Mutropolis - Futuristic Press

The “point and click” videogame genre is part of that set of videogame typologies that manage to offer very different titles. This is due to the need to have one strong narrative componentwhich leads developers from all over the world to propose very different stories from each other. “Mutropolis“, For example, he devotes his attention to the science fiction genre and – after being published on the platforms PC (Steam) – recently reached the console Nintendo Switch. This review aims to understand the proposed mechanics and whether the final result deserves to be played.

“Mutropolis” deals with a futuristic story, set in the near future. In the year 5,000, a team of researchers decides to start doing the first research on the planet Land, after this was abandoned by their ancestors. There is not much information on what caused the abandonment of the human species, but mysterious legends circulate on this planet. In particular, there is a particular emphasis on Mutropolis: a city potentially rich in bizarre species and considered by many to be a legend, like El Dorado. Playing the scholar Henry Dijonplayers will explore an Earth abandoned by the human species, although new information suggests otherwise.

The title in question is a videogame classifiable in the “point and click” genre. Players must play a human by name Dijonwho will find himself involved in mysterious cases related to the mysterious city of Mutropolis. By completing the various challenges in the adventure and using his wits, he will have to find a way to obtain more information from this world.

The mode of interaction that the development team – Pirita Studio – proposed to the public is simple, in line with other video games of the same genre. During the course of the adventure players will have to explore the surrounding world in order to analyze objects or collect materials. The latter will be placed in the inventory, which can be accessed quickly by tapping the orange arrow at the top right of the screen. Using objects is often essentialas it allows you to complete the various environmental puzzles available.

As you can imagine, “Mutropolis”Gives broad relevance to the theme of the narrative. The development team has decided to propose the theme of science fiction by dealing with a specific theme: time. The past-present relationship is very strong within the game and it can be seen under various aspects. The simplest is dedicated to the proposed scenographies (some extremely technological, others simpler and linked to nature), but this detail can also be seen on the objects with which Dijon interacts. The best example of this is the Spatula: an object so antiquated that no one now uses (apart from the protagonist, who considers it so important as to be a good luck charm).

A final element that deserves the interest of readers is adaptation for Switch console. The development team, in fact, was able to create a very valid port, which was supported by a good initial user interface. Accessing the inventory is intuitive both using the joysticks and the Touch Screen, and it is very easy to control which objects trigger an interaction. “Mutropolis“, indeed, highlights interactable content in two ways, which change according to the commands used. If you use the Joysticks, just hold down the L button, while if you use the Touch Screen the areas of interest will be highlighted automatically, as long as you keep your finger / stylus pressed on the screen.

Like all video games, however, this too has flaws. The first element I would like to discuss concerns the comic sector. The story dealt with in this title is set in the near future, within which our present seems to have been lost for millennia. This leads people to hypothesize new identities of figures of various kinds, such as Wonder Woman or the Walkman. This result (as well as some dialogue and characters that appear in the game) should trigger a comic effect, but this fails to materialize due to a story that, on the whole, wishes to be taken seriously. Probably this is also due to the English dubbing, which does not allow “Mutropolis”To highlight its comic elements.

Other elements that can be highlighted concern the music sector – forgettable in various respects – and the absence of a support system for novices. The development team, in fact, does not propose to the players any kind of help and you won’t be able to quickly track your progress. Consequently, it will be necessary to get used to interacting often with the characters and to use some of their dialogues to control the progress of the game.

In conclusion, “Mutropolis”Is a fun and simple video game, capable of entertaining the public in the four hours it takes to complete. The development team was able to come up with an interesting story, characterized by a futuristic, science-fiction context and capable of giving the public some original ideas. These elements make the whole adventure enjoyable to follow and interesting to explore, as well as solving problems that strongly combine the themes of past and present, antiquated and innovative, nature and mechanics. In addition, the adaptation for Nintendo Switch manages to satisfy the public thanks to a good implementation of the Joustick and the Touch Screen, with more than efficient results.

Unfortunately, all these elements fail to stand out as you would like. The story maintains a serious style and unable to make people laugh where one would expect, while the musical sector does not allow to give more emphasis to the proposed settings. As far as I’m concerned I consider “Mutropolis”A great video game, but I am convinced that it could have given more satisfactory results. The end result is excellent, but I leave it to the readers to decide whether to buy this product at the introductory price (€ 19.99) or wait for a discount.