We knew it as an open world action RPG game, but it could have been very different. Now that we know the release date of Biomutant, we have spoken with its director to tell us about the long development of this promising adventure starring a mutant raccoon, which was originally going to be a Diablo-style game. What led them to change? How have you managed these years of work? Its story is worth it.
We have hardly heard from him in the last four years, but I can’t help it. I think of Biomutant and emotion takes over me. Its aesthetics, the fighting, the colorful and strange open world that it takes us to, its crazy special abilities… it has everything to become a great action RPG game , as I told you just a few months ago. But now that the release date of Biomutant has been announced , I have returned to chat with its director about this promising adventure that inevitably reminds us of games like the great Zelda: Breath of the Wild, but surprisingly in its origins it was very different. So much so that it was born as a Diablo-style RPG. “When we started working on it, there were only four of us,” Stefan Ljungqvist , a veteran of the video game industry who for more than ten years has worked at Avalanche Studios , told me, bringing successful series like the Just Cause saga to life . “So when I started this new studio, I thought about making smaller games with a smaller team.” But you know how this goes. The small ended up being colossal.
The setting and the mutant powers of the protagonist were there, it is something that never changed, “but at first it started with a perspective more typical of Diablo. And we were creating it with our own technology,” he says. It would be a year before the Experiment 101 teamstart to rethink things. They had spent months creating an incredible world and characters, which were also different “in the realistic style of Just Cause or triple A”, but they felt that all those designs were lost with the perspective they had opted for. “You couldn’t see the quality of what we were creating. So in the end, when there were six of us on the team, we got together and voted, precisely the day before we were supposed to show the game to someone outside the studio, which was Sony. “, he adds as if nothing had happened. “So, based on my experience with open world games, we decided to change the camera perspective. And the game went from being a kind of aerial perspective RPG to an open world game in the third person. And that changed everything. “, Add. From there, Biomutant evolved until it became the game that today has so many excited about us. What a trip that of its creators.
A gigantic RPG, a tiny studio
Biomutant reappears with action-packed gameplay trailer
Over 11,000 bugs fixed, and they’re on the hunt for moreI’ve always been amazed that such a small team can create a video game as big as Biomutant, so I asked Stefan Ljungqvist if they ever felt like the project was getting out of hand. “I imagine that considering the scale of the game compared to the size of the team, of about 20 people, there has obviously been a lag here,” he laughs. “But if we hadn’t played the game as it is now, we probably wouldn’t be having this interview.” The point is that the game has changed a lot since its inception, and above all, it has grown a lot. “At the end of 2019 I had a script of about 85,000 words that we wrote between two people. And now, I think, we are around 250,000 words, which would be two and a half novels written, again, only by two people. ”
Let’s go back a few years to the moment when they decided to teach Biomutant to Sony. “When we showed them the game [which changed style the night before], they saw a complete, big project, even though we were saying ‘hi, we’re only six people’ [laughs]. So we started with a small game, but we found that the idea worked better with an open world game in the third person. Also the art style, or the ideas that were emerging themselves, fit better with that kind of game. ” It was even decided to change the graphics engine to the Unreal Engine in 2016, a year before the game was presented at Gamescom 2017., when the Experiment 101 team consisted of about 13 employees. From there they added new creatives until they reached 18-20 developers, a ridiculously small number if we consider that they have created an open world of 8 square km .
What fascinates me about this talented Swedish studio is that despite the enormous challenge they face, they do it as if they have an army of developers working on Biomutant. Their stage has considerable dimensions, but they have opted to create it by hand, taking care of even the smallest detail so that the exploration is incredibly satisfactory. “It is not a question of size,” says Ljungqvist. “I’ve worked on really big games, like Just Cause, which had to be gigantic because you go around the stage really fast. You had fighter planes and things like that to travel from one place to another. At Biomutant, on the other hand, we have dedicated A lot of effort to make sure that when you travel, you find a lot of strange things in a good way. ” It reminds me a bit of that sense of exploring that you had with Zelda: Breath of the Wild, which on multiple occasions has been recognized as a great inspiration.
Biomutant will work on PS5 and Xbox Series X | S (backward compatibility). Specific details of the improvements it could receive have not yet been given.
“If you dedicate yourself to the main story, we guide you so that you can find the necessary things to follow your path; so that you come across the characters you should know,” continues this passionate creative. “But if you explore… you’re going to see like 10 times more things [laughs].” Experiment 101 has sought the balance so that the action does not lose rhythm, so that you are always doing interesting things, even in the “moments of respite”, when you simply limit yourself to exploring large scenarios without direct threats. With freedom of actionBy flag, they have built a large open world with well-differentiated areas that you will only access by meeting certain conditions, such as acquiring special equipment to protect yourself from radiation, or vehicles with which to advance through impregnable areas. “You will always find something new to do. We have gone to great lengths to create this world by hand, rather than build it procedurally to simply have gigantic tracts of empty land.”
I am very proud to have created something that we can describe as rare in a good wayStefan ljungqvist“There are sections where you only have plains,” he clarifies, “but it is a way to give yourself a break. So when you explore, it feels so good. And it is a rhythm of the action in which we have worked very hard.” What is your main mission in Biomutant ? There are four great beasts that lie at the foot of the Tree of Life, and you must face them after avoiding countless dangers, including a war between the six tribes that inhabit this colorful world. Each of them has their own missions and their own unique power, which they will only grant you by earning their respect or destroying them. At some point, this gameplay is similar to the remarkable Shadow of Mordor.As you must conquer three outposts before attacking the main fortress. The good? That then you will not have to defend these places from constant enemy invasions. If they are yours, they are yours. Although at any time you can change your mind, go to another side, and start another war and conquest.
Bugs in open world games
Once again I must regret not having had a chance to play Biomutant, but as Stefan Ljungqvist himself told me a few months ago, the lack of news or demo is a consequence of being such a small team . So I can’t provide more details about the combat with guns and swords, or the use of the various special abilities of our protagonist, or even, of a story that promises to have a great presence in the course of the adventure. What I can tell you is that the commitment to action and an open world has not limited the RPG aspects of Biomutant . “There are a lot of elements of the role that remain from our original idea. So not everything has been eliminated; Biomutant is not now a hack’n slash”, clarifies its director.
Experiment 101 has also been very patient before setting a launch date for Biomutant, as they wanted to have everything under control before reporting something so important. This has led to all kinds of rumors about how bad development was, or even possible cancellations, but the team was focused on a single mission: correct bugsand offer the best possible game. “So far we have managed to solve more than 11,000 bugs, and we continue working on it. I know that the game will be released with some bugs, you know, all games have it”, more if we talk about open worlds. “It’s really hard to find them,” he told me. “If you have a game based on standalone levels, it’s easier to find them. I’m not saying it’s easy, okay? But in an open world, there are tons of features to be aware of. And bugs that appear in very specific places. from a very big stage, or after a very specific combination of player actions. So it’s very challenging. ”
Despite this, they are still there, hunting for bugs, which is why they are so grateful to THQ Nordic , which has given them all the time in the world to make their vision of Biomutant come true. “I’ve been making video games for about 25 years and I’ve never worked with a company that showed so much support before. And it’s super important, especially if you’re a small studio and you’re trying, you know, to keep your team’s sanity and health intact. […] Having someone who supports you not only from a financial point of view, but also emotionally when things get difficult, “continues the creative. And that has been the attitude of his editor, who on several occasions has offered help, “and even more, although sometimes, stupidly, I have rejected it because I feel that it is difficult for someone outside the studio to become part of the team.” Ljungqvist emphasizes that for him it is “very important that all members of the study are involved in what they do “, since in the end they end up doing a little of everything, always with the ultimate goal of creating a fantastic open world action and adventure video game.
Role-playing and board game experienceWe linked the creative director of Biomutant directly to the crazy action of Just Cause, but the truth is that in the 90s, Stefan Ljungqvist worked in a company of paper and pencil role-playing games. He has also given life as a producer, designer and artist to board games and collectible cards. “That is the reason why I wanted to create an RPG, and that is why the role remains in Biomutant, despite the changes it has undergone since it emerged as a simple idea.”
“I am very proud to have created something that we can describe as ‘weird’ in a good way. It is a game that feels unique and special, at least that is how we see it. Because our hearts and souls are in the game. And we are delighted that many people seem to appreciate this, and also appreciate its different character. ” Everyone at Experiment 101 has done their best to make their mark on an adventure that has it all to win over any fan of RPG action and open world adventures. Has boss fightsgigantic, a great world to explore and marvel at its secrets, a story that promises to surprise and lots of striking characters to interact with. But the most beautiful thing about this crazy story of the game that was going to be like Diablo, but ended up transforming into something different, bigger, is that it has served to bring together a team of talented creatives wanting to show what they are capable of. ” We have a future together as a team , I’m sure, that’s why we didn’t want to burn ourselves out rushing the release date.”
The wait has been long, it did not seem to end, but now that May 25 is marked on the calendar, I can breathe a little easier. Biomutant is getting closer and closer and soon, at last, I will be able to enjoy the exciting journey with which it proposes to captivate us. Listening to those in charge, seeing the passion with which they describe their work, it will be difficult for you not to succeed.
