Cyberpunk video game fans have been eating well for the last couple of years. From the technical launch disaster to the success story that is Cyberpunk 2077 to the one-hit kill ninja-fest of Ghostrunner, this dystopian sub-genre of SF has clawed its way from niche status into the mainstream.
ANNO Mutationem, from developer ThinkingStars, is the latest cyberpunk game to tempt us into its world. Originally released in 2022 for PC and Nintendo Switch the game has since come to PS4, PS5 and now Xbox One and Xbox Series machines.
Jumping into the shoes of Ann Flores, whose mysterious medical ailment forces her to go berserk or collapse after exhausting herself, Ann needs to find her missing brother. Ryan, Ann’s brother, disappeared while searching for a cure for Ann’s ailment. This simple disappearance will pull Ann into a dark and bizarre world full of conspiracies, anomalies and monsters.
You already know that ANNO Mutationem is a cyberpunk-inspired game. But it’s also an action-adventure beat-‘em-up with RPG elements featuring seamless switching between full 3D environmental exploration and side-scrolling combat. In fact, its mechanic of moving 2D animated sprites across a full 3D pixelated world is a wonder unto itself.
Let’s get ANNO Mutationem’s most stunning quality out of the way first: its visuals. Simply put, ANNO is an absolutely gorgeous game. It captures the cinematic cyberpunk visual language perfectly, showcasing design heavily inspired by Blade Runner, Ghost in The Shell and a whole lot of anime. Yes, ANNO’s world design looks as you’d expect, with towering cityscapes, flying cars, oodles of neon lights and signage and advertising up the wazoo. You may have seen it all before, from the holographic displays to the copious amounts of puddles reflecting back those neon lights, but that doesn’t make ANNO any less beautiful because of it.
While the world is rendered in 3D, the characters themselves are all pixelated 2D sprites featuring gorgeous designs and animations to go along with them. In ANNO Mutationem’s world, cybernetic augmentation has been spurred on by the aftermath of a virus that mechanised any who became infected. Full body modifications are a norm, blurring the line between human and machine, which makes for some wonderful character designs.
ANNO Mutationem builds on these character designs by crafting some great background conversations that you can read. Along with notes scattered across the world, this is ANNO Mutationem’s primary method of world-building by reading what the NPCs have to say. This world-building is enhanced by side missions that have you investigating a murder, among other things while having elements of those stories tying into the main one. As for ANNO Mutationem’s main story, it kept me going throughout the game as I wanted to see how Anne tied into it all, even when it felt disjointed at times.
There are some translation issues in the text, mostly in the written dialogue and occasionally when the voiced dialogue doesn’t align with what the sub-titles are sprinkling out. It’s not a train smash but happens often enough, specifically in non-voiced dialogue, throughout the game that I noticed it.
ANNO Mutationem’s side-scrolling action is also great. It’s a combination of light platforming and combo-based combat designed around multiple weapons. Anne can hack and slash her way through enemies with single or dual katanas, heavy-hitting but slow broadswords and pepper-flying enemies with a variety of guns. Combos are easy to pull off with a nice and sweet short skill tree to unlock new moves or increase health and defence.
Enemies can be staggered which prompts a massive damage-dealing move from Anne which can either kill instantly or slash away a significant portion of health. Chucking grenades, air juggles and downward striking impact attacks are the order of the day, making the combat feel, at times, like a light, 2D DMC system. It’s fast and smooth and immensely fun.
ANNO Mutationem features a gorgeous cyberpunk world full of colourful, interesting characters, vibrant locales and stunning pixel art and animation. The visuals are rounded out by fantastic side-scrolling combat sequences and great exploration into the depths of a city I’d love to spend more time in.
ANNO Mutationem Trailer
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