Biomutant Developer Q&A
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Experiment 101's Stefan Ljungqvist has recently answered some questions about Biomutant, his studio's upcoming action RPG about raccoon-type creatures and their post-apocalyptic world where they practice kung fu. The questions cover the initial ideas behind Biomutant, the game's open world, its factions, weapons and more. Have a look:
Where did the idea for BioMutant come from?
Initially the whole idea started with the team wanting to develop an action RPG and there was this vision that playing as an animal would give the most freedom to create a world and scenarios where they could add as many creative ideas as possible without adhering to a real world.
Studio head Stefan Ljungqvist is also very interested in Kung Fu and Asian Mythology in general, and the first concept image was that “unique” western/asian post-apocalyptic style mammal. Inspirations include Kung Fu Panda, Ratchet & Clank, Devil May Cry, and other open world games like Breath of the Wild.
How big is the open world? What will we do in it?
The world is 16 square kilometers, or approx. 6 square miles, plus some underworld areas, and you’re playing in a world that’s dying.
At the beginning of the game there’s an equilibrium; The Tree of Life that stands tall at the center of everything is struggling to survive, its five behemoth roots stretching out in all directions across the world are being gnawed on by huge creatures working their way in towards the Tree. Players have the choice to seek out these creatures at any time, trying to defeat them or entering into pacts with them – its entirely up to the player. If the creatures are defeated, it increases the likelihood the world will survive at the end of everything.
But perhaps you don’t confront the creatures at all, but instead search for Nono – small spirit potatoes that can cure the roots and help the Tree fight back. But choosing different paths will dramatically alter the experience and the end game. The world will change with your actions; the team’s goal is to create an interesting and interactive experience. As an open world RPG, exploration, discovery and interesting characters are all big parts of the game.
Much of the focus is on the characters in the world and their destiny as its in the player‘s hands. A key goal for the main character is finding out who they are and where they came from. So there’s a part of the story that is reflective and will give glimpses of the world that once where. The meat-eater you confront at the start of the game plays a part in this, as does the Narrator.
BioMutant is much more about the fate of the world as the events caused by the player’s choices are happening, and the characters that live in this world and their destiny, than retelling the history of the world that once was.
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What weapons, powers, and upgrades can we find in Biomutant?
There are quite a few PSI-Mutations, abilities in the game, to unlock and upgrade by seeking out old radioactive machines in bunkers in the underworld, and exposing yourself to the rays. But these may come with side effects as well….
Then there are the Biomutations, physical mutations that you unlock and upgrade by finding these special “pools” of contaminated oil sludge and using “bio points” you gather from defeating the contagious creatures known as Morks. All of these mutations bestow you with powers that you can use in your creative toolbox in combat and to explore the world.
There are lots of options for you to customize the way you look and play, both in exploration and combat. In terms of weapons, you are able to craft your own melee weapon from parts and scrap you find in the world. The aim is to provide as much freedom and as many options as possible when it comes to weapon crafting, both in terms of the “types” of weapons you can craft - a two-handed, single handed or dual-wielding weapon – and its style, such as a slashing, crushing or piercing. So for example, you can weld a concrete slab with iron bars to a baseball bat and fit pieces of broken glass, a screwdriver and a module with bio-contaminated sludge to make a crush-style melee weapon that will make the target vomit. And that’s just one example.
The same goes for ranged weapons. You assemble a two-handed, single handed or dual-wielding weapon where the body part determines the “style” of shooting - shotgun, spray, revolver, handgun, automatic, semi-automatic etc. You then choose handle, muzzle, mag/clip type and size, and mount add-ons to it, like scopes and modules such as frost, incendiary, electric, radioactive etc. To modify/amplify your bullets as you see fit. As long as you have the parts. There will be thousands upon thousands of possible weapon combinations, up to the player to determine which of them will be best.
