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I
think it’s a sign of the times. Before the 3DS really started accumulating must-have
games at retail, it was getting them in digital first. In fact, some of the most enjoyable
and unique 3DS games to date haven’t come in white plastic boxes.
They’ve come in the eShop. And this is one of them.
Mutant Mudds is so self-evidently brilliant, explanations are unnecessary. It’s an awesome
game; it’s a fantastic combination of fantastic ideas; but it’s also a bit of a redeemer
for the team at Renegade Kid... not to mention the best freaking game they’ve ever done.
Mutant Mudds is a 2D platformer with both a retro look and feel. Nintendo fans, in particular,
should really take note...because Mutant Mudds is essentially like a slick collection of
very familiar, very Nintendo-like concepts. In fact, if you grew up with a Nintendo Entertainment
System, Mutant Mudds is going to tug at those awesome childhood memories while creating
new ones all its own.
You play as a little boy named Max. One day, an army of mutated mud monsters decides to
take over the planet. Because he’s the protagonist and that’s how these things work, it’s
up to Max to save the world. He has to traverse 40 delightfully retro stages filled with living,
breathing glops of moistened terra firma, armed only with a bubble gun, a water pack...and
some pretty sweet glasses.
If a platformer with a water pack sounds familiar, that’s because it should. Max apparently
shares my affection for Super Mario Sunshine, because it borrows the hovering mechanic to
great effect. In fact, speaking of those familiar ideas it uses, Mutant Mudds is like a 2D version
of Mario Sunshine at times, but mixed with the action-platforming of classic Metroid,
the vanishing platforms of Mega Man...
Even the multi-leveled stages of Donkey Kong Country Returns.
That last concept, in particular, is utilized extensively in Mutant Mudds and works brilliantly
thanks to the system’s stereoscopic 3D. In fact, it’s far more central to the game’s
design than anything you’d see in Donkey Kong. Going from foreground to background
and back again—and figuring out how to collect all the goodies scattered between them—is
one of Mutant Mudds’ primary mechanics.
The 3DS really has something special with Mutant Mudds. It’s a game with ample charm
that harkens back to gaming’s golden years. And if your childhood played out in pixels,
Mutant Mudds is like looking through a scrapbook. It’s a fantastic throwback, but it also
feels exciting and relevant. And I think that’s its greatest achievement.
If you’re looking for another 3DS gem, don’t be afraid to play in the mud.