This crazy cat is not as fun as he thinks he is: PETER HOSKIN reviews Biomutant and Miitopia 

Biomutant (PlayStation, Xbox, PC, £54.99)

Verdict: Environmental catastrophe 

Rating:

The cat sat on the mat. And then the cat spun into the air, pulled a sword from its back and sliced at three anthropomorphic enemies before dispatching a fourth with a blast of lightning. Meow!

Welcome to the world of Biomutant. It’s like our world, except in a future where we’ve spoilt the environment to the point that it’s now ruled by irradiated animals. 

You play as one of those animals — a feline thing with martial arts abilities — who has to save a big tree, learn about his past etc.

It’s a likeable setup, and I spent my first hours with Biomutant straining to like it.

In that time, I had mutated the main character to my taste, scrabbled around in rubbish piles for weaponry and encountered a ferret with a quiff. It is gloriously offbeat.

Until it’s not. It doesn’t take long to realise that Biomutant’s weirdness is surface deep. Underneath is a game that shares DNA with 100 superior titles, including The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild, but is actually a devolved version of them.

Its basic actions are clunky and unsatisfying. Its tasks are repetitive and dull.

And then I began to rather loathe these little creatures and their studiedly different ways. If there’s one reason for us to look after the planet, it’s to prevent them from ever happening.

Miitopia (Switch £39.99)

Verdict: Fellowship of the silly  

Rating:

Let’s talk about Mii. He looks a bit like me, but cartoonish and much cuter. He’s travelled across my Nintendo consoles for over a decade now, a digital representation of my physical form.

And here’s a game in which he can really shine, updated for the Switch. My Mii can join with your Miis — Yuu? — to quest through a fantasy kingdom and vanquish the Dark Lord.

It sounds standard, but Nintendo have great fun subverting the form. The end result really is gloriously offbeat.