The Invincible Review
From Publisher 11 Bit Studios and Developer Starward Industries comes an all new narrative exploration experience, The Invincible. It is a science fiction, Astropunk styled, space exploration game that has the player assume the role of Yasna, a biologist on a research vessel sent to Regis III to search for signs of life. Things go wrong and Yasna wakes up with no memory of the expedition. The game unfolds with mystery after mystery as you explore the planet and attempt to find your crewmates, rescue them, and remember what happened. While the game is mostly a walking simulator, much like Firewatch, you will make lots of narrative conversational choices throughout the game as you chat over the radio with the Astrogator.
You’ll interact with classic Astropunk retro technology that seems heavily inspired by the 1950’s-1960’s technology in science fiction of the time as you seek to understand the mysteries of the planet and the factions that occupy it. While the game is narrated by an excellent cast, the pacing stays relatively flat. Even the most exciting moments are derived of tension when narrative choices ultimately lead to little confrontation, little risk, low stakes, before you’re back to exploring. The game is very immersive but if you’re not interested in biology and engineering talk, you might find some of the dialogue boring. I however enjoyed the immersion of researching the planet, theorizing what is happening, and seeing if the scientific method proves correct.
You’ll use a journal to log things you find and plot out your journey on the map. You also have a telescope you can pull focus with, a metal detector, and a tracker used for finding signals of your crewmates and other humans. I found myself obsessively wanting to notate everything I discovered in the game and make sure I was gathering all the clues and evidence needed to understand the events of the game.
Seeing the glass of the helmet fog up as Yasna breathes and the mic and edges of the helmet connect on screen is incredibly immersive. The audio and visual immersion is key to the experience that could be heightened if this game were in VR.
Overall, I would say it is a worthwhile experience for fans of narrative exploration titles. Walking simulators can get a bad rap, but Firewatch and The Invincible are exceptions that are especially immersive and really pull you in. Just be aware the pacing is a slow burn but once the story picks up a little you won’t be able to put it down. I recommend it!
Many thanks to Shawn at Evolve PR and the wonderful folks at Starward Industries and 11 Bit Studios for the opportunity to cover this game on the channel and review it on the website.
Check out my livestream gameplay on YouTube at:
Gameplay Part 1: YouTube Link
Gameplay Part 2: YouTube Link
Let me know what you think in the comments below.
