open world RPG, so it has everything you expect - major quest line, side activities, crafting and much more. We already know all that from the previews. I could power through the main thread and give you some words based on “finishing” the game, but that’s not normally how I play these types of games. I plod around and explore. I get to that main mission when I damn well get to it. Importantly, I do what most people reading these reviews do - play them over at least a period of several weeks.

So that’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to play the game like a regular person, pulling joy and frustration as any regular player would, and share my experiences live with you through periodic pieces. I still want to get a piece up at least once a week, but the structure is going to be pretty flexible - one week might be drilling down into one particularly engaging side quest, while another might be about the overall themes the game is bringing together. Part One is going to start with thoughts about the opening 5 hours or so. Because that’s what I’ve played so far, and it’s what is going to matter most for people picking up the game on release day.

I think this will make for more interesting reading to the fairly digestible structure you’re no doubt used to. You’ll be able to see how I react to the game in real time, in a more honest and open way. It will give me space to think more critically about different aspects of the game, rather than having to bundle everything up under a single generalized piece. Then in the end, we’ll be able to discuss the game as a whole, taking into consideration all the disparate parts we’ve touched throughout our journey.

So beginning tomorrow, please join me on this journey into uncharted territory, with what is honestly one of the most intriguing open world games dropping in 2021. Whether the game is great or terrible, I’m sure this review experience will be interesting either way.