On the outside, BioMutant is a game about Kung Fu woodland critters in a post-apocalyptic fantasy land full of monsters, mythology, and mechs. So... yeah, it's totally understandable to still have a few questions about what's quickly becoming one of the most intriguing and anticipated games of 2018.

Biomutant New Screenshot Gallery 6 IMAGES

Where did the idea for BioMutant come from?

Fortunately for all of us, developer Experiment 101 gathered up some of your (and our) most frequently asked questions, and studio head Stefan Ljungqvist has answered them below. And as a small, sweet bonus, we've also got a few new high-res screenshots to illustrate exactly why BioMutant is absolutely one to watch coming into the new year.Initially the whole idea started with the team wanting to develop an action RPG and there was this vision that playing as an animal would give the most freedom to create a world and scenarios where they could add as many creative ideas as possible without adhering to a real world.Studio head Stefan Ljungqvist is also very interested in Kung Fu and Asian Mythology in general, and the first concept image was that “unique” western/asian post-apocalyptic style mammal. Inspirations include Kung Fu Panda, Ratchet & Clank, Devil May Cry, and other open world games like Breath of the Wild.

CHECK OUT 25 MINUTES OF BIOMUTANT GAMEPLAY BELOW

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How big is the open world? What will we do in it?

“ BioMutant is much more about the fate of the world as the events caused by the player’s choices are happening.

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What are Tribes?

“ If you choose to ally with and help a tribe, their leader and Kung Fu Master will offer to teach you the tribe’s style.

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How open is the open world?

“ In BioMutant, theoretically, the world is open to you at the start of the game.

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What weapons, powers, and upgrades can we find in Biomutant?

“ You can weld a concrete slab with iron bars to a baseball bat and fit pieces of broken glass, a screwdriver and bio-sludge to make a crush-style melee weapon that makes the target vomit.

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Will there be enhancements for PS4 Pro and Xbox One X? Will there be DLC?

The world is 16 square kilometers, or approx. 6 square miles, plus some underworld areas, and you’re playing in a world that’s dying.At the beginning of the game there’s an equilibrium; The Tree of Life that stands tall at the center of everything is struggling to survive, its five behemoth roots stretching out in all directions across the world are being gnawed on by huge creatures working their way in towards the Tree. Players have the choice to seek out these creatures at any time, trying to defeat them or entering into pacts with them – its entirely up to the player. If the creatures are defeated, it increases the likelihood the world will survive at the end of everything.Much of the focus is on the characters in the world and their destiny as its in the player‘s hands. A key goal for the main character is finding out who they are and where they came from. So there’s a part of the story that is reflective and will give glimpses of the world that once where. The meat-eater you confront at the start of the game plays a part in this, as does the Narrator.BioMutant is much more about the fate of the world as the events caused by the player’s choices are happening, and the characters that live in this world and their destiny, than retelling the history of the world that once was.There are six tribes in the world that stand divided. At the start of the game, there are three Yin tribes and three Yang Tribes and if you choose to ally with and help a tribe, their leader and Kung Fu Master will offer to teach you the tribe’s style (for example Chicken Kung Fu or Turtle Kung Fu).It is up to the player to choose how to interact with each tribe. Eventually, you have the choice to help one tribe defeat, subdue or unite the others. That choice, the karma of the last leader standing and your karma, will also affect your ending. So its really up to you as a player how to approach the end-goal.In BioMutant, theoretically, the world is open to you at the start of the game. However, some areas are not really reachable by foot and you need to find alternative ways to access these as you progress through and explore the world. There have been glimpses of this already; for example a goop (wat-ski) that’s required to venture out in the archipelago, a puff-blimp (air balloon) which is a great way to reach otherwise inaccessible mountaintops and plateaus and wearing specific clothes and equipment to endure changes in the atmosphere.In addition to this, there’s also parts of the world that change as you play, meaning that you’ll have different types of challenges and means to explore those area, depending on when and how you choose to approach them. There might also be areas changing in relation to other choices and/or actions you make in the game.The common factor in all of this is to have fewer, more memorable experiences and meaningful (or quirky) rewards, rather than a bazillion “basic” collect and kill quests. And lastly, there will be challenges and actions related to the changing world, which will also open up new ways to explore and new discoveries.There are quite a few PSI-Mutations, abilities in the game, to unlock and upgrade by seeking out old radioactive machines in bunkers in the underworld, and exposing yourself to the rays. But these may come with side effects as well….Then there are the Biomutations, physical mutations that you unlock and upgrade by finding these special “pools” of contaminated oil sludge and using “bio points” you gather from defeating the contagious creatures known as Morks. All of these mutations bestow you with powers that you can use in your creative toolbox in combat and to explore the world.The same goes for ranged weapons. You assemble a two-handed, single handed or dual-wielding weapon where the body part determines the “style” of shooting - shotgun, spray, revolver, handgun, automatic, semi-automatic etc. You then choose handle, muzzle, mag/clip type and size, and mount add-ons to it, like scopes and modules such as frost, incendiary, electric, radioactive etc. To modify/amplify your bullets as you see fit. As long as you have the parts. There will be thousands upon thousands of possible weapon combinations, up to the player to determine which of them will be best.The team is currently looking at if and how they can enhance the game for the more powerful consoles and PCs. Right now, the focus is on making the core game as good as possible, and while the team is always thinking of possible ways to expand the game and its universe, right now there are no announced plans for DLC content.

If you're looking for more on BioMutant (and who isn't), you can check out our hands-on BioMutant preview from PAX 2017. We'll have much more about those damn adorably lethal critters as BioMutant works toward its release on Xbox One, PS4 and PC in 2018.

Brandin Tyrrel is an Editor at IGN. You can follow him on Twitter at @BrandinTyrrel