Mutazione is a narrative-driven adventure game following 15-year-old Kai's journey to a strange community after a meteor strike caused mutations to its inhabitants. Explore Mutazione's rich story, form bonds with its characters, and engage in various activities, all while uncovering the community's secrets and saving them from an impending darkness. Grow musical gardens and participate in daily events as you unravel the mysteries of this isolated, mutating environment.
Beautiful art style and graphics that create a vibrant and immersive world.
Engaging and heartfelt story with well-developed characters that evoke strong emotions.
Relaxing gameplay that combines gardening mechanics with narrative exploration, allowing players to take their time.
Gameplay can feel slow and repetitive, with a lot of backtracking to interact with characters.
Dialogue choices often lack impact on the story, making them feel inconsequential.
Some players may find the lack of traditional gameplay mechanics and puzzles disappointing.
story
1,165 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
46%
53%
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The story of *Mutazione* is a beautifully crafted narrative that explores themes of community, healing, and generational trauma through the lens of a young girl visiting her ailing grandfather on a unique island. Players engage with a rich tapestry of characters, each with their own backstories, while navigating a slow-paced, emotionally resonant journey that combines gardening mechanics with heartfelt storytelling. The game is praised for its stunning visuals, immersive sound design, and the depth of its narrative, making it a compelling experience for fans of story-driven games.
“Beautiful story about community dynamics, love, loss, and generational trauma.”
“A truly poignant story about grief, guilt, community, and care.”
“Mutazione has a beautifully written narrative filled with wonderful characters and a captivating story.”
“The story is boring, it's really nothing more than a slice of life story, and a dull one at that.”
“The ui is generally pretty clunky and the story line isn't interesting enough to justify how long it takes to get to the next dialogue option.”
“The attempt to include farm elements in a story-driven game didn't succeed.”
music
593 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
49%
1%
The music in "Mutazione" is widely praised for its ability to create a soothing and immersive atmosphere, enhancing the game's emotional narrative and vibrant visuals. Players appreciate the diverse soundtrack, which ranges from calming ambient tunes to more energetic sounds, allowing for a unique musical gardening experience where different plants produce distinct melodies. While some reviewers noted that the music could be more memorable, the overall consensus is that the soundtrack significantly contributes to the game's charm and relaxing gameplay.
“The entire soundtrack is extraordinary and is one of my highlights and favorites of the year.”
“The artwork and the music and the story are in such harmony with one another that I actually had to take breaks to soak up everything I was experiencing.”
“Mutazione offers a delightful and relaxing gaming experience, featuring exquisite art, a captivating soundtrack, and a compelling story.”
“I was a little bit disappointed in the music score.”
“For a game that stresses the importance of music in growing a garden, I would expect a better music score.”
“Considering that music plays a minor role in the gardening sections of the game, it's a little disappointing that it isn't more memorable.”
graphics
367 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
62%
37%
1%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their unique and beautiful art style, which combines minimalism with vibrant colors and intricate designs, creating a cozy and immersive atmosphere. Players appreciate the hand-drawn visuals and the harmonious integration of graphics with the soundtrack, enhancing the overall storytelling experience. While some find the art style unconventional, it is generally regarded as charming and a significant highlight of the game.
“The graphics are gorgeous, and it works with the soundtrack to create a rich atmosphere that I didn't want to leave (finishing the game was hard because I kept wanting to stay with all the flora).”
“The hand-drawn graphics have a special charm, with brilliant colors and intricate settings that bring the mutant-infested planet to life.”
“The art style is just as soothing; rich color palettes perfectly matching the organic design of the landscapes, which you get to explore over an ever-changing, ever-present, biophilic soundtrack.”
“The graphic design is also not for everyone, resembling 'paint by numbers'...”
“Graphics are technically very simplistic.”
“I had put it off for far too long, I think because the art style is kind of weird.”
gameplay
264 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
72%
3%
The gameplay of "Mutazione" is primarily narrative-driven, featuring simple point-and-click mechanics that focus on exploration, dialogue, and gardening. While the gardening aspect adds a creative touch and is generally relaxing, many players find the overall gameplay to be linear and lacking in depth, with limited autonomy and minimal challenge. The game is best suited for those who appreciate storytelling and character development over traditional gameplay mechanics.
“The garden-growing gameplay is surprisingly satisfying and I really enjoyed going back and making my gardens perfect, and the story is engrossing with some really sweet and poignant moments.”
“The gameplay is simple in the best way, and it's such a beautifully designed piece of art in the way that every aspect felt so purposeful and so successfully told the story it wanted to tell.”
“This allows for a very relaxing, casual-paced gameplay that truly lets you stop and smell the flowers.”
“The gameplay is very linear with your journal telling you where to go and what to do every step of the way - you don't really have any autonomy there and the speech choices you are given are so bland they feel inconsequential.”
“The actual gameplay is rather minimal, and the most gamey parts (the gardens) are perhaps the weakest point of the game.”
“There's not much more to say... the game simply isn't interesting, neither in its written language nor in its gameplay.”
emotional
218 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of "Mutazione" is widely praised for its heartwarming and deeply touching narrative, which resonates with players on a personal level. Many reviewers noted that the game's characters feel genuine and relatable, leading to moments of introspection and emotional catharsis, often resulting in tears during pivotal scenes. The combination of beautiful visuals, evocative music, and meaningful storytelling creates a memorable experience that emphasizes themes of community, healing, and the complexities of human relationships.
“This game actually made me shed a tear at its climax; I wasn't expecting the story to take me there, but it was beautiful.”
“The characters are well developed and realistic, the story is touching and heartfelt, and the music and art are absolutely gorgeous.”
“The world opens up slowly and it is delicious; every element of the game coalesces into a different type of emotional experience and it is all so natural and flowing.”
atmosphere
106 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
37%
3%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its cozy, whimsical, and immersive qualities, enhanced by stunning graphics, a beautiful soundtrack, and intricate sound design. Players appreciate the unique art style and the way each environment contributes to a rich, tranquil experience that evokes a sense of community and emotional depth. Overall, the game successfully creates a dreamlike ambiance that captivates players, making it a standout in its genre.
“The game creates such a rich atmosphere for the world with brilliant soundtracks and gorgeous visuals.”
“All of its elements, from the writing to the visuals to the sound and music to the systems design, work in concert with each other to create an amazing sense of atmosphere, of place, and of community.”
“The atmosphere is a bit dreamlike, calm, wistful, spooky... but sprinkled with cute moments and characters and punk rock music.”
“I personally am sensitive to ambient sound, so the way this game built up the atmosphere scared me so much.”
“The environments never really get to feeling dull while wandering around time and time again; there's a wonderful sense of thoughtful calm to the atmosphere as a whole.”
“What fascinates me about the game is the atmosphere and the different characters in the exotic-looking community, which (apart from the graphic style) feels a bit like a good Studio Ghibli movie.”
humor
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is described as both heartwarming and hilarious, with witty dialogue and relatable characters that enhance the storytelling experience. Players appreciate the blend of funny moments with deeper emotional themes, making it a unique and engaging narrative. Overall, the game is recommended for those who enjoy quirky, slow-burn stories infused with humor and small-town drama.
“This game hit all of the right spots, made me laugh and had me on the edge of my seat the entire time.”
“It's a graphic novel infused with gardening gameplay where you get to know funny characters with deep stories while you bring on your main quest.”
“Mutazione is beautiful and sad and laugh-out-loud, delightfully funny.”
character development
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
55%
31%
14%
The character development in the game is widely praised, with reviewers highlighting its depth and the emotional investment it fosters in players. Many appreciate the unique personalities and storylines of each character, noting that even seemingly trivial dialogue contributes to a richer understanding of their arcs. However, some criticism is directed at the character designs, which some find unappealing despite the overall strong narrative and character growth.
“So story rich and with stellar character development, I would recommend this game.”
“The character development is superb, and what seems like pointless dialogue is a very clever way of investing in that character and caring what happens to them.”
“But it would be a 10/10 if the game didn't have stupid character designs like the sausages, and get rid of fishing (aka. hunting) as a way of entertainment and kill time.”
“The art style is beautiful and the color palette is comfortable to look at before sleep, though the character design is not cute.”
“Each character has their own personality, character development, and storyline.”
grinding
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, particularly due to the slow character movement and the necessity of backtracking to engage with various NPCs. While some appreciate the farming mini-game elements and scripted interactions, many express a desire for more engaging activities and a less monotonous experience, often feeling that the gameplay becomes boring over time. Overall, the grind is seen as a significant but manageable drawback.
“The character moves really slowly and correctly placing her so the interact options appear is tedious.”
“Travel: going back and forth can get dull, annoying, and tedious considering it's important to talk to everyone. It's especially so when reaching the temple and beyond.”
“Tedious to play; I wish I could hear the story without having to click, click, click.”
replayability
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
33%
17%
The game offers mixed opinions on replayability; while some players find limited replay value due to its short length and lack of multiple endings, others appreciate the ability to revisit unlocked gardens and engage with various characters, enhancing the overall experience. The unique art direction and engaging mechanics contribute to a sense of enjoyment, even if the core story is brief. Overall, players may find replayability varies based on personal preferences for exploration and interaction.
“Mutazione has: jungle sounds, an extremely vibing soundtrack, this sort of post-apocalyptic solarpunk theme that I'm super into, one of the more interesting and extremely cool art directions I've seen in a game, an extremely aesthetically pleasing UI, an extremely soap opera plot (in a good way) that also gets super real at times, gardening as a central game mechanic, super esoteric rituals, fungi, a non-binary spore entity, a punk catgirl, and a central protagonist who's really into girls (including the aforementioned punk catgirl). It has very high replayability since the game lets you explore all the gardens from the main menu after you unlock them in the game, along with various dialog options.”
“The story may not be all that long, but the game has incredible replay value with all of the different things you can do and different people you can talk to at every stage.”
“Not sure if it's very replayable, but I enjoyed the hours I've spent with it.”
“This only took me about six hours to play, and for me there’s not any replay value, though there is a mode where you can just do some gardening and listen to the music your gardens make.”
“Mutazione does not have: pointless side quests (yay), multiple endings (eh, appreciated here even if it cuts down on replayability some), more interaction opportunities with the inhabitants of the island (I really wish there was).”
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The optimization of the game is highly praised, with users consistently noting that performance is excellent and requires little further discussion.
“Performance is obviously great; I don't think I need to talk about it much.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews indicate that the game's advertising and description may misrepresent its monetization model, potentially leading to player disappointment or confusion regarding in-game purchases and overall value.