Stanisław Lem’s novel The Invincible explores humanity’s relationship with life on other planets and how the evolution of life on Earth does not mean it’s superior. Starward Industries and 11 Bit Studio have brought Lem’s work to life in the appropriately named game adaptation, The Invincible.
The Invincible follows astrobiologist Yasna, who is struggling to regain her memories while at the same time trying to figure out what happened to her crewmates on the planet of Regis III and the mystery behind these strange organic metal structures the crew was investigating.
The controls for The Invincible are thankfully not complicated as the game keeps prompting you of what button does what. The soundtrack and sound design are stellar! The soundtrack catches the retro sci-fi mood with a modern twist.
The thing I love about The Invincible is the art. The atompunk look of the equipment and tools, and the interior of the ship and vehicles. When it comes to the world itself, it’s amazing! I love the light engine of this game with how they made the dust of the planet show sunbeams through caverns, the way the sky looks, you have to experience it yourself!
The gameplay for The Invincible is surprisingly simple. At times you are prompted to use specific tools and a dialogue tree to choose from when you have to respond. Exploration is rewarded as when you explore you may uncover more of your memories leading up to the start of the game. There’s also a comic book mechanic where as you progress through the story, you’re adding more pages to it that you can read. The only real issue I have with the gameplay is the map, I think this mechanic could have been simplified.
Overall, The Invincible is a beautifully science-driven narrative that will keep you playing as you want to see more and more of Regis III unfold and its secrets becoming more and more mysterious. On my scale of 1-10, The Invincible is a 10!
The Invincible will be coming out on November 6th for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.
