Wading into the vicious but ankle-deep waters of phone gaming can be daunting, especially since the advent of microtransactions and “freemium” style games have made most people cynical of their aims. You never quite know if the game is difficult or just trying to sell you something. The games themselves can often be incessantly pushy wastes of one’s time, self-hampering, poorly-designed, and frustrating in lots of cases.
However, Mutation Mash, from Upopa Games, combines a few existing pocket game types into a weird but stylish package. As a fan of Plants vs. Zombies, I’m too-often intrigued by grid-based puzzle games with cute, otherworldly designs, and Mutation Mash definitely fits that characterization in the best possible way. It looks kind of like a Pop Cap game, and it kind of plays like one, too. It’s also sleek and well-designed and easy to understand, so it’s kind of perfect for its intended purpose.
On a mechanical level, the mobile game inversely approaches the idea of Plants vs. Zombies. Rather than plant or build defensive structures, players strategically meld together adorably misshapen woodland creatures by moving them around on the aforementioned grid.
To glom more references and influences onto this game, it’s also kind of like Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine turned on one side.
As players progress, they gather coins — expected — and a pink resource called goo. It has to do with the method with which players use their Dr. Moreau-ian powers to blend and collect the animals in each stage. So long as players succeed at levels, they reap the goo reward. Fail, and it costs a varying amount of goo to replay a level.
The game has a “goo doubler” that runs as you play the game, so if you hit a level wall, you’ll have to wait for your goo to replenish so you can progress. If not, you’ll be forced to buy your way through via mictrotransactions, which I know everyone sort of hates, but it’s really not done poorly in Mutation Mash.
The touch interface is responsive, the swipe controls are simple and intuitive, and the rules are easy to understand. Each level’s objectives are communicated just before play begins, and the goo / coin risk is clearly labeled.
Also, the game looks great. The creatures are well-designed. They’re cute but also strange-looking. Collecting them apparently adds them to a farm, where — I guess — their mutated-ness makes them ripe for goo harvesting. In a way, you as the player are subjugating cutesy animals for the sake of your own ends. Kind of like Dr. Robotnik.
So far, the game possesses an appropriate amount of variety to keep players interested. The freemium push-in isn’t quite so heinous, either, so it’s overall a pretty streamlined experience. Compared to the constant reminders to buy stuff in, say, Plants vs. Zombies 2, Mutation Mash is relatively inoffensive.
With some updates and continued support, Mutation Mash could be a pocket game to keep handy on your phone. Its colorful, wacky aesthetic and bite-sized levels make it perfect for small slivers of time, so pick it up. The game is currently available on Android devices and will be available soon for Apple users. Find the game online at Upopa.com.
