Mutazione

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Mutazione
Developer(s)Die Gute Fabrik
Publisher(s)Akupara Games
Die Gute Fabrik (iOS)
Director(s)Nils Deneken
Artist(s)Leonardo D'Almeida
Writer(s)Hannah Nicklin
Composer(s)Alessandro Coronas
EngineUnity
Platform(s)
ReleasemacOS, iOS, Windows, PS4
September 19, 2019
Atari VCS
December 11, 2020
Switch, Xbox One
May 26, 2021
Genre(s)Adventure
Mode(s)Single-player

Mutazione is a 2019 adventure video game developed by Die Gute Fabrikand published by Akupara Games. It launched for Windows, MacOS, PlayStation 4, and on iOS through Apple Arcade on September 19, 2019. It released on the Atari VCS on December 11, 2020. It released on the Nintendo Switch and Xbox One on May 26, 2021.[1] The game is set on an island where the player tends to the local gardens and learns more about the town's people.[2]

Gameplay[edit]

The player using the game's gardening feature.

Mutazione is an adventure game, where the player walks around the different areas and interacts with the environment. The player plays as Kai, who goes to the island one summer in order to see her dying grandfather who lives there. The game takes place over different days, each with unique events. While in conversation, the player can choose different responses that will affect the discussion.[3][4]

While gardening the player can grow different types of plants, from bushes to trees. Seeds can be found all over the island from other plants. The player needs to give the plant the required space in order for it to grow and different ones require other types of soil. Each plant also creates different sounds, which when combined with other greenery can create music.[3][4]

Development[edit]

The developers say that the ideas that started the game emerged over a decade ago when the creative director was sketching ideas in university. The game entered full production in around 2016. The developers cited the idea of a community and an in-depth world as things that inspired them. They said they wanted to make a game that rewarded meandering and respected the player's time. These ideas helped create Mutazione's "musical gardening."

The game was created in Unity, but most of the art and animation was done in Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Animate. Die Gute Fabrik also used custom tools for narrative design and music. They decided to focus it around a small town as it would reduce the amount of work needed, and that it would also help convey the ideas of community in a way they felt would not feel like a lecture to the player. The game's structure was inspired by soap operas, in that it focuses on ensemble storytelling.[5]

Reception[edit]

Mutazione received mostly positive reviews from critics, ending up with a Metacritic score of 76.[10][11] Ana Diaz, writing for Polygon praised the game's lack of pointless side quests and the game's gardening mechanics.[12] The Verge's D. M. Moore enjoyed the character writing and the relaxing pacing of the game.[13] Christian Donlan, writing for Eurogamer, liked the game's conversations and how the main area felt lived in.[14] It was a finalist for the Seumas McNally Grand Prize at the 2020 Independent Game Festival, one of four nominations, winning for "Excellence in Audio".[15][16]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Mutazione coming to Xbox One and Switch on May 26, physical edition announced for PS4 and Switch". Gematsu. May 20, 2021. Archived from the original on May 20, 2021. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
  2. ^ Moore, D. M. (September 29, 2019). "Mutazione is a game about the importance of tending to gardens and people". The Verge. Archived from the original on March 12, 2021. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  3. ^ a b "Wot I Think: Mutazione". Rock Paper Shotgun. September 19, 2019. Archived from the original on April 14, 2021. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
  4. ^ a b Donlan, Christian (September 23, 2019). "Mutazione review - warm-hearted gardening in a neglected world". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on November 26, 2020. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
  5. ^ Couture, Joel (February 7, 2020). "Road to the IGF: Die Gute Fabrik's Mutazione". www.gamasutra.com. Archived from the original on January 23, 2021. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  6. ^ "Mutazione for Playstation 4 Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on May 10, 2021. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
  7. ^ "Mutazione for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on May 11, 2021. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
  8. ^ "Mutazione Review". IGN. February 26, 2020. Archived from the original on June 18, 2021. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
  9. ^ "Mutazione review - warm-hearted gardening in a neglected world". Eurogamer. September 23, 2019. Archived from the original on November 26, 2020. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
  10. ^ "Mutazione". Metacritic. Archived from the original on May 11, 2021. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  11. ^ "Mutazione". Metacritic. Archived from the original on May 10, 2021. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  12. ^ Diaz, Ana (October 7, 2019). "Want to slow down? Play Mutazione". Polygon. Archived from the original on February 20, 2021. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
  13. ^ Moore, D. M. (September 29, 2019). "Mutazione is a game about the importance of tending to gardens and people". The Verge. Archived from the original on March 12, 2021. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
  14. ^ Donlan, Christian (September 23, 2019). "Mutazione review - warm-hearted gardening in a neglected world". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on November 26, 2020. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
  15. ^ "HERE ARE YOUR FINALISTS FOR THE 2020 INDEPENDENT GAMES FESTIVAL AWARDS!". January 7, 2020. Archived from the original on February 5, 2022. Retrieved June 11, 2021.
  16. ^ "2020 INDEPENDENT GAMES FESTIVAL FINALISTS & WINNERS". March 19, 2021. Archived from the original on June 13, 2021. Retrieved June 11, 2021.
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