Starward Industries’ The Invincible shares its name with the iconic 1964 hard sci-fi novel by Polish writer and futurologist Stanislaw Lem as a video game adaptation of the book, an approach somewhat few and far between in the industry. Trailers for The Invincible showcase a gorgeously rendered planetary setting of Regis III, revealing robotic drones, retro-futuristic tools, and more through its first-person perspective as Astrobiologist Yasna.

Yet, some players might wonder what type of game The Invincible is and what to expect from its gameplay when considering potential comparisons with the walking simulator sub-genre. However, in a recent Game Rant interview, CEO Marek Markuszewski explained why The Invincible is not a walking simulator, outlining its core gameplay elements and more.

What Type Of Game Is The Invincible

The walking simulator game genre typically prioritizes simple gameplay and atmosphere over features that tend to drive many video games, like action, combat, and storytelling. As the name suggests, players often walk from place to place, exploring their environment for things like objects while following a story over features like complex puzzles or intensive, controls-focused gameplay. In contrast, The Invincible is a story-driven adventure game that Markuszewski explained is not a walking simulator, with several features that the team hopes to set it apart from the walking sim genre. These include a deeper narrative focus, a “co-created” story through a “dynamic dialog system” and increased visual fidelity. As Markuszewski went on to explain,

Walking simulators are usually imagined as games with little gameplay and narrative value, with a lower production budget and scope. In our case, we put an effort to create a realistic, hard sci-fi experience both in the gameplay, the visuals, and the narrative. You will interact with atompunk devices, robots and machines vastly different from today’s vision of the future, which adds to the overall excitement from playing the game.

While some walking simulators do have a deep storyline, The Invincible‘s player-choice-driven dialogue system is the driving force of the gameplay and story as players explore, adding a layer of complexity with players getting to make both small and consequential decisions throughout the experience. That could mean deciding how to reach one point of the map to another, including using a vehicle, shaping relationships with NPCs, or even determining the fates of others. This gameplay places a more active, player-lead slant on immersion compared to the approach typically taken in walking simulators.

How Gameplay Works In The Invincible And The Role Of Combat

It is also important to consider how The Invincible‘s gameplay remains true to its sci-fi roots as a novel adaptation, such as robots that help players find clues in the world, while also building in new mechanics like the dialogue system. For instance, players can interact with devices rather than only discover them as they explore, bringing in puzzle-solving elements. While The Invincible is predominantly narrative-driven, gameplay designer Mariusz Antkiewicz also explained it does contain some combat moments with weapons present in the game, adding,

Apart from the Weyr gun, you will also encounter another well-known weapon from The Invincible novel… But we wouldn’t want to spoil too much…

Additionally, when considering The Invincible‘s gameplay replayability, it’s also not designed as a game to play in one sitting, with Markuszewski stating players can replay to experience different choices to see how the story changes as a game with multiple endings.

The Invincible

The Invincible is a story-driven adventure game, adapted from the hard sci-fi works of Stanislaw Lem. Players will explore Regis III as Yasna, use tools to search for her missing crew, and face unforeseen threats.
 

Released

November 6, 2023

Developer

Starward Industries