Welcome to Mutazione, a small island village off the coast of anywhere. Although this island and its inhabitants are very special and unique, it’s hardly a tourist hot spot and hasn’t seen a visitor in over 20 years.
Enter Kai (aka you), the granddaughter of Nonno, resident shaman and plant expert. Despite her reluctance to participate in village life, she soon warms up to the community around her and is able to observe and participate in the social dynamics on Mutazione.
With help from Nonno and some gentle nudging from a mysterious bird creature, Kai uses what she learns to rejuvenate different gardens around the island - a fun, customizable experience, by the way - which, in turn, helps to bring the whole ecosystem back from the brink of collapse.
Oh, and did I forget to say? The residents of Mutazione are primarily mutants. A meteor, colloquially referred to as Moon Dragon, crashed into the island decades ago and affected the physiology of the residents and their descendants. The only confirmed humans in the village are Spike the barman and Nonno.
Overall, MUTAZIONE is a quiet, relaxing experience. The pacing was much too slow at the beginning for my preference, as I felt I had been playing for ages and had no idea what I was trying to do or what my “win condition” was. But, a little perseverance on my part was rewarded with the blossoming of both gardens and relationships.
This game is an excellent study in having empathy and developing community-based priorities rather than individual-based ones. If you ever need a quiet corner or a game with little to no pressure, no performance metrics, then MUTAZIONE is the game for you.
MUTAZIONE is available on Apple Arcade, PlayStation 4, and a number of PC-based platforms.