XCOM-like Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden Explained in Developer Gameplay Video

In just about a month, you can lead a cast of mutants, like a talking duck and a gun-wielding boar, and dive into XCOM-like gameplay. I’m not joking around — Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden, the tactical, mutant-filled adventure game is launching on December 4 on PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4. Mutant Year Zero is from the small but mighty team at The Bearded Ladies —  a team made up of former Hitman and Payday lead developers.

To give you a better idea of what exactly Mutant Year Zero is, Funcom, the game’s publisher, has released a brand-new video that takes you behind the scenes on the development of the game, which includes commentary from The Bearded Ladies’ lead devs.

Based on the Swedish pen and paper RPG Mutant that was wildly popular in Europe around the 1980s and 1990s, Mutant Year Zero puts you in the hooves of Bormin the boar and the webbed feet of Dux the duck as they explore a bleak post-human Earth. With the human race destroyed, all that’s left are the Mutants, deformed humanoids and animals alike, who are searching for salvation, something to eat, and way to survive.

While the look of the characters certainly stands out, it’s important to note that each character has their own unique personality and different perspectives on the dreadful world that surrounds them. I’m practically curious to see how each character develops, and I’m sure this will lead to me connecting with certain characters more than others.

As I mentioned already, Mutant Year Zero’s combat is similar to the combat system found in the XCOM series. However, The Bearded Ladies have mixed the XCOM-like combat system a bit with a few twists.

For starters, you have the power to jump in and out of real-time stealth/exploration and turn-based combat. If you want to sneak your way to victory, soldiers can hide behind cover — giving you the opportunity to ambush enemies. With Mutant Year Zero, you only have an army of five heroes to control — a drastic difference from XCOM where you have tons of soldiers to jump into battle.

Mutant Year Zero is now available for PC pre-order, and it will be available in a Standard Edition ($34.99) and a Deluxe Edition ($54.99). The Deluxe Edition includes a desktop wallpaper, digital art book, digital soundtrack, and a digital copy of the Mutant Year Zero pen-and-paper RPG book. Pre-ordering the Standard Edition will give you a three-day head start at launch while pre-ordering the Deluxe Edition gives you the same head start as well as access to a Beta version of the game before launch.

Expect a Mutant Year Zero review from us when the game releases next month. We’ll keep you posted on more information and updates for the game. For now, here’s a nice gallery of screenshots to hold you over. 

Author’s Take: I remember watching the Gamescom trailer for Mutant Year Zero and thinking to myself, “Dang… I don’t know what I just watched, but I need to know more this game.” Definitely looking forward to playing the game next month!