Whenever I hear something new about Biomutant, my ears perk up. Developed by new studio Experiment 101 and published by THQ Nordic, Biomutant’s premise is intriguing and its art is striking. It's an action-RPG, but with cats. Cats with swords, and guns, and kung-fu skills. There aren’t enough games about badass cats, and I’m glad something is being done about it.

Biomutant has been kicking around in various stages for years now, and in 2019 it still looks mighty ambitious. Here’s everything we know about Biomutant so far.

Watch 15 minutes of Biomutant gameplay from Gamescom 2018

The latest chunk of Biomutant gameplay shows off a lot of ground and mech combat. It’s interesting to see the game bounce between post-apocalyptic environmental undertones and whimsy (mostly captured by the omnipresent narrator).

What kind of game is Biomutant?

Developer Experiment 101 officially describes Biomutant as a “post-apocalyptic Kung-Fu fable RPG.” That’s a mouthful, but it seems appropriate for the strange vibes that Biomutant puts off. From the limited gameplay we’ve seen, it’s essentially an action-RPG with an ambitious “Mutations” system that changes the genetic makeup of your custom cat hero over time. 

There’s also a deep crafting system for making new weapons and armor. The gameplay demos so far have been fairly linear, but Biomutant is an open-world game with a 4x4 kilometer sandbox, not including its underground areas.

What is Biomutant’s story?

Biomutant has a unique take on post-apocalyptic worlds. Instead of your typical natural disaster, Biomutant’s world was destroyed by a massive oil flood that rose from the ground. 

Experiment 101 has been cagey about the story, but it has emphasized that the choices your cat makes has a huge impact on the story. As an oil plague has infected the Tree of Life try to return vitality to the world, it’s your job to save it while uniting the world’s "tribes."

The Tree of Life quest sounds similar to Mass Effect 3’s "Galactic Readiness." Curing each of the Tree of Life’s "roots" will increase your percentage chance of saving the world at the end of the game.

Biomutant’s narrator speaks for every character in the game

As far as we can tell, there’s only one voice actor in the game—the omnipresent and pleasantly British narrator. Not only does he narrate the constant action of your protagonist, but he also voices every NPC conversation. It’s like he’s reading dialogue out of a fairytale, and it’s kind of adorable. There are several dialogue options in conversations, but we haven’t seen them impact gameplay.

Your custom cat’s physique will affect its stats

At the beginning of Biomutant, players will tweak their cat protagonist’s genetic code to their liking—including strength, agility, vitality, charisma, and intellect. Shifting them around in the character creator drastically changes the physique of your cat. They can be short or tall, buff or skinny, whatever you want. Stats have a direct effect on things like weapon damage, persuasion, and movement speed.

Players will discover new physical and ‘Psy” abilities

The "mutant" part of Biomutant comes from your cat’s tendency to pick up new powers when exposed to the post-apocalypse wastelands. We’ve only seen a few powers so far—a telekinesis ability that lets you hurl small enemies at each other, and an ability that stuns enemies and force them to attack indiscriminately by swarming them in moths.

Biomutant's combat plays like Devil May Cry

In a sit-down with YouTube channel Radioactive Games, Biomutant representatives apparently compared the combat to Devil May Cry, and it’s not hard to see the influence. The combat is a mix of melee and ranged with the same lock-on style that DMC is known for. Melee is reliant on combos and crowd control.

You can craft weapons out of random pieces of junk

Supplies found in the open world can be used to craft unique weapons. We’ve seen swords, staffs, rifles, and pistols so far. One sword might have bent stop sign reinforcing the base while another uses a monkey wrench as a grip.

Biomutant’s simple 'Karma' system will change your ending

Your actions in Biomutant will teeter a simple Karma meter back and forth between good and bad. Apparently, you’ll see a different ending depending on your Karma by the end of the game. It’s not yet clear if this directly connects to your percentage chance to save humanity, as mentioned above.

Biomutant still doesn't seem close to being finished

Gameplay for Biomutant has been kicking around for years now, but everything we’ve seen is apparently an early build. Supposedly it's still coming this year, but 2019 might be an unrealistic release window.

Biomutant’s system requirements are a work-in-progress

Like everything else in Biomutant, its current system requirements are subject to change. But here’s what’s listed now on the game’s Steam page.

Minimum

• OS: Windows 7 or higher (64 bit)
• Processor: 2.6 GHz Intel® Core™ i5-750 or 3.2 GHz AMD Phenom™ II X4 955
• Memory: 4 GB RAM
• Graphics: 2 GB Direct3D 11 capable video card (GeForce GTX 780 or Radeon R280)
• DirectX: Version 11
• Storage: 10 GB available space

Biomutant is a game about "a sort of violent raccoon that can alter its genetic material to gain super powers." That's how Tom described it after checking out a demo at the PC Gamer Weekender earlier this year, and despite some reservations about the combat and the scope of the open world, that sounds very much like a game I want to play. The new "gameplay sizzle" video released by publisher THQ Nordic has not changed my mind on that one bit. 

The video isn't exactly a coherent journey from A to B, but rather an extended series of smash cuts, between which we catch glimpses of giant robots, different classes of bipedal trash pandas, a Sarlacc pit, a towering Furby-looking thing that may or may not be friendly, and a lush, primordial jungle landscape littered with ruins including what is possibly the broken hulk of a U-boat. And that really sells it for me: I don't know what's going on but it doesn't matter, because it's just so damn weird that I can't help but be interested. 

THQ Nordic ran down the basics of BioMutant's features in the blurb accompanying the video—recode your genetic structure to change your appearance and play style, craft your own unique melee weapons, equip whatever gear you want—and also touched on the story, which I don't think we've heard anything about yet. 

"You’ll create your own adventure as you explore the open world and what lies beneath its surface, by foot, mech, jet-ski, air-balloon and more," it said. "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..." 

Yes, I am still very interested. One thing the video does not have, however, is a release date. At the time of our preview BioMutant was expected to be out this year, but BioMutant is now slated be out sometime in the summer of 2019. 

Biomutant is open world action RPG with loot, in which you play a sort of violent raccoon that can alter its genetic material to gain super powers. Videogames!

The playable demo at the PC Gamer Weekender offered about 20 minutes of hacking set in some slightly dank, boxy interiors. Devil May Cry physics are at play, so when you shoot a gun or swing a weapon in midair gravity is so awed it lets you float there for half a second. If you’re on the ground the force of your upward shots can keep an enemy uncomfortably suspended. This makes it easy to fix bad guys in place while you combo them to death, stringing spinning dive attacks into uppercuts into John Woo torrents of gun fire.

Combat is quite exciting, but not as clean and beautifully fluid as the games that inspire it. However Biomutant’s strength, like its furry protagonist, lies in its hybrid nature. As you level up you discover new abilities that help you traverse the world and mess up enemies in amusing ways.

One upgrade lets you grow a springy mushroom under your cursor. If you pop one up under an enemy it bounces them high into the air. If you grow multiple mushrooms, you’re rewarded with the sight of half a dozen panicked enemies bouncing around the room. While they are helplessly flying around you can interrupt their trajectory with bullets or a mid-air combo with your massive sword. Outside of combat you can use mushrooms to springboard up to new pathways, introducing a metroidvania element to Biomutant’s wide range of influences.

I wasn’t expecting this sort of enjoyable chaos from Biomutant’s mutations. In the end I suspect the range of toys you get to play with will determine how entertaining the game is in its final state. The presentations at the PC Gamer Weekender showed a bubble shield mutation and a range of gadgets, including a rocket fist, mechs, grappling hooks and glider wings. There is a huge variety of gear to wear as well. The playable demo included randomised weapons and armour, which all have a charming hacked-together quality. I ended the demo wearing bits of fridge and wielding an improvised musket and a steel pipe.

The open world also looks much richer than the playable demo suggests. Rainfall can increase standing water, which is a problem because your critter can’t swim, while cold temperatures can freeze rivers and open up new routes. One clip shows a raccoon warrior running away from a growing pool of oil. It’s easy to see how you might improvise with powers to create new ways of moving around these obstacles. A mushroom would be a good springboard for glider flight, for example. There’s a definitely a note of Zelda: Breath of the Wild to the new footage.

The final game will have multiple endings and even moral decisions. The demo opens up with a series of split pathways that invite you to decide how rebellious or generous your raccoon thing is. I didn't see any wider consequences to the choice of paths in this short demo, but there's potential in the final release. In the world of Biomutant the five roots of the tree of life are being poisoned by rising oil, and the world's factions have different approaches to dealing with that. You can choose to side with the tribes you agree with and defeat other tribes, or pootle about on your own putting bouncy mushrooms under unsuspecting animals. 

I still have questions about what the open world will be like—how populated is it? How varied is the terrain? How big is it? The game is due out this year, so we'll see more in the coming months. In this early stage I'm encouraged by Biomutant's weird abilities and exceptionally cute protagonist. However the game turns out, a range of Biomutant plushies seems inevitable.

Biomutant is the open world RPG to watch this year: a mutant and mech-focused game with a gorgeous post-apocalyptic landscape to explore, and not a boring human character in sight. Instead you'll be playing as a cute, Rocket Raccoon-style mutant critter, who you'll be able to customise to your liking.

Experiment 101's Stefan Ljungqvist enlightened us on this aspect at the PC Gamer Weekender, going into detail on Biomutant's character creation tools. RPG fans will be pleased to see a bevy of stats—Strength, Vitality, Charisma, Intellect, Agility and Luck—on offer, while pet-owners should be thrilled at the variety of fur colours and patterns they'll be able to tweak. Interestingly, your character's stats and appearance are interlinked, so if you opt for a strength-focused character they'll look like more of a bruiser, while more agile mutants will obviously be leaner:

He went on to reveal some of the contraptions, or bionics, you'll be able to take advantage of in the game, courtesy of a couple of inventor characters you'll come to meet. There's a nifty bow that you can fire at cliff-faces and walls to create climbing points, before you proceed to somehow ride the arrow to the surface. There are also mechs, a sort of jetpack to find, and a set of wings you can make use of to glide elegantly around. As you can see, bionics are essentially tools that will better aid  your exploration:

You can watch the full presentation below. Biomutant is due out sometime this year, and if you want to learn a little more about this promising and refreshingly strange open world game, be sure to watch our interview with Ljungqvist from the Weekender, which also features a load more game footage.

Despite being shown a hands-off demo at Gamescom, Joe described Biomutant as one of the most exciting games at last year's event. Playable for the first time at the PC Gamer Weekender 2018, developer Experiment 101 joined our livestream to chat about the hybrid action role-player's systems, classes, combat and more. 

Alongside our host Zoe, here's Stefan Ljungqvist on anthropomorphic kung fu fables, character customisation, weapon combos, physical and mental biomutations and—well, why don't you check it out for yourself?

The possibilities shown there seem almost endless. Biomutant is due at some point in 2018.  

The PC Gamer Weekender enters day two at the Olympia in London! But if you can't make it, settle in with our livestream featuring some amazing guests, hosted by GamesRadar's Zoe Delahunty-Light. We'll have a great mix of live playthroughs, new footage and Q&As.Fancy that? Come to our official Twitch channel from 13.00 GMT to see a huge array of guests. 

Note that this might be subject to change, but here's the PC Gamer Weekender 2018 complete two-day schedule (footage from yesterday's presentations can be found in this direction): 

Saturday

13:00. Fade to Silence13:30. Project X14:00. The DRG Initiative14:30. Two Point Hospital15:00. LG Gaming—Ahead of the Curve15:30. Kingdom Come: Deliverance16:00. Rend16:30. Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia17:00. PC Building Simulator17:30. Final Fantasy XV Windows Edition

Sunday

13:00. Surviving Mars13:30. Biomutant14:00. SpellForce 314:30. Frozen Synapse 215:00. Warhammer: Vermintide 215:30. Cobalt WASD16:00. PQube Indie Showcase #116:30. PQube Indie Showcase #217:00. Phoenix Point Tactical Battle Preview

Two of THQ Nordic's biggest 2018 releases will be available DRM-free on GOG upon release. Both Darksiders III and Biomutant will be among the publisher's releases on that platform, joining This is the Police 2 and Fade to Silence.

It's an unusual move: during a period when DRM is increasingly important to major publishers, to push these games out with none is brave. They're also both single-player games, meaning they're especially prone to duplication and piracy.

But I'm not complaining. Darksiders III and Biomutant don't have set release dates but they're both expected to release some time this year.

For those unaware, GOG is an online digital retailer which prides itself on an anti-DRM stance. Owned by the same company responsible for The Witcher, the outlet has generally sold older games (hence the name "Good Old Games") or newer indies. It's traditionally been rare – though increasingly less so – for big budget, major publisher games to appear on it, given the anti-DRM policy.

Biomutant is making its way to the PC Gamer Weekender—we already reported it’ll be there in playable form, but we’re pleased to add the cherry on top in the form of a Developer Stage talk about the game, taking place Saturday February 17.

Stefan Ljungqvist, head of studio at Experiment 101, will be on hand to take attendees through a bit more detail about Biomutant. You’ll get a closer look at the promising title, as well as explanations on in-game mechanics and other elements you might not have much detail on as of yet. And who better to get it from than those who’re making the game? 

You’ll be able to find out more about Biomutant, hopefully answering some questions about elements like the duck-headed robots, or talking more about the ability to mute the narrator if he starts to get on your nerves. 

In the meantime, you can find out more about Biomutant on its website, Twitter and Facebook, while you can keep up to date on our coverage of the game right here. 

Beyond Biomutant you’ll also be able to see many more speakers, games and booths all at the PC Gamer Weekender, which is being held February 17-18 at the Olympia, London, in the UK. For more details see the site, and follow us on Twitter for up-to-the-minute news. Tickets are available now from £12.99. If you apply the code PCG at checkout you'll get a 20 percent discount on tickets.

Biomutant is a post-apocalyptic RPG that stars adorable kung fu animals who love to beat the crap out enemies with swords, guns and mutations. At the PC Gamer Weekender you’ll be able to find out insider details about the making of Biomutant during its stage session, then have the chance to indulge in the blend of melee, shooting and mutant ability action the game itself presents.

Biomutant was one of the best demos at Gamescom in 2017. In its final form there will be 16km of open world to explore. The mutation systems promise interesting, involved progression and the fast travel system has your little critter wee against a post to mark their territory. GOTY 2018?

You can find out more about Biomutant on its website, Twitter and Facebook, while you can keep up to date on PC Gamer’s coverage of the game right here.

Biomutant will be joined by many more speakers, games and booths, all at the PC Gamer Weekender, which is being held February 17-18 at the Olympia, London, in the UK. For more details see the site, and follow us on Twitter for up-to-the-minute news. Tickets are available now from £12.99. Use the code chr1stm4s to get 20 percent off before January 5.

Biomutant was one of the most exciting demos at Gamescom this year, despite the fact my demonstration was hands-off. Everything I've seen since of the open world, post-apocalyptic brawler has impressed, and its latest screens are no different. 

Showcasing its cutesy racoon protagonist in a series of compromising and endearing situations, the following stills tease the game's beautiful world, its frightening foes, and a machine gun-firing, duck-headed robot. Obviously.

With what appears to be pretty sophisticated crafting, gear and combat systems, Biomutant isn't short of ambition. Under the heading "evolve your gameplay", the following blurb from the game's Steam page sounds particularly interesting:

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.

Due at some stage next year, we've not seen an inordinate amount of in-game footage of Biomutant as yet—however this 25-minute video from the folks at IGN surfaced back in September: