The Invincible

The Invincible is one of my best gaming experience. Game hold you close, don't let go and dive you into intense and immersive landscape exploration of unknown planet Regis III. Basically 7h entertainment, but different endings can provide 17h (it's worthy, at least for me, gave real chills :)) Gameplay focus on walking simulator with linear, detective plot (with some forks) and natural, science oriented dialogues between main character Yasna and Astrogator Novik who lead expedition from safe orbit. Atompunk aesthetic is perfectly balanced with small details and subtle but sometimes powerful music. Plot is adaptation of classic book of polish futurologist, Stanisław Lem, who is legend when it comes to SF genre.

The game looks absolutely stunning. Often I had to just stop and look at the sky, the mountains or the ocean. The art direction in general is awesome with it´s retro scifi aesthetics. Yes, it´s mostly a walking simulator but one with an exceptionally tense and well-paced story. I finished the game in about 8 hours. That was for one endung, but I read that there are are 11 endings that you can reach if you are a completionist. For me this playthrough was perfectly satisfying though. I read Lem´s novel shortly befor I played the game and I was pleasently surprised that the game doesn´t retells the novel but tells what happened on REGIS III from another characters perspective. In doing so it cleverly undermined my expectations that I had because I knew the novel and it added to my experience from the book. I´ll definitely keep looking out for what this studio´s next projects.

If you love Lem's book or feel of 50 and 60 SF retro future you will love this game. It is a compeling story of what might happen before events form the Invincible written in a similar, solwer, pace. Not for every one but it feels like reading a book

This is the best game wich i`ve played in 2024. Recomended on all 100%. I hope that developers will not stop and in future create more such quality and interesting games. Thank you STARWARD INDUSTRIES for The Invincible and Ukrainiane language. Wish you good lack on your way.

The game dose rather rough trade of from more wide open world to very narrow path, maybe few side areas to explore if you realy want to but thing to change much of the play. Into very focused atmosphere centric play. I recognize that was nescessary to retain the style and the intended emotional effect but do feel like an elehant in dog sized enclosure sometimes - always pushed and prodded rather than naturaly wanting to go places. Still to its credit the trade off dose make atmosphere very heavy and that is intended. Sometimes harphing on it too much in dialogue but i guess some people need things explicit. Graphicaly it looks its age (barely year old at time of this review) nothing too extravagant but very solid adherence to a retrofuturism with rather original style is amazing breath fo fresh air, but acousticaly i think the devs nailed it - the sounds and music chosen plays perfectly - pulling my mind nigh on unnoticed into dark paces and wierd spaces. Very cautious recommandation - i understand that most peopel woudl not want to play restrictive walking somulator but i personaly was won by its artfullness (again very me thing so can not give more than 3/5). + Style Sound Story immersion - Exceptionaly restrictive play areas, to a point of it being distracting feeling of immersion can be easily broken by linearity