The Invincible takes the walking sim genre to a whole new world; the conversations are immersive, the choices feel real, the art is stunning, and the story is unforgettable.
When creating a sci-fi thriller, it is imperative that the developer ensures they have created a realistic world, a compelling narrative, interesting characters, and a decent amount of emotional suspense to keep the player engaged. It is a tall order, and basing such a game on a novel allows the creator to have a world around them that has already been detailed. This can have its downfalls, however, as assuming an audience has read the book and knows the world already can lead to gaps in the exposition. These are the challenges being faced by Polish developer Starward Industries when creating their take on The Invincible.
The Invincible is a true project of passion, with the team choosing to adapt the 1964 novel of the same name, stating it to be “stunningly picturesque” and reading as a “ready-made movie script”. It is not a straight adaptation, however, with a unique set of protagonists taking over the narrative in the game. 11 Bit Studios came on board to publish, being renowned for other narrative-driven games such as This War of Mine, a wonderful game about the innocent individuals of war, rather than the political side. No wonder they were involved in The Invincible, as the focus is on the characters, not the conflict between worlds, which acts as a backdrop.
Set in an alternate future, The Invincible is based in a world with opposing sides in a race to explore as much of the universe as possible. The Commonwealth, which the game’s protagonist works for, appears to be based on the USSR during the Space Race, with the Alliance depicting the Americans in the same era. The Alliance seems to have advanced equipment with lots of funding compared to the Commonwealth, who have a far more retro technological aesthetic in their equipment, much of it seeming far more analog than digital.
Yasna wakes on an unknown planet with no memory of how she got there and why she is alone. Her radio isn’t receiving any messages, but she has her journal, which she uses to piece together why she is alone and, hopefully, where the rest of her crew is. After a long journey through some stunning desert scenery, she finds her crew’s camp. Finally, she gets her radio to start receiving messages from her ship, the Dragonfly, and the Astrogator Novik. Being a biologist, Yasna wasn’t initially sent to Regis III as the planet was deemed to have no life on it, a statement that ends up being untrue as the game goes on.
Yasna is then sent on a journey across the planet, initially looking for her missing crew members who should have been at camp. The search takes her across much of the planet, with Novik helping her along the way. While on this search, Yasna will come across objects and items from her past that trigger flashbacks. It is through these flashbacks that both the player and Yasna, who is still suffering from amnesia, can learn what led her to explore this hostile environment alone in The Invincible.
There are moments in looking for the crew that really cement the true gold of The Invincible that can be discovered. This is in the conversation. Looking at views, interacting with items, and picking up what seems to be rubbish can lead to in-depth discussions with Novik. The game signals when these are available to happen by having responses to a conversation with (discussion) added to the end, informing the player that this is the way to follow this particular train of thought. These range in topic, and all add wonderful depth to the characters as they discuss their opinions.
An example of this is through a simple bit of rubbish that is left on the planet by one of the crew members. This can spark a discussion about preserving the environments they explore as well as preserving the health of the crew, which should be valued more. Players in The Invincible can shape the conversation with their own views or simply listen to Novik and Yasna talk between themselves. Another interesting conversation is about the race between the Alliance and the Commonwealth to explore as many environments as possible. This is a clear reference to the arms and space races happening between the USA and USSR around the release of the original novel.
Once the crew is found, Yasna and the player have more questions than answers. It appears that each member is suffering from various states of cognitive dysfunction. Some can only rock in place and mutter; Yasna herself can’t seem to access her short-term memory, and if the player is too slow, some team members can even have died by this point. It is then up to the player to decide if they wish to go straight to the landing site or stay on the planet for longer and try to find out what has happened and why there is Alliance technology in some of the areas players explore in The Invincible.
To go on with more of the plot would be a disservice to The Invincible. The heart of the game lies in what happens while Yasna is exploring, the choices made, and the mysteries uncovered. Just know that anyone who loves a walking simulator will eat this game up. This might be the best of the genre on the market at the moment, with varied endings, a compelling narrative, and characters you cannot help but love; it is a wonderful experience that should be entered knowing as little about the story as possible.
Much of the gameplay in The Invincible involves walking around the environment and talking to your captain, the Astrogator, Novik. This will sound to some as though the gameplay is limited, a walking simulator, boring even. This is not the case; however, instead, the game is nothing but intriguing. Now would be a good time to mention the inspiration behind this game, and specifically the mechanics. The Invincible’s director, Marek Markuszewski, stated that the team aimed for an “unhurried” narrative and took great inspiration from the 2016 game Firewatch.
This inspiration can be seen clearly in the narrative and gameplay elements. The focus in Firewatch is on the idyllic scenery and the intense, in-depth conversations between the characters. Mysteries are open to explore, but they ultimately take a backdrop to the world between the two characters as they laugh, cry, and develop a relationship, as well as the beautiful scenery in the Shoshone National Forest. The Invincible follows a similar ideal. The ecosystem on Regis III is diverse and asks to be explored; the conversations between Yasna and Novik are full of intrigue and offer an intimate look into who they are. This gameplay is simple, yes, but certainly not limited to just a walking sim.
Beyond walking around and taking in the beautiful surroundings and incredible dialogue, there are also certain objectives that are introduced. There are four main items that the player will utilise to complete these objectives in The Invincible. These are Dr Yasna’s journal, the telemeter, a tracker, and a detector that is not introduced until a little later in the game.
The journal acts as both the map and a way for Yasna to note down her observations. The map is a really interesting addition to the game, a seemingly weird statement for a game that is mostly walking around, but this is due to the sheer scale of it. Rather than just opening a map and seeing the whole area available to explore, the player will see a less detailed map with a grid on it. By selecting a coordinate, Yasna will go to that page on the map for a more detailed section of it, demonstrating the incredible size that will surprise most people playing. The map only unlocks as the player explores it, making it far more interactive.
The journal also plays a part in data collection later in The Invincible. While looking for crew members of the Dragonfly, Yasna will find parts of their journal that she can copy down, using the information to work past her own amnesia and discover more about the planet on which they are stranded. As well as this, there is a section later in the game that only certain players will find if they have followed that path that utilises the journal to an even greater extent. Yasna will make a log of all the items missing from a convoy, and as the player finds each of them, they will be crossed off.
While being a seemingly small part of the game to praise, it is this UI that is of vital importance to a game with such simple mechanics. To allow the player to feel fully immersed in what is happening on the screen, there has to be minimal frustration when using these parts of the game. The telemeter is a telescope the player can use to see far-away objects. It is another simple part of the game with bags of potential. Some of the most chilling moments of The Invincible are times the player looks through the telemeter to see something moving that shouldn’t be, or worse, a figure in the distance.
The tracker is used to signify when the player is approaching another crew member they are tracking down and also can be used to find other electronic devices that may be around the character. The final item on Yasna is the Detector, which is a metal detector that is discovered later in The Invincible and is used to follow a vein of metal that works its way through the city.
The gameplay also has many choices for characters to make as they work their way through Regis III. These choices come up both in dialogue options as well as organically through how the player goes about certain sequences. When popping up in dialogue options, there will often be a brief description in brackets describing exactly what the choice will lead to. This is a great addition as it can sometimes be unclear what the speech is exactly referring to in some games. More organic choices are made in things such as how long a series of actions takes to complete or the physical path the player chooses to take.
There is a section of the game that involves driving a rover around Regis III as Yasna continues to explore the environment. This vehicle has simple controls that are easy to use. Beyond this, they are a springiness to the manoeuvring that genuinely feels as though the player is bouncing their way through a low gravity environment. It is, again, moments like this that add to the immersion in The Invincible.
Even later in The Invincible, there is an opportunity to use a gun against an enemy the player has had to simply run or hide from up until this point. The gun uses the environment around it and is only used in a very brief moment. It is a fun moment, although the gun is a little tricky to master. The moment won’t be experienced by some players, but for those who experience it, it is a strange addition to the game but not completely unwelcome.
The graphics in The Invincible are one of the main features of the game. The player will be walking through environments, exploring the world on Regis III, for the whole game with sometimes little to do but look around. For this reason, the graphics and art design of The Invincible have to be out of this world, literally. And they are. Instead of going for realism, the art direction is stylised, the views found in the scenery are absolutely stunning, and it feels as though you have stumbled upon them. The player isn’t forced into a cutscene and instead gets to discover each of these beautiful scenes themselves, adding to the sense of wonder and awe.
This stylised art direction is brought to the technology in The Invincible as well. Being based on a book from the 60s, much of the equipment on the ship is in a retro-futuristic style that is a fantastic touch. The wiring machines and analogue detail are very immersive and again give the game another unique feature that adds to the feelings evoked in the visual narrative along with the storyline. Many of the larger robots, the Antimats, and the drones, have this same style, and it is, again, implemented perfectly.
There are also other small features that are great additions to the graphical side of The Invincible. This includes the helmet Yasna wears fogging up as she runs, and in certain endings where explosions are seen, these are fantastic. Another unique and interesting element of the visuals is the photos that can be found in different drones, journals, and some of the larger robots. These are translucent and merge the line between the digital futuristic world and the analogue film cameras of the past.
Creating a whole biosystem of an alien planet is no small order, and doing so is a massive accomplishment from the team and one that is pulled off nearly perfectly. As well as the fantastic visuals in The Invincible, there is excellent sound design throughout. The voice acting in a game that mostly follows the conversation between two characters needs to be incredible to keep the player from getting bored. The voice actors for Yasna and Novik are both very believable and demonstrate their vast talent in the roles. Daisy May, who voices Yasna, shows fantastic nuance in the role and really brings the game to life in her stunning performance.
The rest of the sound is also very good. The sounds of walking differ on each of the surfaces, although at times, it does sound as though Yasna is in high heels. There are also great effects for the organisms found on Regis III. The creatures are beyond just biological, and for that reason, they need an alien sound that is captured by the team perfectly. Even simple effects, such as the static on radios, echoes in caves, and Yasna’s ears ringing after falls, are very well done.
It is possible for a player to experience The Invincible just once, save their team, and leave Regis III. You would still have a fun experience playing this way, but the game is far from complete should you play it this way. Should the player choose to stay on the planet for longer, they will discover an Alliance base that can be explored for hours. In fact, leaving at the first point possible means the player will only be experiencing an estimated 20% of the final game.
Should the player follow the story to the very end, they will have multiple endings from this point. Some will lead to Yasna staying with potential allies, others will lead to her unfortunate death, and some even suggest she could help the universe at large with her actions and who she decides to help. This is very vague, but the story of this game has so many mysteries and twists that saying more may spoil a lot more than just the ending of the game.
The Invincible is fantastic. If you like a walking sim, then this is the one to go for. Beyond this, the conversations are full of heart, the environment is a thing of beauty, and the choices made have a real, forceful impact on the story. Starward was clearly working on a project of passion, with a level of detail rivalling that of most triple-A titles. The sound and art design leaves nothing to be desired, and the writing is truly masterful and the multiple ends make for an experience you will want to play over and over again. If you want to be a part of a fantastic story, then The Invincible should be at the top of your wishlist.
