Mutazione

Quite early on and already in the first chapter of my first playthrough,
I realised that I had stumbled upon something very special and somehow unique. Nevertheless,
I had no idea how much I would fall in love with it and that Mutazione
would become something of a daily companion for me.
The story begins with a fine typical prologue and contains the first background information,
which also introduces us to Kai.
Gaia (Mother) "Call me when you get there, okay?"
Kai "Mum..."
Gaia "Look, you've got to allow me to worry, it's part of the job."
Kai "..."
Gaia "I'm so proud of you"
...
After that prologue, the game segues very appropriately into a cinematic opening credits-sequence,
which is fantastically well produced, the music to the opener is absolutely gorgeous
and every cut, every short scene is on point as it gets and really draws you in there.
After a few short in-game sequences and the title fading in, we finally arrive in Mutazione,
where Kai is supposed to spend the summer looking after her sick grandfather, whom she doesn't even know yet.
The game really touched me, everything is beautifully drawn and looks simply amazing in its very own way.
The story is relaxing and exciting at the same time, and I also love all the characters.
It also has charm, humour and a lot of warmth, paired with serious topics and a little drama here and there.
The entire soundtrack is extraordinary and is one of my highlights and favourites of the year,
if I hadn't found the soundtrack on Tidal I would have bought the DLC here without hesitation.
Thanks to the whole team at Die Gute Fabrik for such a wonderful game,
you have done a tremendous job there and should be more than proud of yourselves.

Absolutely one of the best, most beautiful and well-written, atmospheric games I've played in a long while. I fell head-over-heels in love with these characters and this island. And the music! Absolutely stunning. Mutazione is the kind of game that makes me feel delighted to be alive. I feel like these characters are real people that I'll get to go back and visit -- and that's a huge accomplishment for an artwork, I think. Bravo!

I don't think the summary quite does this game the justice it deserves - there's so much more depth to the characters than simply "small-town drama." You'll explore loss, personal philosophies/anxieties, relationship conflict - romantic, platonic, and familial, and the general growth and rebuilding of a community that's been outcasted and torn about by so much trauma.
Mind you ALL of this is tucked into a neat little package of a point & click type of walking simulator. Time passes in a very clear way - you are free to explore as much of the world is open to you at any point during the day, without fear of missing out on a conversation or something to be seen. Each day is split into general (early) morning/afternoon/(late) night sections with clocks marking interactions that will end that point in the day. From personal experience, each day takes about an hour to complete - the first day running a bit longer. This allows for a very relaxing, casual paced gameplay that truly lets you stop and smell the flowers.
Speaking of, you'll be tasked with bringing back flora to the area. There is a mini game in the main menu that will let you dip your toes in right away, but throughout the game you'll be tasked with growing certain plants to help progress the story. And as is consistent with the rest of the game, this requires minimum upkeep and effort - no worries about having to remember to water your plants, and if you make a mistake you can remove a plant and keep the seeds you had planted.
An overall very human exploration of personal/communal feelings despite the self-described "mutant" environment.

A super charming walking sim-type game with a beautiful and compelling atmosphere and characters that make the world feel so alive. The music and graphics are incredible, and I loved the character interactions. This game doesn't shy away from grief and loss, and embraces the messy emotional ups-and-downs of life in a very realistic way that gets you invested in the characters and makes you truly feel like you're integrating into a community. It's really what it says on the tin.
Though the game is mostly walking and point-and-click, I never felt myself getting bored. There is so much to look at, the soundtrack is great, and the story kept me hooked. I wish I could play it blind all over again.

Wonderful slice-of-life, point-and-click adventure game. Explore the town, talk to the mutant locals, do some gardening, and discover everyone's story. Lots of reading to do, but the dialogues are very well-made and charming. Every character is interesting in their own way and has great depth. The journal always lets you know what you have to do next so you're never left wandering around cluelessly to how you are supposed to progress the story. The soundtrack is great and matches the relaxing nature of the game, and I loved the simple yet gorgeous 2D art style.
The achievements are pretty easy, though if you want to complete them all, I'd recommend taking a look at a guide so as not to accidentally skip some missable actions you need to do for certain achievements.

Really love the art style and the character design. I found it to be too slow in the beginning but gradually fell in love with this pace, especially with the background music, altogether very healing energy from the game.

A truly poignant story about grief, guilt, community and care. I cried on both my playthroughs, but the whole thing felt like healing. The characters are so well written you can't help but connect with them, the sound design will make your ears melt and the visuals are relaxing in a deep way. While I'm not originally into visual novels, Mutazione did such a great job it deserves a special place in my heart. I definitely recommend it.