When I was still dying in The "Blood Continent" of Galid, The Skinny Horse Teacher, who often dubbed Shanguoniang's videos, pushed over a domestic action game called "Anno: Mutation". With the idea of "this game is so bold, it is actually released next to the "Eldon Ring of Law" and "the pixel screen is made to make such a feeling", I clicked on this game, but I did not expect that this move made me fall straight into this strange cyber world.
>>> game scenes are detailed and informative
As soon as I entered the game, I was "stunned" by the "drum washing machine" effect that appeared when the receding missile hit the planet. As the camera switched, the scarlet cave and cross surrounded by black columnar objects made the words "Human Completion Plan" quietly appear in my brain, and then the scene of the leaders rejecting the proposal also made people laugh. It seems that "Anno: Mutation" borrows a lot of settings about excellent film and television works.
After a few montage scenes were shown, my focus shifted from the bathroom room blocked by the trophy to the game's detailed pixel construction. Whether it is the smooth movement of the courier at the beginning, the change of the background advertising screen, or the rich interactive content in the home after the free movement is eye-catching (the setting of opening and closing the door is still not very sensitive). In particular, the change of night and day after pulling open the shutters in the room made me marvel at the development team's grasp of the pixel painting style.
Following the guide of the mission, the game revealed its ambition for the first time as I walked out of the apartment building. The rows of buildings are lined with a variety of novel-looking billboards, and the highly saturated information content is opposed to the apartment corridors and the vast sea of people that appear on the street, all of which present a different taste through the rendering of pixels.
If the player looks closely, they will find that each NPC in the city has its own special "meaning". Gang members rush to expand their territory to collect protection fees, black market merchants trick passers-by into expensive prosthetic modifications, and music lovers drink at the door of bars. They all play their part in the city, which deepens the game's authenticity and sense of substitution.
At the same time, the conversion of 2D and 3D scenes to and from each other can sometimes achieve unexpected effects. For example, in the noktis chase battle in the early part of the game, players not only need to deal with enemies who stand in the way, but also always pay attention to the out-of-control crane that wraps around steel bars for 360-degree rotation. The scenes where this hectic situation is intertwined with excellent scene performances are truly impressive.
>>> digging easter eggs is also a highlight of the game
In addition to the rich scene graphics and detailed pixel construction, Anno: Mutation also has a large number of Easter eggs and interesting side lines for players to discover. For example, when the game first went to the bookstore to help his father get the book. Tablets made of electronic lamps will be seen for worship, and the poster of the Tao Te Ching posted behind him also marks the global familiarity of this philosophical work written by Lao Tzu.
For those who like to explore every corner of the map, you can also find your own joy in Anno: Mutations. Rummaging through boxes and cabinets to find discarded parts as a garbage guy, or through some hidden law to find a murderer who disappeared on the 7th floor of the elevator as a famous detective, or to prove his strength in a street boxing match.
In addition, we can also see the role of bartender Gill in the sister's bar, which resembles the bartender of VA-11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action; the "antique" computers placed in the antique shop and the red and white machine game screens displayed also show the technological progress and people's nostalgia for the times after the change of times; and the posters such as "The Matrix" and "Ghost in the Shell" posted in the room and on the side of the road also show players the development team's careful polishing of the scene. As the game progressed, the little surprises buried in all corners of the game did bring me that kind of "fellow traveler" pleasant feeling.
Although the early stage of the game is through neon signs, street signs and other iconic decorations, as well as contrasting the luxurious life of the rich paper drunk fans and the homeless residences of homeless people suffering from mechanical viruses to create a "rich" cyber atmosphere of the metropolis. But as the plot progresses, the huge "hands" hidden behind the heroine and the Metropolis gradually reveal its hideous face (there are not too many spoilers here).
By interspersing the plot with fragments of communication from the mysterious organization and the fragmented documentation placed in the game scene, we are guided to understand this organization that protects the new human race. However, because most of the content related to the Foundation exists in the form of plain text, players who do not like to read text may miss this "large tube full" Easter egg.
>>> flowing feel and regrettable weapon construction
On the graphics and scene details of Anno Age: Mutation alone, I can score close to full marks, but the game's shortcomings are equally obvious. First of all, I regret that it is not possible to control the distance of the jump by pressing the button for the length of time. Especially in the face of boss battles, "hand cancer" such as I often jump up because of the wrong press, if this time can be aimed at the enemy's attack action in the optional range to choose the time to stay, maybe the second half will not be so anxious.
If the jump command is still harmless, the gap in the game's weapon construction gains greatly reduces the space for other factions to play. Instead of setting up a hierarchy as is customary with regular RPGs, the game replaces replaceable weapon kits and enhanced chips. However, due to the unattainable length of the enemy's health bar and the limitation of constantly restoring armor in the later part of the game, as well as the slow-motion back and forth of the big sword, the double sword with the broken shield chip constantly broke the armor execution became the best solution for the level. Pistols and large swords are shelved by the majority of players, and it is difficult to play their due role.
Although the double-edged strength obscures the light of other weapons, the moves activated by talent can still bring a new experience: the action of the flat A flash can not only reduce the back-roll time, but also shift to avoid potential damage and hit a wave of output; the up-and-up stagnant combos after picking up enemies can also be extremely refreshing; and the charging three-plate axe of the big sword can also deal high damage later in the game.
But the extremely small range of bullets and gun attacks that can't be chosen on my own did bring some discomfort to my gaming experience. For example, the multi-stage attacks of elite monsters and bosses cannot be interrupted by bouncing back, and when facing multiple enemies at the same time, the benefits of bouncing are far less stable than those of rolling. As for the often dazed gun locking, I don't know what role the gun plays in the game. In the second half of the game, I am not so much fighting against the enemy as I am competing with the insufficient blood medicine preparation of the backpack.
>>> conclusion
Overall, the game, which has been put on wish lists by countless players and waited for a long time, does not seem to fully meet everyone's expectations now, but the development team promises to continue to improve in subsequent updates. First, according to the player's most controversial plot aspects, we will gradually improve the action articulation, weapon balance and boss battle experience.
Although there are still many shortcomings in the game right now, it is still worth trying for those who like to explore and can accept pixel style games. And those who are still waiting, may wish to wait a little. I believe that with the continuous change of game versions, those much-criticized problems will also be fixed one by one.