The Invincible in First Reviews: Shines With Story, but Gameplay Drags it Down
It delights with its plot and atmosphere, but tires with gameplay. The Invincible has divided the reviewers, although from the average of their ratings the conclusion is that it is at least a good production.
Quite soon The Invincible will cease to be unreleased. The first work of the Polish studio Starward Industries will be released on November 6 for PC, PS5 and XSX/S. Does the game live up to Stanislaw Lem's excellent sci-fi novel? How do the plot and gameplay compare?
It's impossible to give a single answer to the latter question, the answer to the former comes is a bit more difficult as critics in the West note that the game is based on a Polish author's novel, but the lack of any references to the plot from most of them leads to the conclusion that they have not decided to read the original. How do they rate Starward Industries' game?
The Invincible - selected ratings
- Windows Central - 9/10 (PC)
- Gamepressure.com - 8.5/10 (PC)
- GRYOnline.pl - 8/10 (PC)
- PC Invasion - 8/10 (PC)
- The Sixth Axis - 8/10 (PS5)
- Screen Rant - 7/10 (PC)
- Game Rant - 7/10 (PC)
- Push Square - 7/10 (PS5)
- GGRecon - 7/10 (PS5)
- WellPlayed - 6.5/10 (PS5)
- PCGamesN - 6/10 (PC)
- IGN - 5/10 (PC)
- But Why Tho? - 5/10 (PC)
- Dexerto - 4/10 (PC)
- Metascore (PC) - 65/100 (based on 14 reviews)
- Metascore (PS5) - 69/100 (based on 5 reviews)
- OpenCritic.com - 71/100 (based on 25 reviews)
What is liked?
As you can see, the marks given by industry critics are quite diverse. Those who liked the plot and atmosphere of The Invincible, concluded their reviews with higher marks. The advantages are dominated precisely by the story, which is not devoid of depth and philosophical themes, and the stunning planet Regis III.
Also praised are the likable protagonist, scientist Yasna (could it be that the developers from Starward Industries borrowed this name from Jasnah Kholin from Brandon Sanderson's Stormlight Archive?), dialogues, and even little things like the way the haptic vibrations of the DualSense controller for PlayStation 5 are used.
What not so much?
Ratings are lowered by gameplay, which is often described as monotonous, boring, or even outdated - although the gameplay seems typical of "walking simulators." Complaints also apply to the slow movement of characters - both on foot and in a vehicle - and the lack of clearer target indicators.
At the same time, the game is relatively short - it takes about 7-8 hours to complete. - which some reviewers are fully satisfied with, while others are left with a slight hunger for more, and some have managed to become bored. This is significant insofar as it is the time of play that may be the factor that will influence the purchase decision of players - especially around the release.
Price and boxed edition
- It is worth mentioning here that standard digital version of The Invincible for PC, PS5 and XSX/S was priced at $29.99 and the Deluxe edition at $36.
- In addition, 11 bit studios and Starward Industries have informed that The Invincible will also be released in a boxed edition - "Regular" is expected to cost about $30 on PC and $34 on consoles, while the Signature Edition about $53 on PC and about $58 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S.
- Signature Edition is a "collector's edition," so to speak. - it includes a poster, comic book, soundtrack from the game (digital), notebook, 3D glasses, postcards and a patch.
- Although on PC The Invincible will be available on Steam and GOG, as well as on Epic Games Store, the boxed edition is expected to contain only codes for use on Valve's platform.
- The boxed version of the game - for all platforms - can be ordered at this website. Console editions are also available in the Gamefinity.co.uk store.
