There’s something strange…in the neighborhood…who ya gonna call? Edna’s Pest Control, of course. She’ll get her best (and only) man, Earl right out to exterminate any and all pests, even if it’s thousands of scary mutants ravaging a post-nuclear war planet. I was very much reminded of last year’s Yet Another Zombie Survivors game as both titles are built on the same core game design – one man against the masses, as you slowly rank up stats and weapons to survive for as long as possible, or at least until you reach the five- or ten-minute limit. Admittedly, there are some key differences, which is what makes Earl vs. the Mutants worthy of your attention (and $3).
The basic elements of this genre are all present including the auto-fire option than can turn this from a twin-stick shooter into a game of avoidance and collection. You’ll get to drive around in a variety of unlockable and upgradable vehicles, mowing down mutants with your front bumper or perhaps a mulching attachment for added gore. Vehicles have a variety of weapons, usually a rotating turret and some front or side facing guns, and these are constantly in a state of flux as you play the game, earn XP, unlock upgrade cards, and customize your gameplay in real-time. Supply crates and weapon drops randomly appear during the level, each on a timer, but if you can get them in time, you can get fun upgrades and even drone support for added firepower or bonus healing. There are also plenty of side objectives and milestone rewards that grant you bonus XP for reaching certain goals.
One thing that sets Earl vs. the Mutants apart is the borderless gameplay area. In other games like these you can often use the boundaries of the level to aid in crowd control. Here, you have an endless supply of mutants coming at you from all sides at all times. Ideally, you can get large crowds of mutants to follow you like some diseased conga line then spin around and turbo through the masses and the bodies will go flying. Another clever feature is the use of 3D landscapes, which makes catching some air pretty easy and a good way to fly over danger rather than smash through it. There are even some highlighted ramps that lead to collectible letters if you can get the arc right.
Earl vs. the Mutants is not an easy game. Even playing on the Casual level, it took me seven failed attempts to earn enough to buy the upgrades needed to complete a 10-minute run. I tried the Gnarly (normal) skill level and it was crazy-difficult…something to aspire to with more practice. While all of the reward card upgrades are only good for the current game in which they are earned, you do get to spend your credits between games shopping for permanent upgrades to boost attributes like health, speed, damage, fire rate, etc. Each upgrade has multiple tiers with increasing costs per tier, and all upgrades are vehicle-specific, so once you change to a new vehicle you get to start the process all over.
You kind of go into a $3 game review with reserved expectations, and while the visuals for Earl vs. the Mutants are rather simplistic, they get the job done in a terrific fashion. The game is very scalable, running at a smooth 4K on my PC but equally as fun on the supported Steam Deck. The UI is minimal yet functional, indicating speed and boost power along with health and XP progress toward the next card drop, and of course the countdown timer. Whether you are playing in the Dead Forest, the Moab Dry Desert, or the Frozen Salt Flats, there isn’t a lot of variety to the world. Similar rolling landscapes get different ground textures and colors while the trees will change to match the environment. There is a nice variety of enemies, but they are usually too small on the screen to enjoy any details. I did enjoy the night and day versions of each level with the glowing headlight beams and added vibrance of all the flashy effects on a darker background.
Sound effects are minimal but get the job done. It’s mostly engines, explosions, splat noises, and a steady stream of gunfire if you have auto-fire enabled. The soundtrack is fantastic and really drives the experience with some great tunes that fuel the carnage yet never get annoying after hearing them over and over. For a fun arcade twist on mutant/zombie survival that costs less than a gallon of gas, climb behind the wheel and see what happens when it’s Earl vs. the Mutants.
