HomeNewsThe Invincible
Step into a Stanisław Lem sci-fi story with The Invincible’s demoReleased during Steam Next Fest, still available now
Released during Steam Next Fest, still available now
Image credit:11 bit studios
Image credit:11 bit studios
The Invincible | Yasna Story TrailerWatch on YouTube
The Invincible | Yasna Story Trailer
So, something bad happened to a expedition on a barren distant world, so off we go to find a missing crew, chatting with our boss (who’s in orbit) over the radio along the way. Ha ha, oh dear.
Firewatch is certainly a huge influence. It’s a lot of walking about, solving the mildest of puzzles, and chatting with someone over the radio. And like Firewatch, you can choose conversation options, little details and directions which might not change the plot but let you define your character’s identity. I like that. It’s quite slow but I enjoy looking at this sci-fi world and throwing a little improv into my sci-fi radio drama script. Good voices, too. Happy to listen to them chatter away.
Image credit:11 Bit Studios
I really like the contrast between shiny 3D for the world and the hand-drawn illustrations which are meant to be photographs. Captures some terrible things in a wonderful way. I also really appreciate the tactile feel of this world. I want to stroke every surface, from shiny painted metal to the leather cushioning of a sample-carrying case. And I enjoy flicking switches and pressing buttons which look so solid I can imagine the amount of pressure it would take to turn this radio channel dial, and feel the ramping resistance it would take to cross the threshold between channels before it clicked over with a deep bump heard through my fingertips.
As marketing man Maciej Dobrowolskiexplained to Katharinelast year, The Invincible “isn’t a one-to-one adaptation” of Stanisław’s novel. It’s the same planet where the same events unfolded but it doesn’t tell that story directly (Dobrowolski did hint that you might see some of the book’s characters, mind). The game instead focuses on a supplementary crew created for its own story, which takes a more personal, emotional interest in the big space events.
While the latest Steam Next Fest is over, many of its other demos are still available too. Wehighlighted 14 demos at the start, thenmoreover the following week.
