Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden Reviews

We already had a chance to check out several reviews for Funcom and The Bearded Ladies’ Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden back when the game launched, but if you’re interested in reading what some other media outlets have to say about this tabletop-inspired tactical adventure, you can do so below:

GameSpot 9/10:

Juggling all the demands of combat, from patiently surveying the field beforehand through to learning how to best counter each enemy type and improvising a new strategy when it all goes horribly wrong, make for an immensely satisfying tactical experience. But as enjoyable as the predefined encounters on offer over the course of Road to Eden’s mostly linear story are, it’s still a linear story. On a new playthrough, that same map will still feature the same enemies standing in the same spots or running the same patrol routes. Outside of testing yourself against the hardest difficulty and a permadeath mode (assuming you don’t opt for these first time through) there’s not a lot of replay value to be found.

It’s a shame, because the combat engine is so robust I would love to continue pitting myself against some sort of randomly generated map long after completing the main story. Mutant Year Zero’s clever focus on stealth and pre-combat preparation reward your diligence, its turn-based combat encounters are complex, and they help bolster its all-encompassing post-apocalyptic atmosphere. It is a superb tactical combat campaign that you shouldn’t let sneak past.

The Sixth Axis 9/10:

Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden is an exceptional take on the tactical RPG and the addition of a stealth system certainly sets it apart from the crowd. Both genres blend together in a way that’s satisfying, challenging and well designed, while an engaging and well-written narrative drives the player forward. The difficulty might be an issue for those new to the genre, but for those seasoned in turn-based tactics, this is an absolute must buy.

WCCFTech 8.5/10:

With its interesting world and characters and excellent gameplay mechanics which advance the genre with the introduction of stealth and seamless exploration, Mutant Year Zero: Road To Eden is one of the best turn-based tactical games released in recent years. The story may have received a better focus, and the combat may have been a little less frustrating, but don’t let these small issues block you from getting the game if you’re a fan of the genre, as Mutant Year Zero: Road To Eden is well worth your time and money.

GameCrate 8/10:

Mutant Year Zero makes some subtle innovations for the tactical strategy genre outside of combat that transforms this from just another XCOM clone to a clever mixture of stealth, tactics, and RPG mechanics adding up to an adventure that’s highly recommended.

Strategy Gamer 3/5:

It is worth mentioning that around the halfway point, we did notice something different about the game and aren’t really sure if it was patched or if some option had changed behind the scenes. For the first 9 hours or so, we would be left to deal with our combat wounds until we found a medkit in the wastes or dropped 40-odd scrap (a not insignificant amount) at the store. But suddenly, health would always return to full at the end of combat, cooldowns would recharge fully, even death had changed as characters would just shake the decomposition off once the fight was over.

After this inexplicable change, the combat was more bearable but the RNG gods are still capricious and even the best-laid plans require multiple attempts. So personally, we find it hard to recommend Mutant Year Zero as the frustrating combat, occasional bugs, slow movement, and awkward camera make us quit to desktop more often than not. But at the same time, the story and the world keeps dragging us back for more. And though it has aged us considerably, if you’re a fan of the source material, then it’s worth it to stick it through just to experience the story. Especially if you’re like the rest of us and can’t get a group together anyway.

Shacknews 6/10:

It’s an odd thing to start playing a game which feels as intense as Road to Eden initially does, only to discover that just a few hours in, you’ve already got one of each major weapon type, your upgrade trees are nearly complete, and that you’re just one fight away from the final battle. Everything that Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden gets right seems overshadowed by its general lack of depth and surprisingly short campaign. The Bearded Ladies have created solid foundation to build upon, which makes me wonder why they didn’t pack in more story, more characters, more weapons, or more ways to shake up battle strategies. As it stands now, Road to Eden feels less like a full release and more like an extended demo.