Mutant Mudds is a 'retro'
platform game released earlier in 2012 on the Nintendo 3DS via the
Nintendo eShop. The game received decent enough reviews to result in
a PC version with 20 extra levels being released in August. I never
played the 3DS version for 2 reasons; 1) I don't have a 3DS, and 2) I
don't want a 3DS. My eyes are sufficiently wonky to render anything
out of the ordinary (magic eye books, 3D TVs) an uncomfortable
viewing experience so I figured the 3DS wasn't for me. Anyway, I come
to this PC version having no prior knowledge of Mutant Mudds, but as
a sucker for anything that looks remotely like a 2D platformer from
the 80's or 90's I hastily
downloaded the game.
After a short cutscene showing a meteorite hitting earth and unleashing a plethora of
aliens made of mud, our nerdy looking hero sets off to vanquish them
armed with a water pistol, and rather randomly, a jet pack. As the little poindexter, you are tasked with traversing a 2D platform world, blasting baddies,
collecting diamonds, searching for secrets, and generally performing
tasks you have done a million times before in much classier games.
Lets start with the visuals, in screenshots they actually look reasonable cool, but in reality they
are very uninspired. They are neither 8-bit, nor 16-bit as
many reviewers incorrectly claim, instead sitting in a grey area
between the two, they are far too 'clean' and lack the rough
pixellated look of early platformers, in fact I would say Mutant
Mudds most resembles a Gameboy Colour game being played in an emulator that uses horrible graphics filters to smooth out the
pixels. The sound effects are poor too, but luckily the music is
better, the chiptune tracks giving the game an 8-bit NES feel to it. The
tracks are certainly nowhere near as catchy as the most well known of
NES tunes (Mega Man series I am looking at you) but they do the job
and fit the vibe of the game nicely.
To be honest, after only a
few minutes of Mutant Mudds my finger was hovering over the escape
key ready to shut it off and play something better.
Running through lifeless backdrops blasting brown blobs, double
jumping (via your jet pack’s short burst) onto disappearing
platforms isn't the most gripping gameplay experience, but then I
came across the game's 'hook' and my interest was extended for a
while longer. The gimmick is that certain platforms switch you
between the background, foreground, and midground. In the background
you naturally look smaller and there is a layer of fog to give the
illusion of depth, in the foreground you are huge and can barely see
2 feet ahead of you. This is the game's only unique point, saving it
from being an awful and generic platform game with no
redeeming features whatsoever, but it also presents many problems.
The main issue is that it can become visually confusing. With
monsters and fireballs and moving platforms, not just
in your plane, but in the background and foreground too it can
become hard to see what is actually going to hit you,
resulting in many deaths. This is coupled with a frustrating difficulty level
that sees you sent back to the start of the stage upon your demise
and you rapidly lose patience with Mutant Mudds. Actually,
the frustration is born from the thought of having to slowly traipse
through the tedious level again rather than the game being unfairly
difficult.
To the developer's credit they have tried to inject some depth to proceedings, there are secret rooms to uncover,
levels that require a set amount of diamonds before becoming
unlocked, and 3 upgrades you can purchase that improve your weapon
and jet pack. But is it is not enough to help Mutant Mudds rise above
the level of mediocrity. Surprisingly this game has been getting
'rave reviews' around the net with 8 and 9 out of ten scores
appearing, but I fail to see the same magic these people
are seeing. We are in a time where any new indie game that looks
'retro' is automatically hailed as cool / trendy / awesome (delete as
appropriate) by the hipsters who think that new games that look like
NES games are 'da bomb', regardless of their quality.
Maybe I see these
indie games with a different set of eyes. Having grown up during the era when the 2D platformer was king it takes something pretty special these days
(see Spelunky) to get me excited. Maybe younger gamers who missed the
16-bit years see these games as a breath of fresh air from the
current gen A-list titles, and are not fully aware of the huge back
catalogue of mindbogglingly amazing titles readily available via the
wonders of emulation, virtual consoles, and compilations.
Anyway back to Mutant
Mudds and all that is left to say is that I found it
exceptionally bland, with a retro look that is unappealing and
devoid of charm (the hero looks like a Dexter's Laboratory character, as drawn by a 5 year old). Playing the game feels like going through
the motions, you find yourself
slogging your way through it in the manner of someone completing
tedious household chores on a rainy afternoon. Well that's how it
felt to me anyway. It simply does not cut it, so do
not waste any of your time playing tat like this when there are
hundreds and hundreds of amazing 2D platformers out there to choose
from.. go ahead, pick one, there's a 90% chance it will be vastly
more enjoyable than this insipid effort.
The Good:
- Chiptune soundtrack is reasonably good
- Background / foreground switching mechanic is cool, but....
The Bad:
- … It is visually confusing
- Bland & charmless graphics
- Slow, boring, repetitive gameplay
