Mutant Mudds Deluxe (Mutant Mudds) is a retro inspired platformer developed by Renegade Kid. After Renegade Kid split in 2016, Jools Watsham formed Atooi, and the late Gregg Hargrove formed Infitizmo. The rights situation with Renegade Kid’s property is shrouded in heavy mystery. We do know that Jools ended up with Renegade Kid’s 2D work, including Mutant Mudds. I want to open up my biases and say that I have had a lot of dealings with Atooi. While I’ve not particularly spoke with Jools often, I have talked quite a bit with other Atooi staff. I went into Mutant Mudds hoping and expecting I’d love it.

MMD 1

You are Maximillian and it’s your job to stop the evil Mudds’ from invading the planet. You are equipped with a blaster and you’re able to float for a short period of time. Instead of having a double jump like a lot of other games, you get to float for a little bit. Without the float, jumps are quite clunky, though even with it, they don’t feel satisfying. It’s easy for me to get around clunky physics in platformers, I couldn’t be a hardcore Mega Man fan without overlooking that stuff! Yet, I spent the entirety of my playtime hoping that later levels would make up for the clunkiness.

Mutant Mudds gimmick of switching between planes is done quite well. It’s always clear which plane an object is in and what the game wants you to do with that information. At worst, it’s a great idea. Mutant Mudds looks and sounds gorgeous, with area appropriate visuals, sounds, and music, without compromising modern standards. That’s a trap that a lot of indies have fallen into over the years. It’s nice to see games avoid some of the pitfalls of old game-design.

MMD 2

Unfortunately, Mutant Mudds doesn’t completely ignore olden design. As the game progresses, jumps get tighter, enemies get tougher, and RNG is introduced. I found myself hating later levels and just wishing the game would be over. Even as early as the third world, I found it hard to enjoy anything about the game except it’s presentation.

Mutant Mudds is one of those games from the past that I feel is best lightly experienced. I found little to no reason to go back, especially in an era where we have dozens of choices if you’re a fan of this type of title. I was disappointed with my experience, but not every game from a company can be great.

 

MMDLogo FInalMutant Mudds Deluxe was developed by Atooi

Available for Steam, Wii U, PS4, PSVita, and Nintendo Switch in the Mutant Mudds Collection.

Available for $9.99 on all platforms

 

A review copy was bought by the reviewer

supirorguy didn’t award Mutant Mudds Deluxe the Indie Gamer Team Seal of Approval