You know those games that look cool, but you can’t really explain what they are if you’re asked? That’s Biomutant. It kind of looks like what would happen if Rocket Raccoon was dipped into a radioactive vat and then shipped off to Felucia with a bunch of his cousins. 

The game is “an open-world, post-apocalyptic Kung-Fu fable RPG, with a unique martial arts styled combat system allowing you to mix melee, shooting and mutant ability action.” Developed by Experiment 101 and being published by THQ Nordic, Biomutant appears to be in good hands. 

Experiment 101 were acquired by THQ Nordic late last year in a deal that brings yet another new game to the growing publisher.  THQ Nordic has been growing by leaps and bounds in the last year or so and is steadfastly growing their library. Perhaps it’s most hyped game is Darksiders III, the third title in the acclaimed Darksiders series.

THQ Nordic acquiring Experiment 101 put another new IP on their roster in a time when totally original games are few and far between. One of the most enticing aspects of Biomutant is its uniqueness. You can compare it to a lot of things; it kind of reminds me of Jak III, it looks similar to Horizon Zero Dawn, but it also feels like something genuinely creative and new.  

Even though we haven’t seen a ton of footage from the game, there’s still a quite a bit of information on story, game play and more.

The story is as follows: 

“Your actions play a major part in the unfolding of a story where End is coming to the New World. A plague is ruining the land and the Tree-of-Life is bleeding death from its roots. The Tribes stand divided, in need of someone strong enough to unite them or bring them all down…

Although you are guided through the world by a Storyteller that narrates every step of your journey, but it’s your actions and choices that’ll decide how your story of survival ends.”

As far as the RPG aspect of the game is concerned, “You’ll be able to re-code your genetic structure to change the way you look and play. This will of course affect your attributes and in addition to this, exposure to bio-contamination in the world will lead to physical mutations like mantis-claws and barbed tails, while exposure to radioactivity found in bunkers from the old world will affect your mind and unlock psi-mutations like telekinesis, levitation and more.”

On top of that, weapons are totally customizable and you’ll learn “Wushu combat forms through progression and learning from masters you’ll meet.” If that weren’t enough, you can also ride jet-skis and fly in air-balloons.

Biomutant is absolutely an ambitious game. More than likely it’ll either be a triumphant success or a colossal failure, either a Horizon Zero Dawn or a No Man’s Sky.

THQ Nordic doesn’t have an official release date for Biomutant yet, but the game is slated to arrive sometime later this year.