Now Playing: The Invincible

The Invincible is a sci-fi narrative adventure game (AKA walking simulator) based on the 1964 Stanisław Lem novel of the same name – which I’m ashamed to say I’d never actually heard of despite liking my classic sci-fi.

I wouldn’t say the game is a direct adaptation (at least it doesn’t appear to be based on the novel’s Wikipedia summary) more ‘inspired by’ as it utilises the same location and premise, but with entirely different characters and potential endings.

You play as Yasna, an astrobiologist who awakes on the planet of Regis III with a bad case of short term amnesia – yep, that old trope. She doesn’t know how she ended up there or what happened to the rest of her crew. That becomes your first mission – figuring out where you are and what the hell you were supposed to be doing there.

It quickly becomes clear that Regis III isn’t all it seems and Yasna soon learns that a rival faction – The Alliance – is also interested in the mysterious planet. Can she find her missing crew? Can she discover the secret of Regis III? And can she escape the planet alive?

I won’t say anything more specific about the story because the story is the primary draw of a game like this. It is very much a ‘walking simulator’ in terms of gameplay and if that’s not your jam, The Invincible won’t win you over. Yasna can (thankfully) sprint so it’s not always just ‘walking’ and there are sections you get to drive a cool little rover.

But ultimately, the gameplay remains the same – move along a linear path and watch as the story unfolds. There’s no combat or puzzles. You do, however, get various dialogue options. The majority of these are just to provide a little more flavour to your experience, but there are those that do shape how the game and story progresses as you press on.

The different narrative paths aren’t particularly substantial, not really until the very end where the game does feature a handful of different endings. Although the branching narrative isn’t anything amazing, it does at least give the game some degree of replay value.

Because overall, the story of The Invincible is good enough to carry you through and make you want to see what you can change. But is it good enough to warrant an entire second or even third run? Probably not. You’ll probably be content to watch the alternative endings on YouTube.

And that’s because the game is pretty slow. Even with the sprint and vehicle sections, The Invincible is a game that never really picks up pace, even when it feels like it should. Whenever you do get a sense of urgency within the narrative, the gameplay never really reflects that. It’s just more trudging along, occasionally interacting with a button or switch.

Like I said, it’s a walking simulator and if that’s not your thing, this won’t change your mind. It’s not really my thing, to be honest, not unless the story and characters can totally win me over. I’d say they take a good stab at it, but don’t quite succeed. I do really like the general premise and how the secret of the planet is slowly revealed and what it turns out to be. It’s all cool stuff.

But the game’s pacing is a little off and Yasna can be a tad irritating to play sometimes. I get the situation may seem bleak but she sure does complain a lot. I just found it hard to fully invest in her journey.

The endings of the game are a little abrupt which makes them all feel a bit disappointing . . . or maybe dissatisfying is the better word to use. It’s one of those game when the credits start to roll and you say ‘wait, that’s it?’

It took me about 6 hours to complete The Invincible but honestly, it probably could and should have been shorter. There’s a fair bit of padding to get through, mostly as Yasna travels slowly from A to B. I replayed some sections for achievements and to see the other endings, but aside from that, I don’t ever see myself replaying The Invincible.

It’s a solid and interesting sci-fi adventure and if you like your classic sci-fi with cool retro designs and an intriguing story and don’t mind some slow paced walking and talking then I’d say The Invincible is most certainly worth giving a spin – on sale, at least.

6/10