What you need to know
- The Mutators Update is the first significant update since Budget Cuts 2 launched in late Fall 2019.
- Thirteen new Mutators have been added to the game, changing up the gameplay in significant ways.
- This update is completely free for owners of the game on Steam and Oculus and is available now.
Budget Cuts 2: Mission Insolvency just got its first big update, and it's quite a massive undertaking. The Mutators Update, as it's called, adds 13 new ways to play the existing game, including bullet time, smooth locomotion, homing knives, the ability to use guns, and even gravity modifiers. It also fixes a few annoying bugs and adds in a significant enhancement for those of us that have already beaten the game and want to revisit a specific chapter/level. To celebrate the release of the patch, developers Fast Travel Games and Neat Corporation are having a 15% off sale this week on both Steam and Oculus stores.
The addition of smooth locomotion comes as a bit of a surprise, simply because the design of both Budget Cuts games relies so heavily on the use of the teleportation gun. An integral part of the stealth mechanics in the game has players shooting a little glowing ball out of the teleportation gun, which opens a portal that can be used to spy around corners and get the best vantage point for their next move. It's also an important way to get into air vents and hard-to-reach places throughout the game. Smooth locomotion doesn't remove this teleportation mechanic, though. It just enhances it, as players will now be able to move via joystick as they would in other first-person VR games.
Another huge enhancement is the addition of bullet-time, which slows time down so that the player can effectively dodge bullets and escape harrowing situations. One mutator will automatically trigger bullet-time when the player shoots a gun or is shot at, while another mutator activates bullet-time when the player eats, giving more manual control over the situation. The ability to use firearms is a huge new addition, too! Prior to this, an enemy's guns were always unusable in both Budget Cuts titles, as the player would get shocked if they tried to grab one from a Supervisor.
Mutators can be activated via the in-game menu, but note that the ones that make the game easier will disable achievements. In contrast, mutators that make enemies harder will not affect achievement earnings. The first Budget Cuts didn't receive its first big update until more than a year after the original release, adding in an Arcade Mode that challenges players to get through levels as quickly and efficiently as possible. Big, free updates like this are always amazing to see given that the industry regularly favors paid DLC after product launches. Full patch notes below:
These are the best VR games you can play right now!
- Mutators system (customize your game to your liking, some will disable achievements)
- Mutator: Homing knives (aka aim assist)
- Mutator: Smooth locomotion
- Mutator: Infinite Stabby Crystals (Grab the air for a free sharp object)
- Mutator: Bullet Time (Triggers slowmo when shooting or getting shot at)
- Mutator: Paltkoma (Triggers slowmo when eating)
- Mutator: Gravity modifiers
- Mutator: Enemy aim skill
- Mutator: Enemy detection speed
- Mutator: Bullet speed
- Mutator: NPC animation speed
- Mutator: NPC health
- Mutator: Starting equipment
- Mutator: Guns (guns)
- Level select (select which level you start a new game from)
- Winta VO bugfix in end fight
- Fixed bugs affecting Collectibles
- Items no longer pile up at world origin on load
- Can no longer cheat items through walls using the bow
- Fixed tool select lagging behind when moving (such as elevators, smooth loco)
- Various small fixes
