App Army Assemble: Mutazione - "Does this point-and-click deliver a compelling story?"

After a brief stint on Apple Arcade, Akupara Games' Mutazione is now available as a premium offering on iOS and Android. So, we thought it was a great time to revisit this point-and-click soap drama and see what our App Army members thought.

Here's what they said:

Jason Rosner

Mutazione is a wonderfully charming, beautiful narrative adventure game. The story’s setting takes place in a rather strange town called Mutazione, where over a century ago a meteor struck down, causing much death while producing strange mutations in those who survived. While tending to your sick grandfather, you discover and learn about the many people, or should I say mutants, that inhabit this area. You quickly realise, however, that all is not as it seems, and this leads to a gripping story that will have you keep going to find out what happens next.

The visuals stand out right from the start, with excellent hand-drawn scenes that give you a real sense of belonging here; the music plays right into that as well, with an excellent movie-like score. Mutazione plays out with a relaxed, laid-back vibe, which feels very deliberate with so much to read. All this detailed context, along with top-notch presentation, makes Mutazione an easy recommendation.

Robert Maines

Mutazione is a charming point-and-click adventure. Years a meteor struck an island and transformed its inhabitants. You play as teenager Kai, visiting her gravely ill grandfather. As you explore the island, you meet many characters and find seeds that I’ll let you grow plants in gardens; those plants may help Kai’s grandfather with his illness.

Although it’s a point-and-click, it’s mostly about conversations with the island inhabitants and growing plants rather than puzzles. A handy journal can be accessed to show what you need to be doing. Although the conversations are in text, the game's cartoon graphics look good, and the music is well done. I really enjoyed this game. Recommended.

Mark Abukoff

Relaxing is not a word that usually piques my interest in iPhone games, so I honestly went into this with a bit of hesitation. But what I found, aside from the beautiful hand-drawn art and cute mutants, was a wonderfully crafted human story involving a young girl and her grandfather. The music is lovely, the (translated) dialogue is heartfelt and rings true. I found myself caring about them very quickly. There are quests, some mandatory, some not, that weren’t too difficult. A bit of difficulty picking out objects here and there, and a way to know that your progress has been saved. Other than that, it is a lovely experience that I happily recommend.

Diane Close

My impressions:

• This is a large game, 1.6 GB download, 2 GB installed.
• There are no save slots nor indications of when the game is saving. It supposedly saves on finishing a dialogue or walking between different places, but I found it’s not consistent and/or their definitions were different from mine. I got interrupted by a phone call early in the game and had to repeat half the Prologue despite almost reaching Chapter 1.
• This is a voiceless, linear, walk-and-talk narrative with a gardening mini-game.
• You are given quests; some are required to be completed in order to move on to the next section, but others only expand the narrative. A lot of backtracking is required.
• The hotspots can be finicky!
• The music is lovely. The sound effects are near-perfect.
• The limited locations nail the day/afternoon/night cycle, with lovely hand-drawn art.
• The gameplay is...relaxing, emotional, relationship-focused, with good world-building, and something of a soap opera.
• The cast is diverse, as you might expect in a game about mutants. The main character is queer-coded.
• There’s an overall mystery that keeps drawing you back: what happened on this island? How did all these people come to be here? Why stay? What do they mean to each other?

If you like games such as Wandersong, Kentucky Route Zero, Old Man’s Journey, or Spiritfarer, then check this one out.

Jim Linford

It’s a quirky Wes Anderson-style game opening. You play as a girl going to a Mediterranean-style island to visit her estranged and sick grandfather, who also happens to be inhabited by friendly “monsters and mutants” that can talk and live on the island like normal humans. The game is beautifully animated and scored. It is a point-and-click adventure game. Controls are points on the screen, and the character will move on the screen. There is an interactive element to sections, and an icon will pop up. Briefly allowing you to do context-sensitive actions.

The only niggle is when you move the icons might appear for a split second while you walk past then disappear when you move past. You can only activate these when you pass by them. So it can be a bit hit and miss. Apart from this, I am enjoying the story and the quirky atmosphere. I’m early into the game, and I expect it to be a rather bittersweet story and to really tug on your heartstrings. I love what I’ve played so far and really can’t wait to explore the island and find out more of the narrative and explore the lovely, designed island. Recommend.

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