Review by: Jack King
Published: March 3, 2003

From the fallout of the ATOMIC AGE comes a game so terrifying, so spine-tingling that it will leave you on the edge of your seat! The 1950′s were fueled by post-apocalyptic paranoia that played a key role in producing an unprecedented number of bad monster movies, the perfect theme for a budget action title. Canopy Games has captured the essence of cheesy horror in its latest presentation, I Was An Atomic Mutant!

A black and white intro movie complete with clips from unnamed 50′s horror flicks sets the stage for the action. The basic plot involves misuse of frightening atomic energies that have unleashed chaos on an unsuspecting world, creating four unique and terrifying threats that must be stopped. The presentation continues with a clever menu system designed with the same flare of B-movie advertising, complete with slogans rich in hyperbole and exaggeration. The title screen is represented by a giant marquee of a movie house, with banner ads to access the sub-menus, typical of the 1950′s style gimmicks Canopy Games has provided.

Players take on the role of a mutant monster with the goal of smashing, zapping, stomping, or munching their way through levels of increasing difficulty. Each of the four monsters comes complete with an intro movie defining their creation. The Brain from Beyond Infinity, for example, began life as a humble scientist until an unsupervised atomic accident destroyed his body and left him as a disembodied brain of immense psychic power ready to wreak havoc on an unsuspecting world that stripped him of his humanity.

The She-Beast, another atomic monstrosity, is a mutant towering over 50 feet tall. The product of an atomic test on a far-off island thought to be uninhabited, the She-Beast seeks revenge on the men that created her. Reptomicus, a giant Godzilla-like lizard, hails from a similar background of atomic creation. The Invader from Dimension X, on the other hand, wasn’t created by mankind’s meddling in atomic power, but was rather pulled into this world by a powerful atomic explosion that ripped a hole into another dimension.