Do androids dream of cyberpunk? An ANNO: Mutationem Review

gamepur.com:

Sometimes I play a game that knocks me out emotionally through its strong storytelling, such as Stranger of Paradise or Endwalker. Sometimes I play a game that keeps me thinking about its various mechanics and wanting to “git gud” such as Elden Ring or Resident Evil 7 Speedrunning (specific, yes, but we all have our interests, ya know?) Very rarely do I play a game that keeps me thinking about its visuals above all else — something ANNO: Mutationem has managed to do. ANNO seems set to enjoy its own quiet brand of success, and it’s well-deserved — striking visuals and tight combat combined with a decent story make for a fantastic experience…if you can sidestep its few flaws.

The story of ANNO follows Ann, a woman with innate combat prowess and more than a few personal issues, as she tracks down leads to find her brother Ryan and in turn hopefully learn more about the mysterious illness that plagues her. This illness, called Entangleitis, drives the plot — Ryan is hunting for information that may lead to a cure, which leads Ann around the game trying to find him.

While the game borrows heavily from popular cyberpunk works, most notably games like VA-11 Hall-A (even shouting them out in one location) and movies like Blade Runner, what surprised me was how much it seems to borrow from SCP as well. I’m not terribly familiar with each individual SCP except certain funny ones (1319 is a banger). However, I know that the big bad in the story, the Circle Consortium, resembles the SCP foundation to the point where I wonder which bosses are modeled after SCP entries. It’s not really my fault that I didn’t catch more of this however, as I was distracted in a wonderful way by the main draw of this game — the visuals.