The Invincible Review – Big On Story, If Nothing Else

Some of you might already know this, but The Invincible is a video game adaptation of the 1964 novel by the same name. It’s a game that has been crafted to attract only a certain niche of players who enjoy sci-fi exploration with slow and straightforward gameplay.

And, as you’ll see in my The Invincible review, it’s a strong narrative experience carried by its writing and visuals, but not its gameplay.

Story And Sitting

In my opinion, it’s definitely the story that is the main highlight of this game because the writing here will keep you engaged even when the gameplay gets boring or repetitive. 

However, you should note that the plot is quite different from the novel, and the developers have taken creative liberties to tell their own tale whilst staying true to the source material. But even if you’ve read the original novel, there are enough new story beats to keep you interested.

You start the game as Yasna, who wakes up on the planet REGIS III with no previous memories of her own. She is actually an astrobiologist and was a member of a team sent to the planet for research purposes. However, certain events cause her to become separated from her crew, and she must not attempt to reunite with them once again.

Everything builds toward an ending that left me in awe, and kept me thinking about REGIS III well after the game ended and I had moved on to other titles.

Throughout the game, I was also able to interact with other characters like Novik using the radio, as he helped Yasna on her journey. He will help you out during your exploration of REGIS III, as you slowly uncover the mysteries of the planet and why you’re actually there.

In doing so, you will come across multiple plot twists and learn more about your past as more memories come back to Yasna. And all of this builds toward an ending that left me in awe, and kept me thinking about REGIS III well after the game ended and I had moved on to other titles.

I think that much of the appeal of the narrative comes from the quality of acting and delivery of lines by Yasna and Novik. It really keeps the player engaged where the gameplay fails to do so. Yasna in particular had to be really exceptional to keep me engaged, and I’m glad that no compromise was made in that department.

As for the setting, REIGIS III has been masterfully crafted to showcase an almost post-apocalyptic yet barren environment where you will encounter robots as well as other explorers, including other members of your team. The planet, just like the narrative, is mysterious at first, but you will come across many answers as you explore.

Gameplay

Gameplay is probably the weakest aspect of the game. Put simply, The Invincible is a first-person walking simulator set on an alien planet and is actually a narrative-driven experience. Even if the developers have tried to add some form of gameplay in the form of puzzles, these are still really simple and unchallenging.

It almost feels like the barebones gameplay is just there so that the story doesn’t feel overbearing. Other aspects of the experience include scanning certain areas and locating different landmarks, and you even have a map that gets updated as you explore. That’s about it, for the most part.

Oh, and the game even gives you a vehicle to drive around for more engaging exploration.

Coming across breathtaking environments and locating wonderful sceneries on REIGIS III might be my favorite aspect of the game. You will also be climbing around a lot, and everything is done in first-person. The simulation is handled in such a way that I always felt like I was Yasna throughout the experience.

The Invincible is a first-person walking simulator set on an alien planet and is actually a narrative-driven experience first and foremost.

What I mean by this is a bit complicated, so let me give an example. During climbing, Yasna will look at her hands instead of the wider view, and you can feel her uneasiness as she looks at her grip while climbing. That is just one example of how the developers allow the players to feel intimate with the character that they are playing.

Aside from the exploration and simple gameplay system, there is another mechanic at play as well that adds variety to the overall narrative. At many points in the story, It gave me different dialogue options, and each has a different effect on how the game proceeds and ends.

However, the lack of manual saves really limited me from experimenting with different dialogues in a single run. You can always go for a second playthrough, but the slow and simplified gameplay doesn’t motivate me enough the play the title for a second time.

Visuals And Performance

Without the magnificent visuals and art direction of The Invincible, the story might not have hit as hard as it did, even with good writing. The development team really nailed the visuals and created one of the best sci-fi environments that I’ve ever explored in a video game.

From breathtaking views of the atmosphere to the post-apocalyptic environment designs that tell a different story, the world of REIGIS III captured my whole attention.

From reading the novel about REIGIS III and creating an image in your head about what it looks like to actually experiencing it inside this game really shows you how beautiful the genre of video games in entertainment can be.

Performance is also really great so far, with little to no bugs. The game runs like a charm on the PlayStation 5, and I honestly have nothing bad to say about it. It looks fantastic, and it runs exceptionally well.

Verdict

In conclusion, The Invincible is a game that will only attract a small audience of players who are interested in science fiction, amazing story-telling and voice acting, other-worldly exploration, and little to no gameplay.

It is effectively a walking simulator that has an amazing story to tell regarding the mysteries of space, and if you are interested in that, then you should definitely give it a shot. And if you’ve read the original novel by Stanislaw Lem, then this game is a must-buy for you as well.

This has been our The Invincible Review. While you’re here, consider checking out some of our other articles. 

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