Plays Like A Novel, But A Really Good One
By Alex Orona
The Invincible is a 1964 hard sci-fi novel written by Polish writer Stanislaw Lem. There is a definitive difference between classical sci-fi and hard sci-fi, which is that hard sci-fi focuses on the actual science. Creating adventures but basing it around real theories and what real scientists would do. That’s also kind of what we see in the video game adaptation. Fitting more into the ‘walking simulator’ genre, with more of a heavy focus on the research and theorizing around the ongoing mystery. Now that we have that determination out of the way, let’s talk about what makes The Invincible so special.
Our story begins like a lot of other games do, with Amnesia. We play as Yasna, a scientist for the Commonwealth, coming out of an amnesiac state during a research expedition to Regis III. With her memory foggy and her crew scattered, she takes it upon herself to find the remnants of her crew, find their lost research and figure out what exactly is going on at Regis III. The premise starts with a fantastically enticing mystery that brings two sides together into a fight for their lives.
It being more of a walking simulator, the gameplay is more so exploring the uncertain terrain, finding members of your crew, the crew of the Alliance, a rival science team, and finding pieces of your research. While there is a lot to explore in the environments, the game has a very specific story path, so you can’t venture too far outside of where you need to go. This is both a blessing and a curse because it weaves these massive sweeping vistas into claustrophobic hallways. On the flip side, I did sometimes find myself lost or having difficulty parsing the map, and the game limiting where I could go, always kept me on the right path. I both loved this and hated it.
Since there’s limited exploration, what really makes The Invincible stand out is its voice acting and atmosphere, which both show up in spades. The voice acting is a stand out as Yasna and her crew both convey fantastic ranges of emotional nuance to accompany the compelling narrative. Yasna leads with determination while her handler displays a level of obscure motivations that puts the player always on their guard. The Alliance team also acts as a suitable questionable element to which you are always left guessing. There are also a few dialogue choices that can alter the path of the narrative, but they are so few and far between that they hardly register at all. The spotlight really is voice acting.
Bringing it back to the hard sci-fi, I must say that this is a type of sci-fi that I’ve rarely delved into. I’ve generally enjoyed the action elements of the genre but focusing on the intricacies of scientific development, accuracy and logic definitely intrigues me. That’s what originally drew me to this game and I will say, satisfied me greatly. Taking a firm stance on the investigation and preservation of alien life lead to some engaging conversations. I found myself adjusting my thought process from the classical video game idioms of fighting against an adversary to more of one trying to understand what exactly I was dealing with. It flipped my thinking until I was thoroughly engrossed in learning more. I was reading journal entries and logs more than I ever have before and I love when a game can change my perceptions into something more.
The Invincible does a lot with very little. While it may seem simple to call it a ‘walking simulator,’ I think there’s a lot to it. It provides a rich lore within its world. Where it limits you in the exploration, it enriches you with scientific research. I haven’t read the book this is based on, but it feels very much like a novel, deep with details and story telling. I can easily see this turned into an indie film or mini series. Novels can provide a lot more within its words and descriptions to inspire the animation and The Invincible did exactly that within its short run time. It feels like it is, a book converted to a game, and by the end I was already researching more into that world. I will be starting my own read through of The Invincible and Other Stories soon, thanks to this game.
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