Review - ANNO: Mutationem... Still Loading

 

Images courtesy of Thinking Stars

Cyberpunk has been something of an obsession of mine since before I even graduated high school. I discovered Blade Runner as a teenager while flipping through the channels and landing on AMC, and that's pretty much what did it. I knew Harrison Ford well from Star Wars, knew Ridley Scott from Gladiator, and the Vangelis soundtrack was one of the many that my parents owned and threw on the CD player plenty. Hook, line, and sinker. I was in. 

    Blade Runner is my all-time favorite film to this day.

    With that in mind, anything that comes out in the cyberpunk genre captures my attention. ANNO: Mutationem is no exception. I was intrigued instantly by the combination of graphics, pixels and otherwise put together by a Unity engine, as well as the aesthetics of the setting.

    In ANNO, Ann Flores is an investigator who works for a private firm that receives contracts from the local police. She handles everything from simple issues like theft all the way to homicide, alleviating the overworked police with the aid of her trusty companion Ayane. Ayane projects herself through a roving AI since she suffers from muscular issues in her legs due to an illness that the world is still recovering from called the mechanikavirus. Ann is experiencing a separate ailment of her own, and because of that her adopted brother Ryan has begun to search for a cure that results in his disappearance altogether. Now it's up to Ann and Asane to find him.

The Good

I think the visuals are probably some of the greatest examples of pixel-art I've seen in a long while. I love the entire set-up of ANNO in this way, but I do have to say that there are times when it is difficult to discern between different characters. Ray and C are two examples of being too close to one another's design. You can tell them apart, but really just barely, and this is a mistake on Thinking Stars's part because they're both on opposite sides of the moral spectrum.

    The combat is another piece of ANNO's puzzle that fits in perfectly. It's fun, engaging, and gives a lot of options on how to handle a foe. This is critical, especially in a platformer, because so much combat can run stale after a couple of hours. ANNO manages to keep players on their toes while also continuously introducing new moves, weapons, and techniques that can change up how fighting goes.

    Audio-wise, Thinking Stars checked every box. Ann's voice actress uses a cynical tone that matches her character and plays well against Ayane's ultra-ecstatic delivery. They are a fun duo, and it's easy to find yourself crossing your fingers for shared love. Behind the voices and layered throughout, Vanguard Sound constructed a soundtrack that matches the setting perfectly. The soundtrack for the game has a cyberpunk aesthetic that works beautifully and ends up being one of the most compelling components of ANNO altogether. I wish there had been as much attention to detail poured into the rest of the game.

The Bad

My main wish is that there were more moments with a truly cyberpunk feel. Scenes like those that are advertised, such as this shot below, are few and far between. So much of the game is spent in underground tunnels and lairs. It's just a shame there wasn't more neon and cyber feels to the visuals of the game.

    Honestly the worst part of the game is the story.

    Unfortunately, the story is the driving force behind playing ANNO. I just don't think that the writers knew how to weave a narrative that can be considered cohesive and compelling. There's nothing wrong with Ann's pursuit of knowledge regarding what happened to her brother, but the information that gets delivered is so convoluted and jumbled it's hard to say exactly what's going on or who is who as the story progresses. The Consortium in charge of protecting the world... sure, I get them. The divisions within? Not explained without poring over a bunch of lore peppered throughout the world. Lore is fine, but it needs to be well-written in order to get your audience to actually engage with it. If it's not... then your base has no reason to continue reading. They won't find out why a certain scientist is literally a monkey in a lab coat, or what Absalom's motivations are for fighting every time you see him.

    That said, even with reading all the lore... there are still going to be some questions left unanswered. The masked lady and who she truly is? Who knows. Does Ann have feelings for Ayane too? I guess we'll never find out. Is there a reason that Helen Flores is even mentioned if she's not going to come home to her family? I couldn't tell you.

Closing

I really wanted to like ANNO, honestly I still think I might give other Thinking Stars games a shot, but it's a tough sell. The gameplay is fun, the soundtrack is killer, but the actual story is nothing to write home about. There are too many unanswered questions to really put ANNO into a solid category of recommendations. I think the most disappointing part is that they really had some good bones, here, but Thinking Stars decided to throw them together without ensuring everything snapped together correctly.

6/10

Better than Some

While not a cyberpunk title, the greatest sci-fi game series is easily Mass Effect. 

Check out my review of the Legendary Edition.