IT’S BEEN A WHILE, BUT I’M BACK. The holidays are usually a perfect time to take a break and play some video games, but this year it didn’t work out that way for me. I’m stretched between two states and three cities for celebrations, I have tons of work to do on my dissertation, and lugging around a game console (even the Switch) is not my idea of fun.
Enter Apple Arcade. I never planned on subscribing to Apple Arcade, and frankly I truly dislike subscription gaming services. What if you don’t get your money out of them? What if the games aren’t good? There are too many factors to consider. Yet at 10PM while on a trip to see my family, I downloaded games and agreed to a one month free trial. The bulk of my decision rested on Mutazione, a rather unique game from Die Gute Fabrik, a Danish company that doesn’t seem to have done too much aside from their newest endeavor. But what an endeavor it is!
Mutazione follows Kai, a young girl who must travel to an island in order to meet her dying grandfather. Though she thinks she's going to know him before he dies, he has other motives, and aims to pass on his knowledge of the strange plant life on the island—plants that can heal and sustain the village there. Though Kai initially resists learning, she soon discovers she has a knack for gardening, which is the main mechanic of the game.
Yes, this is a game about gardening, but it's also not. I've read that some call Mutazione a “mutant soap opera,” and that's an apt descriptor. The village terms with stories of its inhabitants. As Kai, you can choose to investigate blooming romances, tragic accidents, friendships, and scandals, all with sharp, realistic dialogue. By the end of the game, I felt like I really knew the characters—all of them—which is a feat of writing.
Gardening is simply a mechanic that leads the plot forward, but it creates a sooth- ing, relaxing experience for the player. As Ana Diaz points out in her review for Polygon, the game forces players to slow down and take in the gorgeous surroundings. Since a meteor crashed on the island over 100 years ago, the plant life has flourished, even as the inhabitants of the island have mutated into various creatures—a cat person, a jelly fungus, a bearlike man. While all the villagers are charming in their own ways, there’s no denying that they are different.
Kai and Nonno chatting in the garden.
From a disability studies point of view, Mutazione makes the interesting move of including characters who are disabled by their mutations (Yoké is in a wheelchair, Jell- A can’t go out in the sun, most of them look nonormative, which invites staring) with- out dwelling on those mutations or making them negative aspects of the characters lives. Kai never comments on these mutations, or treats the characters like they’re second-class citizens (though the politics of them being confined to the island aren’t specified, but characters talk about the potential of leaving). It might seem like a small or insignificant detail to include nonormative characters in a game, then not discuss the nonormativity of those characters. However, the inclusion of diverse bodies normalizes them. As people have said again and again: Diversity matters. Representation matters. While there’s probably not, say, a green person like Tung waiting to see themselves represented in media, seeing diversity portrayed as normal and essential to the happiness and function of a town is highly important. It felt refreshing to see so many types of people on screen together, living and working as friends.
Mutazione might not satisfy some gamers who prioritize skill or challenge over story. There’s no question of success in the game, just details that could be overlooked or unexplored. The backgrounds are rich and inviting, and impart an air of peace. This isn’t necessarily a meditative game meant only to relax, but relaxation is definitely on the menu. The true enjoyment of the game, at least for me, is unraveling the mystery of what’s happened on the island, how its residents are intertwined for better or worse.
Since downloading Mutazione and subscribing to Apple Arcade (at least for that free month!), I can say that it’s been an enjoyable investment in my gaming life. I’ve never really explored games for iOS, and so far they’re shaping up to be lovely. I give Mutazione a 4.5/5 for a beautiful and subtly revealed story of inclusion, harmony, and hope.
