Pollutant Mutant

Free sci-fi arcade game

Humanoid underground dwellers and furry little rats are invading the sewers in Pollutant Mutant. It’s all thanks to the evil businessman Lex Oozos who pumped the city’s sewers with radioactive waste. You must delve deep into the precious poop river ecosystem to stop things from getting worse. It’s the city’s main sewer system, and it needs you to gradually mutate your abilities by exposing yourself to radiation. 

What is Pollutant Mutant? 

Pollutant Mutant is a single screen arcade game by an independent developer, Burst Error. The game greets you with the main screen containing information about the game and the shortlist of controls. You only need to use three keys to play the game: A, D, and Space. It's to move left, move right, and shoot, respectively. Get moving and shooting as waves of slimy sewer creatures and a mutated rat head your way. 

The power-up mutation system should be used so you can gain an advantage over your opponents. After the big boss fight, start up the power-up selection phase. This includes the speed up, dual gun attack, and randomly spreading shotgun blast. Power-ups are gained by selecting and shooting at it in the battle area. Once you’ve collected it all, shoot at the OK icon to save it and move to the next stage. 

It employs a randomized trajectory, which makes the selection process challenging for all players. This is remedied by reverting to the default gun. Since it is an indie game,  it is possible that this came from the beta version. Further development of the game could improve this system or replace it completely. Other features of the game are the music and sound effects, as well as additional sprites in the background. 

An easy-to-play, 8-bit science-fiction game 

Overall, Pollutant Mutant is an amusing sci-fi game. It appears similar to that of Space Invaders but lacks a concrete gaming system. While the user-experience needs more improvement, the gameplay itself can be enjoyed by players of all user-levels. Its straightforward premise is made easier by being controlled by only three keys. Whether you’re a casual player or experienced gamer, Pollutant Mutant is a good homage to retro arcade games.