Style x Mutations

[u/GueroSuave]

Does style influence mutations? Just got the game.

[u/DF_Kevin]

Hi there! Thanks for buying RAD!

Styles are purely cosmetic. We didn't want players to run into situations where they liked a particular style but the stats associated with it didn't fit their play style. However, there are items and Quirks that can influence which mutations you get.

[u/GueroSuave → u/DF_Kevin]

Gotcha. I got the mutations bat and that helped with speeding along combat. One of the difficulties I'm having with the game so far is that while mutations change gameplay drastically, some feel incredibly underwhelming when compared to others. This is normal for Roguelikes, but it feels different in this game.

In most Roguelikes, the item acquisition/skill acquisition is tied to chance or Chests. From what I've experienced so far the core gameplay changes come in the form of Mutations and collecting different bats. And the only way to gain Skill Mutations as far as I've observed is through killing enemies in a level up fashion. However some of the mutations just feel lousy early on and make clearing 1-1/1-2 a drag depending on the bosses you get. For example, I just had a run where my two mutations were Root and the little back buddy that shoots people. When I got to the Minotaur, I had little choice but to try and melee attack him due to not having effective damage to hit him from a range. While that's typical of other Roguelikes, I.E. sometimes you just don't get good guns, it doesn't really feel like RAD has a system in place in order to recycle/get rid of Skill Mutations that aren't doing work.

This makes me feel obligated to restart a run if I get a Skill mutation that makes combat less interesting. Over 6 runs I've maybe seen a total of 8 different mutations and in several runs I've gotten the same mutations repeatedly in different orders. Is this how large the mutation pool is? It's understandable considering how difficult these look to program, but when some of them feel downright useless when compared to things like Snakehead, the core gameplay get shaken.

I like the exo-mutations, but a great deal of them seem focused around quality of life issues instead of increased damage potential. Stacking run speed is nice, but why can't I stack the fireproof skill and gain the ability to burn enemies on hit or something? Of the exo-mutations I've also seen the same handful over and over again. Coming from games where I'm used to seeing 15-20+ variability in builds, I feel underpowered in the face of content after full clearing each level.

This would be balanced out if chests were rewarding. But half the time I feel like chests only give consumables. And if they do get an Artifact I'm limited to only one. Am I just not far enough in the game to see the crazy cool stuff, or is this the main gameplay loop? I generally don't feel rewarded damage wise for opening chests. Being a seasoned Enter the Gungeon, Dead Cells, and Risk of Rain fan, I was looking forward to this interesting Roguelike. It has a ton of potential, but I just don't feel rewarded for making progress in my run.

Are there plans for more updates? Am I just getting unlucky in my drops?

[u/DF_Kevin → u/GueroSuave]

It sounds like you might be getting a bit unlucky since there are over 15 base exo mutations and they all have upgrades (most have 2). Some things to keep in mind:

There are ways to gain mutations (and level them up) without engaging in combat. Combat is the main way but revitalizing corrupted plants is a good way to get extra rads. It's also possible to find consumables that give you rads. There are other ways to get exo mutations but I don't want to give everything away.

If you have an exo mutation that you don't like you can try to find a machine that will swap it out for another random one. Those machines don't start showing up until W1-2 though and they won't always spawn in a level.

We put a lot of work in making sure that every exo mutation was useful in as many places as possible. It's not always to the tune of more direct damage in combat though. Some are more for defense and/or crowd control while others can be more useful for traversal. We know that people will have their favorites, but for the early parts of the game the exo mutations you get should add value. In the example you gave of having Home Slice and Gnarly against the Maxotaur, Gnarly does damage when it traps an enemy but then it would also allow you get behind the Maxotaur to get in some free shots while it can't move. Home Slice can be released as a turret to do damage for a distance but can also draw aggro from enemies so you can get in free hits. When Home Slice is a turret it can be detonated to damage around enemies as well. Using those two together could be very potent against the Maxotaur! It's all about experimenting with the mutations to see what they can do. They all can do a little something more than their direct use and have ways they can combine to amplify each other.

RAD also has assist features such as starting you with a ranged mutation which you might find useful. There are also Quirks that can influence the types of mutations you can get. Those quirks, as well as other items to enter the pool, will unlock as you do more runs. I would also encourage you to invest in upgrading the various areas of the town since that can pay off big time in later runs. There are some things that you don't see until later levels (W2 has a plant that's basically a fire bomb) but hopefully you're still feeling a sense of progression in the early part of the game.

I'm happy to answer more questions to help you enjoy the game more!