The Invincible

[code]Casual playthrough ~5 hours No spoilers in this review! [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/45534557/]@MatureContent[/url][/code] I can't believe it took me this long to finally play this game, because what an immersive experience it was. This is a walking sim that feels much like a game like Firewatch, but in this story we are in space on a deserted alien planet. We play as Yasna, a biologist who got lost on the surface, in the middle of nowhere and have suffered memory loss. Your goal is to regroup with your missing crew and return home safely. The protagonist Yasna reminded me so much of Aava from Cairn that if it wasn't because I had already seen that the voice actors weren't the same, I would have been convinced they were. They talk the same way, have similar personalities and this game has quite a few climbing segments that just helped reinforced this even more. This is a sci-fi story in a retro theme, fitting really well with the style from the golden age of sci-fi, around the 1950s-60s. This story is based on a novel from around the same time and while I haven't read the novel, I can only imagine that they did a good representation of the original story, because I really like this game. Beside the good story, it is also a really beautiful game. You can see that the environmental artists had a lot of fun with it, as they clearly shaped a work of art out of it. I cannot praise this game enough, as it felt like it was tailored for me. It is the exact type of sci-fi that really gets me hard and the environment design and whole atmosphere of the game, which is really important to me, was just perfect. After finishing this game, I actually felt that feeling of emptiness that you can also get after finishing a good book, movie or show, all I wanted to do was replay it, and I probably would have if it wasn't already really late. It took me five hours to complete and I did it all in one sitting without skipping anything. I highly recommend this game, but I would still wait for a sale, as it often ends up going down in price 50-60% off, so you might as well save if you can. ————————————————————————————— [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/45534557/]Help me out by following my Curator, I’d really appreciate it!![/url]

I think the most striking thing about this game, as I drop this review many months after finishing the game, is how much I've purged it out of my memory banks. Not because the journey itself didn't have anything memorable - it certainly did - but because of how badly it sticks the landing with the ending. Hard sci-fi lovers will probably enjoy the story’s imaginative depiction of what alternate evolution in outer space could look like. This was something I enjoyed personally, and the game does raise questions about mankind’s place in the universe, as well as the limitations of both humans and machines. Intellectually stimulating as that is, I found the game emotionally vapid. I understand it's a very subjective thing to say, but if you're telling a story commenting on the difference between man and machine, I do think the lack of any emotion is a detriment to that type of story. The reason for that lack of emotion is that there are few characters to speak of, and far fewer who you meet in person. You spend most of the game talking to a man on a radio. I won't speculate on whether it was deliberate or due to budgetary restraints, but the point is that I felt a severe absence of human connection in this game that felt more grating the further in I got. The counterpoint to this is that the lack of humans can really work wonders for creating an air of isolationism. And yet, there are several points in the story where the story signposts that we *will* meet other people -- whether friend or foe -- except it never happens outside of one character. This could have been mitigated with an interesting protagonist, but there’s not enough to work with here. As competent as the acting is, the protagonist is effectively an exposition machine, and a vessel for scientific debate. I don't really understand what drives her. The biggest issue is that the plot doesn’t really go anywhere. There’s a great mystery. But when you complete the story, it feels like you’ve experienced a fragment in a larger story, which makes sense, given that the game ties into a novel. Far be it from me to complain about a video game pushing players onto the medium of books, but a game story still has to stand on its own two legs. This doesn’t. Its end arrives abruptly with little fanfare. The choice and consequence element is underwhelming. Yes, there are like a dozen endings which I YouTubed but all of them just feel unsatisfying and unresolved. I want to be clear that I really like walking simulators: Firewatch is one of my favourite games. But even on a gameplay level, other games in this genre never felt *this* slow to me. It might have something to do with that The Invincible has big, empty, open spaces that can take quite a bit of time to traverse, and it's made worse by how slowly you move. If you goof up like I did by taking a wrong turn, you're now looking at an even longer journey. From a quality of life perspective, I think this was avoidable. I really wanted to say more positive things about the game. I love the visuals, the retro vibes, the art style, the performances, and the sense of mystery. I’ve been desperate for good sci-fi, and part of why this game came into my mind today — enough so that I felt like dropping a review — is because the visual aesthetic has stuck with me. But between an uneventful story and some very slow walking, I can’t think of a great reason to recommend it unless you're planning on reading the books. EDIT: My play time reads very high on Steam because I left the game idling in the background on several occasion for many hours. Without idle time, this game takes a few hours to complete.

Recommended if you like walking simulators, philosophy and "realistic" sci-fi (as in alternate realities that are not very spectacular apart from the philosophical content). The music is nice, the environment is too and I did feel like an astronaut scientist stranded on a barren planet with a nerdy mystery to it. I liked the voice acting and the dialogues. I'd describe it as a nice experience. Not especially memorable, but worth it. If you get easily bored, it's probably not for you and you won't have missed any fabulous experience either.

The first 15 minutes featured the dumbest, most annoying writing I've ever experienced in a story game. The first "challenge" flashes the answers on the screen before you can even think about what you're doing or why. The main character comments on superfluous things so much that there is no room to think or dwell on any mystery yourself. The writers treat you like a little baby, and despite the excessive dialogue for a game where you are completely alone, the character's stupid comments have no logical continuity from moment to moment. The first thing the protagonist says when she opens the map is "the the rest of the team is exploring the ocean, but without a biologist? that's strange"; the same character is then freaked out 2 minutes later when she discovers there's water on the planet. Do better

A beautifully done single player story. It kept me involved through the entirety of the playthrough. If i was able to, i would have finished this game in one go. Really loved my time playing this. My advice would be to give this game a chance if anyone is thinking about it. If you care about storytelling, even a little, you are going to enjoy this.

I really enjoyed this game. its a walking simulator but theres a really good story behind everything!! i strongly recommend it, the plot is engaging and theres always something happening to keep your attention, especially the parts with the dangerous and destructive robots!! the graphics are really beautiful and the environments are immersive. its definitely a great choice for anyone looking for a narrative focused game that, even though its a walking simulator, never feels too slow or boring. its a complete adventure with a good length and you can finish it in just a few hours!!

Its cute. I like the look of the tech, the story unfolding. But a game has never made me physically ill. All that camera shake on a big screen, and constant looking at the feet. It's rough team.

This was one of the best story games I have ever played, loved the graphics and the documentary for space that I listened to throughout the game. Highly recommend.

I’m a sucker for Liu Cixin's hard sci-fi, and... I haven't really read much of Stanislaw Lem's work, only Solaris, which explores the limits of human understanding, much like this one Now I know what to read next, thanks to this game, it's a prequel to the novel, after all

I really enjoyed the whole space exploration vibe of The Invincible. The narrative kept me hooked from start to finish, and the sound design and voice acting are easily some of the best parts of the game, they do an amazing job of pulling you into the world. The pacing is a bit on the slower side, which works for the story, but I would've liked a little more freedom to explore. Even though the game is fairly straightforward, the different endings give you a reason to think carefully about your choices. Overall, I had a great time with it. That said, I don't think I'll replay it now that I've completed every achievement. Unlocking all the endings can get a bit repetitive and tiring. If you're not aiming for 100% completion, though, it's an excellent experience that's absolutely worth playing. I'd love to know which ending you got on your first playthrough! My first ending: [spoiler] I stopped the bombing and waited for the Invincible. [/spoiler] Graphics █████████░ 9/10 Story █████████░ 9/10 Gameplay ███████░░░ 7/10 Audio ██████████ 10/10 World Design ██████████ 10/10 Exploration ████████░░ 8/10 Replayability █████░░░░░ 5/10 P.S. If you can grab it during a sale, it's absolutely worth buying.