M.U.L.E. Returns

The gameplay of M.U.L.E. Returns closely follows that of the original M.U.L.E., though the controls are adapted for mobile device touchscreens. Improvements over the original include a pause feature, three difficulty modes, social media integration, and the ability to apply custom skins.

In 2012, Electronic Arts was in licensing negotiations with M.U.L.E.'s original developers, Ozark Softscape, though these were unsuccessful and Ozark ultimately awarded mobile platform rights to Comma 8 Studios. Comma 8 began developing the game simultaneously for iOS and Android, using C++ and a framework middleware. To create as faithful a reproduction as possible, the developers traced and reimplemented the original 8-bit code.

E. Returns were split. Matt Thrower of Gamezebo appreciated the game's "unique and enthralling mixture of strategic concerns propelled forward by real-time pressures" but criticized its patchy tutorial, sloppy artificial intelligence, and showstopping bugs. , criticized the remake as "outdated, with sloppy touch controls and far-from impressive backdrops".

148Apps had a more positive opinion of the game, awarding it four out of five stars and praising its sophisticated supply-and-demand economics. Like Gamezebo, however, they bemoaned its failure to implement the original's multiplayer mode.