The Invincible is a story-driven adventure game set on the dangerous planet of Regis III, where Astrobiologist Yasna finds herself after crash landing. Developed by studio Starward Industries as a hard-sci-fi adaptation of the namesake novel by Polish writer Stanisław Lem, The Invincible lets players explore and discover the world of Regis III as they search for the missing crewmates using retro-futuristic technology, all while questioning the fabric and limitations of humanity as players make choices and decisions that affect the gameplay and story.

Game Rant recently spoke with several developers in the Starward Industries team about The Invincible’s setting of Regis III and its environmental design, including narrative designer/writer Magdalena Kucenty, hard surface artist Piotr Mierzwa, art director Wojciech Ostrycharz, writer Olga Piech, and environment artist Sebastian Spłuszka. The team also spoke more about elements of the overarching world and narrative. The following transcript has been edited for clarity and brevity.

Q: Lem’s novel is often described as being about evolution. How has that been worked into The Invincible’s narrative?

Piech: Yes, both the book and the game are about evolution, taken literally. In the game, we deal with the phenomenon of evolution. We analyze it, try to understand it, and comment on it. We make decisions on how to behave in the face of it. Psychologically, we ourselves evolve – Regis III changes our character.

Q: How far into the future does The Invincible sit when considering progress in humanity’s space exploration so far?

Ostrycharz: It’s challenging to specify a point in the future because the game’s action takes place in an alternative reality. The world’s design is based on the 1950s aesthetic, with no digitalization, but where humanity has successfully dominated space and explored planets.

Q: How much prior knowledge of Lem’s novel and its message do players need to have experienced beforehand to understand the game?

Piech: Players don’t need to be familiar with the book. We would be thrilled, however, if they decide to read it after playing our game and then replay it. We would like as many people as possible to discover Lem. And for those who are familiar with his work and enjoy the author, they will appreciate the subtleties subtly hidden in the Easter eggs.

Q: What sort of moral and philosophical dilemmas can players expect to encounter in The Invincible?

Kucenty: The game is filled with significant questions. For example, it raises questions about the nature of life, the limits of knowledge, what rights we have as humans, and what our responsibilities are. The game also contains anti-militaristic themes that players can interpret.

Q: On that note, Lem’s works include a lot of high philosophy and concepts that may be difficult for the average player to understand. Did you simplify some of them, or how did you approach relatability between Lem, this title, and the player?

Kucenty: That’s great to hear that you were able to present Lem’s concepts in an accessible yet meaningful way. Using a dialog-driven approach seems to have worked effectively in making the narrative in the game inspiring and engaging, as reported by players who tried the demo. It’s important to strike a balance between accessibility and maintaining the depth and complexity of the concepts.

Q: With The Invincible’s multiple endings, do they connect, relate, or “change” the events of Lem’s novel or its perception in any way?

Kucenty: In the game, there are 11 different endings. Some of these are adapted from the book, while others are our narrative solutions, closely aligned with the story’s progression, gameplay, and contingent on the player’s choices.

Q: Could you explain the significance of the phrase “Per aspera ad astra”?

Piech: Are you referring to the speech from our trailer? This sentence should be interpreted in the context of the game with irony and a certain bitterness. People seem to believe that they are invincible, that they will overcome everything, and it will bring them glory. In The Invincible, Lem believes differently, that it’s the awareness of our place in the universe, on par with other beings, that makes us human and gives us a kind of ‘advantage’.

Q: How did you develop the “atompunk” retro-future aesthetic depicted in The Invincible?

Ostrycharz: We have closely studied descriptions of atompunk technology from The Invincible novel, having decided that Stanisław Lem’s vision must be our prime perspective. Secondly, we took great inspiration from the works of Stalenhag, Chriss Foss, Syd Mead, the sci-fi classics. We have also analyzed various creations of interior designers from the past, for example, the works of Galina Balashova, and machines from the 1950s.

Q: The Invincible’s setting of planet Regis III is described as a barren, unexplored planet. How large is the planet, and how much freedom do players have to explore its environments?

Spłuszka: Regis III was designed to have various locations and biomes with utterly different stylizations and color palettes. Sometimes you will come across more open areas, enabling you to walk or drive freely through certain paths, sometimes you will be forced to squeeze through towering stone formations and dark caves. Even though the world isn’t open, for The Invincible is meant to be a narrative-based experience, you certainly won’t get bored in the abundance of different places to discover.

Q: What influences impacted the environmental design of the planet Regis III? Did you look to real planets for inspiration, or mostly focus on fictional works?

Ostrycharz: Both. We studied descriptions and photos of different planets, and academic textbooks about the cosmos to gain an understanding of the universe from the scientific perspective. It was necessary to learn more about physics, chemistry, and mathematics in order to even think about creating different weather conditions on Regis III. At the same time, we analyzed various descriptions of alien worlds from sci-fi literature. We couldn’t get enough of reading and comparing ideas. Our studio became the biggest cave of geeks. [laughs]

Q: What are the player’s main astro-equipment and tools for navigating and examining planet Regis III, and how do they work, such as the detector and interactive-style map tablets seen in the demo?

Ostrycharz: I have already mentioned the tracker and the lunette. The detector will enable you to find metallic parts, and the map will help you navigate through different locations of Regis III. However, as it is in the real world – before these locations appear on the map, you will have to discover them on your own first.

Q: How much can players freely explore the terrain using their land vehicle?

Mierzwa: The rover will be a good companion if you find yourself too tired to wander through a longer path on your feet or if you just want to feel the safety and fun coming from driving the vehicle. It will help you get through wider fields, but it won’t always be a useful option for traveling. Regis III is full of narrow routes and more closed-off areas that you may only discover on foot, which adds to the overall sense of threat.

Q: Could you talk more about what kinds of robots, creatures, or other species players might expect to find as they explore the planet?

Mierzwa: During your scientific mission on Regis III you will encounter various robot companions such as a flying probe, an arctan, or an androbot. You will also come face to face with a robot equipped with antimatter power… Apart from atompunk machines, you will meet other people. Not only your crew from the Interplanetary Commonwealth but also representatives of a rival space faction, the Cosmosolidary Alliance. The tension between two factions will only fuel the overall sense of threat. However, you as a player will have a choice on how to shape relations between Yasna and these strangers. And if it comes to other species… you will have to find out in the game…

Q: It is rare for a sci-fi title to favor Hard Sci-Fi, grounded in real scientific principles, as opposed to more fanciful Soft Sci-fi. What constraints did you place on yourselves when designing tools, puzzles, and environments in The Invincible?

Ostrycharz: From the very beginning we put effort into creating realistic designs of technology from the previous century. We studied NASA materials, different engineer blueprints, and academic textbooks to get everything right. Soft sci-fi tends to be a bit easier in terms of design because creators have more freedom to create worlds of their own. We had to base everything on scientific evidence, no exceptions. We also couldn’t design a sci-fi device without analyzing technology designs from the 1950s first.

Q: How has Unreal Engine been beneficial in creating the game’s visuals?

Spłuszka: We have appreciated the way Unreal Engine facilitated the process of putting animations together by doing a simple thing: enabling us to quickly integrate them with Blueprints. We have also enjoyed the UE4 Materials system, which made it possible for us to efficiently create every atompunk technology and every location on Regis III we desired. Full physics-based rendering definitely helped a lot in making different surfaces look like stone or metal.

Q: How would you compare The Invincible’s retro-futuristic, atom-punk art style to Starfield’s ‘Nasa-punk’ approach?

Ostrycharz: These are vastly different visions of the future. While Starfield presents the future world like we imagine it today, full of cyber technologies, The Invincible takes 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 the technology is hands-on. There are knobs, buttons, and levers you must interact with to make something work. The hands-on technology makes immersion much more powerful, letting you truly become an astroscientist on an exploratory mission.

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