Game developing studio “Starward Industries” got the opportunity to get their own take on one of the most interesting stories written. The Invincible is a book that was released in the 1970’s. From that day the story of “the invincible” got more attention than it ever could hope for. The story was used for an educational PC game titled Rymdresa and in 2019 the story found its way into the comic book section. In the year 2020 “Starward Industries” announced “The Invincible” as a story-driven PC game. It’s the year 2023 and we can finally find out how well it plays out…
The Invincible is a story-driven game that takes us to a desert planet called Regis III. The moment you start playing, it becomes very clear that this story has a mystery that needs to be unfolded. You play as biologist Yasna awakens from her crash landing on this desert planet but as it seems, you suffer from amnesia, and it is hard for you to get a grip on the current reality. Eventually, you head out to find the missing pieces that could help form the reason on why you landed on this planet. One specified tool that starts you off, is Yasna’s log. The log points out a nearby site that was used to set up camp by your team members who have gone missing during their expedition on this fairly new planet. Eventually, you also get radio contact with the supervisor Novik who’s still on the home spaceship that’s orbiting this planet. He also has no clue what happened to the explorers and he has sent you out to find them. You find the site with the camp of your former team members and try to get a glimpse of what might have happened. You find one of the team members named Krauta but it seems he isn’t functioning as he’s supposed to. There is also an Androbot on the site that normally helps out the expedition team, but this one seems to malfunction. You find pieces of equipment that might be useful during your search-and-rescue mission. It’s up to you to find the remaining team members and get them home safely…
“I truly believe that the author’s visual presentation syncs up perfectly with the vision that the development studio had.”
So The Invincible is a story-driven walking simulator… but it’s a very interesting one due to the amazing atmosphere the player’s thrown into. How the game is being presented, is very true to the description of space a person had in the 1970’s. I truly believe that the author’s visual presentation syncs up perfectly with the vision that the development studio had. At that time, traveling in space was very futuristic and people tried to get a grip on what it could be. Every single person imagined space travel as something very abstract and desolate. I find the representation of this kind of space travel in the game substantial. How the development team made use of the colors, lighting effects, and film grain, … really made me feel like a stranded astronaut on a mysterious planet with an uncertain future ahead. However, the graphical representation of the desert planet sent some shivers down my spine but in a positive way. The desolate planet felt “real” enough that didn’t break my immersion. Even though the game looks good there are still some aspects of the game that did break my immersion…
At the beginning of the game, the world feels a lot more explorable than in reality. The scale of the planet’s landscape makes you think you could go and stand anywhere you want. However, (temporary) invisible walls make you feel like you’re being directed too much in the direction the development team wants you to. Don’t get me wrong, eventually, it’s a game that puts story first and gameplay second and I shouldn’t complain about these features as I truly was expecting a story-driven game but seeing the scenery gives you that urge to go explore a bit more on your own terms and this wasn’t the case. Maybe I’m spoiled too much… but in the end, due to the different segments in an instanced environment were okay and maybe that’s enough for such scripted storytelling. Some of the climbing also felt a bit left out because I couldn’t climb on everything, even though the height of the obstacle was very much similar to the scripted obstacles you’re going through. There are also not so many interaction sequences in the environment and at some point I lost my attention due to the slow pacing. But then again, due to the slow pacing, I actually made myself more appreciative of what the developers intended to do with the game. By the limited interactions and slow pacing, you try to make the game a bit more enjoyable by doing stuff that you truly want to do. I literally could pause my walking for a minute and appreciate my surroundings.
“The game is based on a written story so the impact is already limited due to the locked ending of the story.”
If you’re looking at “The Invincible” as a kind of survival game with puzzles, and combat, … the game probably isn’t for you. Like I said before, the interaction with your environment is very limited to a certain amount of actions or objectives. Most of the time you’re running from point A to point B, listening to your supervisor and chatting with him a bit, looking for objects and placing them somewhere, using your tools to find the next clue, … You’re having more conversations with your supervisor or in your recollected memory than actively engaging with the game. These conversations are needed to get the story right but they can feel a bit too long. Also, some directions (gained from clues/ conversations) aren’t always clear on how to proceed. You’ll often be taking your map or notes to get the direction just right. Talking about stories, you do have the option to pick out one of the presented answers after a certain question. You’re really holding a dialogue with your supervisor and you do have the option to answer accordingly but I don’t think the given options have a great impact on the outcome of the story. The game is based on a written story so the impact is already limited due to the locked ending of the story.
You also need to be focused during your playthrough to follow the dialogue with your supervisor or other team members. So at some point, one of these members will start a conversation with you and this conversation will continue in the background during your hike on the planet. Sometimes the dialogue can stop and begin about something else because of the fact that some conversations are initiated by entering a certain area on the planet. This can be annoying if you’re truly focusing on these important story-telling conversations and in the middle of the conversation it cuts off. There is no way to re-hear what the dialogue was about. Otherwise, the development team showed that they put a lot of work into the voice acting because all of the conversations are convincing enough to keep you invested in the story.
“What started off as a slow-pacing game turns into a rollercoaster full of emotion and excitement.”
At some point in time, the game begins to open up and you’ll be given a vehicle to cruise around. This part of the game is the best part because of the fact that the player is becoming more involved in the world around them. You’ll be chasing more intriguing objectives, the playground expands, and some plot twists in the story, … What started off as a slow-pacing game turns into a rollercoaster full of emotion and excitement. Some choices even feel more impactful than they did in the beginning. The story turns around completely and before you know it, the story has ended and you’ll want to experience it again.
Technical-wise, the game looks amazing as I said before. The game was being developed with the help of the Unreal Engine 5 and you can tell. The environments are varied enough and all use a lot of color and detailing that makes the environments on the planet stand out in their own kind of way. There are also detailed reflections (high-resolution textures) and lighting effects that bring out the environment even more. Graphically the game looks gorgeous and convincing.
Conclusion:
Starward Industries definitely made a game that’s true to the original story from the 1970’s. Within the 8 hours of your adventure, you’ll be experiencing a lot more emotions than you probably want to. It’s a game that starts off slow and holds you down with directional gravity, but the further you go down the path, the looser your boots will come and the more oxygen you will need due to your excitement. It’s a game that doesn’t give you too much mechanics to play with but it definitely gives you a story to remember and the best part of it is, that you played the main character in this exciting space story.
