Can this live up to the novel?
The Invincible is a first-person Sci-Fi thriller set in a retro-future timeline. Waking up as a space scientist on a hostile planet, you embark on a mysterious mission to find the missing crew of your spaceship. Survival is a matter of your correct choices, taken whilst uncovering the secrets of the planet, bigger than anyone thought. You are a scientist onboard an interstellar scientific expedition, suddenly thrown into a life-or-death rescue mission. Landing on a planet Regis III you have to find the missing crew members using some advanced space equipment, whilst relying on your brains and instincts to survive on the planet which quickly occurs to be unwelcoming. Soon you’ll discover that Regis III holds terrifying secrets which are uncovered while you’re piecing together the fate of your crew. And as you delve deeper into the mystery, you realise that perhaps you are not alone, and that some places like this planet are better left untouched. But it’s too late to turn back.
I have to admit, I’m unfamiliar with the novel for The Invincible so I can’t compare it to the source material, but I’m tempted to pick it up after my time with the game adaptation. It is a visual beauty and tells a great story, but is there more to it than that?
The Invincible tries not to be a walking simulator game as it sometimes gives you choices and there are a lot of times where you have to walk into the unknown, something walking sims tend not to do as they want you to just push forward to the end goal. You will get gadgets and items to help you traverse or to guide you onwards, though you do feel isolated on this desolate planet as you try and find your missing crewmates.
It’s not a particularly long game, but it’s one that will stay with me for a long time to come. I loved the story and setting, though it really depends on if you are into sci-fi or not. Like I said, the visuals are stunning and even if the gameplay is somewhat limited to more of a walking sim than I would have liked, it still ticks the boxes for me.
The framerate is consistent throughout and although I came across a few unfortunate bugs, there wasn’t any that were game-breaking. The voice-acting is well done and the music is also impressive throughout.
The Verdict
The Invincible is a great sci-fi adventure that is more story orientated and walking sim-type instead of an open-world sandbox. Sometimes less is more and games like this prove that not all sci-fi games need to be on a galactic scale. Sometimes less is more.