Strategy fans and gamers with a taste for old-school CRPGs should certainly feel right at home with The Bearded Ladies' latest release. Those who were willing and able to venture into the Zone became known as Stalkers, and these adventurers are the focal point of the Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden campaign. Their bodies, their vehicles, and their homes lay tattered, in ruins, picked over by any who were brave enough to enter the Zone, another term for the wilds outside of the safe haven known as the Ark. After the Red Plague ravaged the land, checkpoints were put up hastily, people jumped into their cars to escape major cities, and others seemed consigned to die in relative peace. Much of this flavor comes through the environments themselves. The Elder will catch players up to speed with the Mutant storyline.

Players will also often find various notes left around environments detailing the downfall of humanity and the current misunderstanding of mankind's previous culture. The dialog is particularly good, with lead characters sharing some very humorous and enlightening exchanges throughout the main campaign. Without going into too much detail, the Mutant branding gives Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden an extensive lore and canon, the likes of which serve as some of the finest points of the new release. Some players may not immediately recognize the Mutant namesake, which is the title of a series of tabletop games originally developed in Sweden. They've created a fresh new turn-based strategy video game based on a storied tabletop franchise, and while their efforts are certainly commendable, the titular road itself seems to be remarkably short. That's just what The Bearded Ladies has done with Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden. Perhaps that's why it's so interesting to see a developer become inspired by a game that exists outside of the electronic gaming spectrum. It's all-too-common in the world of video games for developers to keep creating sequels to the same old series.

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