The Invincible is a psychological horror game based on the book of the same name by S Lem. While the game doesn’t exactly bear that genre title in its tags, I can’t think of a better way to describe The Invincible as I experienced it. The overwhelming sense of dread and futility I felt while exploring a strange alien world and uncovering its mysteries, while slowly realizing that I was all alone is what I would call cosmic horror at some of its finest. This feeling is accompanied by a fantastic score that only serves to amplify that dreadful feeling, fantastic characters whose fates will break your heart, and a phenomenal plot based on the work of a fantastic science fiction author. When it all comes together, it makes for a great Halloween game—even if its release missed the mark by about a week.
Stanisław Herman Lem is a Polish hard science fiction author and writer of the book The Invincible by Stanislaw Lem which the game is proudly based on. If you’ve read the book, there’s no reason to skip the game, because it doesn’t just retell the same story. Quite the contrary, from my understanding the game covers a totally different perspective than the book does, meaning fans of the literature have even more to get out of playing the game than players unfamiliar with the source material will.
The Invincible opens with Yasna, an astrobiologist who finds herself lost on the barren planet of Regis III. As her memory slowly returns, she realizes that she’s part of a scientific expedition gone wrong. With limited resources and only days before a hostile force arrives on the planet, Yasna has to discover what went wrong, find her crew, and escape Regis IIi all the while suffering from amnesia and semi-frequent blackouts.
Something is clearly wrong on this planet, and you will have even more questions as more information comes to light.
The atmosphere of The Invincible is unreal. Exploring this huge, barren landscape alone would be enough to raise the hairs on my arms, but the mystery of Regis III is enhanced with an incredible sci-fi score. The tension could not be higher with chilling synthesizers and long, harrowing droning humming to remind you of just how small and alone you are.
While the game features many dialogue options and decisions to be made which alter the path you’re on, it is more or less on rails. I struggle to call the game a game, really; It’s more like an interactive visual novel. The game wants you to experience its story, and you’re more or less going through it in the exact way it wants you to. There is very little deviating from the path, and big objective markers guiding you to exactly what needs to be done next. Comparing this game to a Telltale title would be pretty accurate.
I’ve been vocal in the past about how I feel about applying the ‘game’ label to what is essential a more interactive darkride. This is most certainly a title you play for the story, and not to freely explore. Straying too far off the path is actually kind of a hassle because Yasna can only sprint so far, and getting back to where you were meant to go when you get lost will take more than a minute.
While being “in control” of the game creates a personal connection to the story that adds to the experience, there are a lot of moments where things may as well have been a cutscene. There are a lot of points where prolonged scenes of gameplay are just you opening different parts of a backpack, searching through tents, interacting with a robot’s circuit board, etc.
While the objectives more or less all remain the same and must be done exactly as the game does it, your dialogue options can create branching paths. These are kept track of through a comic which can be read as you unlock new panels through your decisions.
What the game lacks in mechanical freedom it makes up for in immersion. There are practically new menus beyond the pause menu, with everything being tracked in your journal or a tool on your belt. The incredible sounds of your footsteps on different terrain, zippers and clasps unlocking, paper turning, and rocks crunching add to the incredible immersion of the game and make you feel like you’re really there.
I described S. Lem as a hard-science fiction author; Hard-science fiction is a genre of sci-fi with a particular focus on making everything be as scientifically accurate as possible, which is something you can definitely feel in this setting. Constant conversations between scientists of varying fields take place during the game, discussing the geographical, biological, atmospheric, and all other kinds of ‘icals and ‘eric statuses of Regis III during their expedition. Listening to the scientists discuss their findings and theories is almost more engaging than the mystery of Regis III itself.
This is due in no small part to how well the characters are written, with each one having a distinct personality that you get to know better in flashbacks and writing found over the game. You’ll grow attached to certain characters, which makes the fates of the crew all the more tragic when you discover what happened to each one during this failed expedition. None are more likable than Yasna though, a brave protagonist who adequately responds to the shock and tragedy of the game, but also does her best to remain optimistic and cute, going so far as to even hum a little song as she tracks the hills of Regis III.
The Final Word
Though it’s less of a game and more of an interactive novel, The Invincible is worth checking out for any fan of sci-fi or cosmic horror. This dreary adventure into the unknown makes fantastic use of suspense, mystery, and the out-of-this-world concepts of its source material to make for a truly unique Cosmonautian adventure into the unknown.
9
Try Hard Guides was provided with a PC review copy of this game. Find more detailed looks at popular and upcoming titles in the Game Reviews section of our website! The Invincible is available on Steam, Xbox, and PlayStation.