As players explore the Regis III inThe Invincible, they’re going to have to use multiple tools and technologies from scanners, telescopes, and helper robots to make sense of the secrets of the strange planet Yasna and her crew have crash-landed on. It’s a plot pulled straight fromThe Invinciblenovel by Stanislaw Lem, although obviously with its own liberties, that Starward Industries aims to adapt in a way that players both familiar and unfamiliar with the story can enjoy.
Part of this involves using the descriptions found in Lem’s writings to bring his world to life just as he would have likely pictured it. Because of how the original novel dates back to the 1960s, while many of the technologies Lem wrote about were impressive, new concepts, they were described with design ideologies that have agds, such as what’s normally seen in Google architecture. This plays intoTheInvincible’s “atompunk” aesthetic, which is now standing againstStarfield’s own “Nasapunk” theme. The difference in these approaches were recently explained byThe Invincible’s art director Wojciech Ostrycharz in a Game Rant interview
The Invincible Offers A Different Perspective on the Future
In science fiction, one of the driving points about the genre is the fact that it takes readers not into a new world in the literal sense, but an idea of what the future of humanity could be. The concept of hoverboards, flying cars, and cities on other planets comes entirely from sci-fi novels and movies. Each story has its own perspective of how humanity will evolve and adapt, butThe Invinciblesits in a rather curious placeas a result.
This is due to how Lem’s world comes from his perspective of the future back when Raygun Gothic designs and principles were seen as bright and new, yet the modern world’s sensibilities have moved so on beyond it that the Space Age aesthetics have turned completely around to be recognized as “retro.” This putsThe Invinciblein a peculiar place where it may be a story of the future, but it’s an alternate reality of how humanity envisioned it 50 years+ years ago. In other words, just as many folks once thought there’d be flying cars by 2020, this presents a tale where humanity got to deep space exploration sooner, without digital items.
This puts it in proximity to the aim ofStarfield’s own Nasapunk aesthetic, as both games present a future that may have been possible once, or still could be in a specific way, but the way they handle their interesting reference and place in possibly history is vastly different.Starfieldstill leaves itself technologically viable to be relatable to the sensibilities of what humanity still imagines its future could be, while also honing in on a nostalgic feeling of classic science fiction.The Invincible, however, keeps hold of the particular time of the novel it was based on, leaving it entirely in the past despite portraying a future. This dichotomy played an important role in the game’s immersion, according to Ostrycharz.
These are vastly different visions of the future. WhileStarfieldpresents the future world like we imagine it today, full of cyber technologies,The Invincibletakes you on a journey to the future imagined by people in the 1960s. You will see machines powered by atomic energy, analog devices and robot companions. Digital technology is not present. What you can immediately sense as different when you dive into the world of The Invincible is that all of the technology is hands-on. There are knobs, buttons and levers you must interact with in order to make something work. The hands-on technology makes immersion much more powerful, letting you truly become an astroscientist on an exploratory mission.
How Starfield and The Invincible Are Both Nostalgic Yet Different
ComparingStarfieldandThe Invincibleis almost inevitable due to the fact that the both of them take old school sci-fi design to give their stories a familiar feeling to welcome the fans of the genre on their brand-new journey. However, the overall feelings that these specific aesthetics give off are entirely different. ForStarfield, it’s a matter of rekindling the hope and wonder of space that NASA tended to illicit back in the ’80s.The Invinciblemay be about discovery, but atompunk as a genre thrives on the ideas of riffing sarcastically on the ’60s own hopes for tomorrow.
It fits rather well with howThe Invincibleteases a world full of secrets and scientific wonders to uncover, but there’s a lingering dread about it that lingers. This is present in both the novel and how player choice impactsThe Invincible’s endings. These choices affect the fate of the crew, which makes the Regis III feel less like the hopeful and vastStarfieldand more like the lingering dread often associated withFallout’s nuclear aftermath. These feelings tie into the way thatThe Invincibleaims to make players think on their scientific discoveries, along with evolution and adaptation in and of itself.
The Invincible
WHERE TO PLAY
You are a highly qualified, sharp-witted astrobiologist named Yasna. Being entangled in a space race, you and your crew end up on the unexplored planet Regis III. The scientific journey quickly turns into a search mission for lost crewmates. Follow its trail, but be fully aware that every decision you make can bring you closer to danger.On her journey, Yasna will face decisions that will shape the outcome of the story. Help her make difficult choices and witness one of 11 possible endings to the deeply philosophical story.Discover fragments of what’s lost and report to your Astrogator. Let his voice aid you during hard times when humanity’s greatest threat emerges. The latter will force you to rethink mankind’s ambitions and biases. Go on - make decisions, follow the mystery… but remember not to underestimate the brutal simplicity and brilliance of evolution.
