The Invincible

STORY- Is nice like a movie..well if you like reserch movie. But that is all..

Gameplay- 0/10.. is no gaming you just walk around and press what game TELL YOU to press.
Only good what you can do is make different choice from conversation dialog and then do something different in that aspect, but ...
I just to try make game more fun with making "INTERACTION HINTS" Off in setting, but that also no help becasue some part of game you just can't "figure out" and pass without pressing "what game tell you to press". and that feature is also make so bad, that you cant see difference to figure it out yourself when you need to do semething important.
Sometime is just see some Landscape or Paper among 100 of them, Button or Path to climb down when you clearly can go down in other way, but you just need to be where game tell you need to stay.. (and not to mentoin that other option "disable bacground hint" and "wall white paint" do absolutely nothing)
That all is just shame for this tipe of game.. only fun to me is becasue i play with Gyro movement with my controller, and others people with keyboard and mouse well -good luck....

GRAPHIC- Whell that is very good is nice to wondering around but planet is just like Mars so... other problem is if your sistem can run it.. i dont know why is so bad FPS is just slow sometime, and some bugs in game...poor fps and if you reduce graphic setting is not worth to play anymore..

Best story and graphics ive seen

Recommended, but with significant qualifications, as described below.

This game is HEAVILY story-focused, and honestly feels at times more like an interactive movie than a game. Especially at first, the place is slow -- so slow, I nearly abandoned it after the first 30 minutes. The controls and movement also tend to be rather clunky, and the environment sometimes difficult to navigate.

However, I dearly love the retro-futuristic aesthetic, which this game has in spades (with a Soviet / cosmonaut twist), and the music and environments are hauntingly beautiful. Many times the game's visuals reminded me of the gorgeous paintings that used to grace pulp sci-fi paperbacks of the 50s and 60s. This, and the excellent writing and voice acting, got me through the slow start -- and when the story started to pick up, it was deeply mysterious, intriguing, and thought-provoking. When the game ended, I was glad I had played it and definitely felt I'd gotten my money's worth.

So, I definitely RECOMMEND the game -- BUT if the downsides described above concern you, you may want to think twice about investing in it, or possibly wait for a sale.

A great experience, indeed... BUT... why limit the game to a storyteller with basically NO WAY to do something wrong or die? Why limit the environment space and not even allow the player to pay attention to fall down somewhere? I do understand that this was probably done on purpose but, I believe this game could have been EVEN MORE BEAUTIFUL if there were many mechanics and interactions. I mean, the radiation tool was used one or two times, the radar three or four times during the entire game. In other words, why not adding ANY RISK in the gameplay? That was a very brave move.

Memory Spike midway through crashing game and preventing progress. Judging by the Steam forums, the devs have known about it for a while.

Just hate games that autosave exactly where you going to DIE EVERYTIME you RESTORE/RESTART. Means you have to RESTSTORE FROM THE LAST stupid autosave, which is ALWAYS 2 hours of going around in circles all over again! Now I have a giant robot thing that melts its way through rock and snuffs me as soon as I start, GREAT time for an AUTOSAVE BOZOs.
ALSO, made for two fisted stupid stick control (X-Box, arcade side-scroller style, etc.), Hate them because my left thumb DOES not work correctly and the controller NEEDS 2, count them, 2 thumbs to CONTROL the game. Great graphics & story (as far as I have gotten) otherwise.

Yes, oh I DO want to reccomend this game to anyone who likes classical science fiction and some good, and I mean *good* storytelling. This is the hardest sci-fi game I have played in years. Damn, I think this sci-fi is so hard you can crack diamonds with it!
An amazing story, an amazing style, a gripping story and amazing voice acting from averybody involved!

A great scifi adventure!

Highly recommend if you're fan of scifi literature and movies.

It's a masterpiece of 11bit gigachads

A great classic sci-fi game. While it is very linear there are some player choices, it's not completely on rails, and it feels quite immersive and enjoyable. It's not too long. It doesn't waste your time, and solving the mystery is engaging. If you are more action oriented or focused on mechanics, it might not be the game for you, but otherwise, I would definitely recommend it.

The game is buggy, the performance is questionable, but the story is great!
Oh, and you can nuke a planet!

Great exploration and adventure story set on a strange planet with strange things. I loved the narrative and the exploration (though not open world). High recommended.

It's not really a one-to-one adaptation of the Lem's novel just based on it.
It's not a regular game, rather an interactive story.
Although it's bloody beautiful and well done.
Really enjoyed it.

There's not much to game play for this one. It's more of a walking movie with some small interactions and searching for clues/gear. If you don't mind that type of game, this is a great one. The graphics/environment are absolutely beautiful. It's a pleasure to walk around and explore because of it. The story is pretty engaging as well, though I found the several endings available fairly inconsequential. The voice acting was really well done by almost all of the cast. If you're in the mood for a 5-7 hour story on a gorgeous far away planet, definitely give it a shot.

Great story, art direction, sound design and music! Well voice acted and really engaging to follow along with everything as you explore a visually striking alien world. I had a few issues with frame drops and glitches with ground textures (not sure if that's because it's not optimized for 4k, which i played it in) but, I consider those rather minor issues, and the they've atmosphere created along with the unfolding narrative more than made up for it for me!

Excellent game, really compelling story and great characters, all in gets you really interested in the story and the sense of mystery. Graphics and artwork is super.

good story. great visual designs on equipment and gadgets. enough mystery to keep you guessing. landscapes look great.

story branching could be a bit better. or get rid of it entirely. i watched alternate endings on youtube.

Such a beautiful experience.
I read the book after the game, what a mind-blowing moment.
A fast game that you can finish in 6 hours, but will last more in your brain.
Recommended.

One of the best walking simulators. Heavily story driven, slow burn, pretty much a must for any sci-fi lover.

The Invincible just barely scrapes by with my positive recommendation. It’s less polished, more clumsy Firewatch, with a saving grace in form of excellent artstyle and soundtrack which help in forging a strong player fantasy of exploring an alien planet.

Unfortunately, there is a lot that goes against you enjoying this game fully. Graphically, there is noticeable object pop-in in places. Some 3D models could be seen through while in first person view (ie. arms, while hanging from the rope). Additionally, at one scene, planet’s soil turned into a checkered pattern which looked like a shader error.

Game softlocked me in level geometry multiple times with a lot of consistency. Cutscenes can break in some spots and some objects can be stuck in a “picking up” animations. Dialogue’s interactibility often falls flat - not reacting correctly to player’s actions, with awkward cuts and resumes.

Story might be a real treat for people who didn’t read the book - with mystery of the planet being really novel and engaging hard sci-fi bliss. While technically The Invincible: The Game is a side story to The Invincible: The Book, both ultimately share similar narrative beats. This is not a bad idea in a vacuum, but it can be a disadvantage of a kind: It may invite some unfavorable comparisons. Book is leagues better in writing quality, having no baffling contrivances for plot progression and no characters that can be unnecessarily annoying to listen.

Game was really working hard against my goal of fully immersing myself into it. What I mentioned above are some serious flaws, which slowly but surely were eroding my good will towards the game. Despite all of that, I ultimately decided to go for the positive judgement. Why?

If you have a soft spot towards unique artstyles, retrofuturism and highly atmospheric and ambient soundtracks you will love how this game can look and sound. Not only this game is an wallpaper generator with stunning alien vistas to gasp at, but it can reach its immersive goals when bugs don’t interfere. While this game has none of the gameplay depth of Outer Wilds (being a Walking Sim of course), it does scratch that exploratory, adventurous itch of its contemporary at multiple times. This is the aformentioned saving grace of the game that moves needle into more favorable direction for me.

I do recommend this game for sci-fi aficionados, but please wait for sale. With none of the graphical bugs and other issues I could recommend it at full price, but alas, we are on the wrong planet for that unfortunately.

This game is absolutely gorgeous. The story is amazing and I liked the how the story builds up as you progress. It has some of the most beautiful scenic view.

I found playing this game a calming, almost meditative experience. It may not be for everyone as there is no constant action, just a gradually unfolding story with plenty of lovely scenery to sink into. I like that the player's choices determine how the story ends.

A wonderful game with a beautiful environment and story. Occasional bugs but you actually feel very immersed in the world brought to life by an amazing team.

amazing story but not for people who dont like slow stories or gameplay

This game had some decent graphics but it was not what I expected. For the price, even at sale price, this was not worth the money. I know it was based on a novel but I expected a bit more challenge in the game. It was pretty simple and even though I finished it, it was a pretty disappointing game. This is one I should have made a quick decision and got a refund. I kept expecting it to become more challenging but it never happened. Boring...

Gameplay doesn't flow well—it's full of friction and unpleasant blockers.
The story is a bit hard to follow; I think the dialogue sort of changes based on what responses you pick, but as a result the characters sometimes refer to things they actually never discussed.
Visuals are nice.

its a great game with a really good story to tell. Just know that there is a ton of walking involved besides of a few areas where you use a vehicle. So don't buy if that's not your kind of game.

There was one moment where you got to use a gun but the game doesn't let you keep it so that was annoying.

This game has a cool atmosphere and story ! The gameplay is just rubbish ......... you cannot go more than a few seconds without having to stop, press a few buttons to stand up, walk or climb in a terribly slow fashion ......... then you need to chat constantly .......... the pace of the game is just awful........ its a chore and is not enjoyable !

This was one of the best walking simulators I have played in a long time! The graphics are amazing, the story is well written and really drew me in. I would highly recommend this!

Back in around 2021, news surfaced that a few developers from CD Projekt were branching off to establish their own studio. Later, it was revealed that this new studio, Starward Industries, was working on a game adaptation of Stanisław Lem's The Invincible. As someone who had always been curious about the novel, this immediately caught my attention. The only Lem novel I’ve read almost in one sitting was Solaris, thanks largely to Andrei Tarkovsky’s masterpiece of a film under the same name, which sparked my fascination with all things space from a young age. After Solaris, I had a strong urge to dive into The Invincible, but for various reasons, I never quite got around to it. Despite that, I was always aware of its story and themes in bits and pieces. Fast forward to today, and I’ve finally experienced The Invincible—not in book form, but through the video game. And I have to say, Starward Industries has absolutely blown me away with their adaptation. The game masterfully captures the essence of Tarkovsky's works, blending a deeply contemplative atmosphere with a sense of wonder and mystery. It doesn't simply tell a story; it invites players to ponder the unknown and immerse themselves in a universe that feels vast, lonely, and yet eerily beautiful.

The writing is phenomenal, with characters that leave a lasting impression. It’s comparable to the storytelling quality of CD Projekt Red, which is high praise given the calibre of narrative-driven games they’re known for. Every moment and emotion in the game strikes deeply. It has a way of pulling you into the characters’ struggles, fears, and the philosophical dilemmas they face, making each conversation feel significant and each silence meaningful. I’m tempted to delve deeper into the story and its pacing, but I fear giving away spoilers. Instead, I’ll simply recommend that anyone with an interest in space and sci-fi give this game a try. This is one of the rare titles that I won't stop talking about whenever it comes up in conversation.

The gameplay itself is mellow and serene, but unlike typical slow-burn experiences, it never becomes tedious. Instead, it keeps you engaged, drawing you in with thoughtful dialogue and, during moments of silence, the stunning world design. The landscapes and environments are crafted with breathtaking care—every scene has a depth and beauty that makes even the emptiest spaces feel alive. You can almost sense the dedication and hard work the developers put into every detail, ensuring that the visuals are rich with meaning.

From start to finish, everything about this game feels meticulously executed. The art direction, sound design, and atmosphere all work together seamlessly, making it an unforgettable experience. It’s rare to find a game that feels this cohesive, where every element complements the others so perfectly. The technical aspects are equally impressive, with the game running smoothly at a consistent 60 FPS, whether DLSS is on or off, even at the highest graphics settings.

That said, I do have a few critiques. While exploring, I often found myself wishing for a small compass. There are moments when the environment becomes pitch black, and I found myself blindly accelerating forward, hoping I was heading in the right direction. A compass would have made navigating these darker areas far less frustrating. Additionally, given the game’s stunning visuals, I was let down by the photo mode. It feels restrictive, lacking the freedom to fully capture the beautiful moments the game offers. The controls in photo mode could also be more intuitive, which is a shame considering how photogenic the game is.

With these minor complaints aside, I truly hope that The Invincible gains the recognition it deserves. It’s a must-play for any sci-fi or space enthusiast, offering a rich, immersive experience that stands out in the genre. I’m genuinely excited to see what Starward Industries does next, and I’ll be eagerly awaiting their future projects. In summary, I’m giving The Invincible a solid 9.8/10. This score is extremely rare for me, as no game has left me this satisfied in recent memory. It’s a testament to the brilliance of Starward Industries and the timeless allure of Lem’s vision.

In one word: Great!

I was uneasy first as prequels are often made to change the original story and i think you can play the story like this ... or you decide otherwise. While quite linear, the game really invites you to replay key moments for subtle changes like the decision for a peaceful ending or going out with a gigaton bang of hydrogen bombs. Be patient and open, the story needs a bit to take off, but then you will have problems to stop playing. Like reading a very good book like The Invincable ;-)

With almost all assets from Stanislav Lems book artfully recreated, the team behind the game created a retrofuturistic world filled with the humm and glow of vacuum tubes, the clicking of contactors and the whirr of magnetic tape. The music is great, too!

It was a pleasure to guide Dr. Yasna, a female biologist through the really alien world of Regis III.

It took me 2x5 hours to finish and i will most likely replay some chapters to see alternate endings.

Ad Astra, comrades!

One of the most gorgeous-looking, carefully told sci-fi games I have ever seen or played!
It's more like an immersive tv show or film with the looks of a retrofuturistic blockbuster. The fantastic music score only adds to the hauntingly beautiful environment and mysterious atmosphere...
And I definitely appreciated all the choices you could make despite the rather tunnel-like levels. There were not only enough places to go or not to go and machines to use or not to use, but also lots of different dialogue options (some of them under pressure with the clock ticking), which definitely invite you to another playthrough (I needed about 7h, but only unlocked 55% of achievements despite taking my time)...

Look out for easter eggs (found books by authors Leonard Hofstadter, Sheldon Cooper, "Carlos Saganos", "Stefan Hawkinsky" and others...^^)!

This game explores the very interesting concept of necro-evolution. The story is compelling and engrossing, it takes approximately 12 hours to do a single run-through. I really loved the story.

HOWEVER, this is basically the video game version of a choose your own adventure book. You're essentially guided through the story, with very little in the way of "skill". You do need to keep an eye out to interact with certain things that'll have an effect later in the game, and there are 11 different endings. However, essentially you're just pressing buttons in a sophisticated way to move a story along. So if you're thinking it's like a survival game, or an RPG, it's basically a walking simulator.

While I had fun, had I realized what this was before buying it, I would not have. I kept playing because I though that at some point it was going to change, but it never did.

This is an excellent narrative driven sci-fi game. As much as I enjoy far more engaging gameplay, this game steps away from that and gives you a calm and beautiful alien world to explore with just enough tension in the revealing of facts to make it gripping until the final revelation. Well voice acted, well written and I experienced zero bugs during my playthrough.

Not much of a game, more like a visual novel in first person view.
The story is interesting and falls well in line with the 70-80s eastern block sci-fi, only slightly tainted by the modern western influences. The space is cold and mundane in it's tragedy and death, the technology isn't magic, and the alien life is truly alien, and not just a gimmick of some Earth culture with funny sh*t on the forehead. All as it should be.
If you enjoy the likes of Solaris or the Noon Universe, this will be a good read... err... play.
The ending is somewhat disappointing, as it takes leaps of faith from everything we've learned to the final decision, and the objectively right choice gets everyone killed.

If you read the book, expectations are high, and there was a high chance to disappoint. All the trailers and previously release imagery was very convincing and made me wait for that release impatiently.
Having played it now: the game mechanics are boring to an extent that you wish you could just watch the show instead of having to click once in a while. I say that as somebody who likes point-&-click and slow games in general.
I should mention that devs are doing a good job to fix things and make e. g. Ultrawide available.
The graphics are stunning and partly make up for things. But not enough, sadly. Replay value: 0

The Invincible feels like a Firewatch in space. But it is much more than that. It is an amazing story to experience with great visuals and a comfortable playtime of about 6 hours. Some may find this short, but The Invincible never felt empty or boring.

I played this on the SteamDeck and it was a great experience except for some fps drops.

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Like in Firewatch this is mostly a walking simulator. You play Yasna, a biologist, who is looking for her missing crew on the planet Regis III. While exploring this mysterious planet, you are in constant radio contact with your astragator Novik. The conversations between the two feel very natural and similar to Firewatch. And like in the other game, you are happy to have some company while being in a lonely and hostile environment.
Loneliness, feeling lost and being in an unknown world left me playing with a feeling of discomfort (similar to the movie Gravity). A discomfort which I quite enjoyed. Space is often pictured as a beautiful place of endless dreams. But The Invincible doesn't do this. On the contrary to Star Wars or Star Citizen, it has a much more realistic approach and shows the emptiness and loneliness someone on a far away planet would experience. This stuck with me and I have to thank the game for this. Exploring the mysterious things on Regis III and the constant fear of no way to return keeps Yasna, the player and the game going.
One aspect the game never fails at is showing that the characters (mainly Yasna) are more than just created to be played, they are humans and they act like us. For example, by having doubts and not blindly following everything they are told, by having conversations and discussions about different topics or by making decisions. Specific example (spoiler!): About 1 hour into the game, you find your dead crewmate Marit. While Novik advises to leave her behind, you can bring her back to the lander and let her be transported back to the Dragonfly, so she can be buried with honor. This just shows how this is not just a game about walking from point A to B but to be human.

I will stop here now because this is one of those games where knowing less means more when playing the game. I really enjoyed this game and can recommend it to anyone who enjoys more "scientific" space stories, likes the atompunk look and is comfortable with a little bit of discomfort. Overall, a 10 out of 10 for me.

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Pretty spoiler-free review of the ending (I recommend to only read it if you really want or finished the game):
The ending felt very good. All the mysterious things you experience on Regis III have a very good explanation, which you uncover while progressing through the story. It feels like the whole story makes sense, and not like somebody first made the "weird stuff" and then tried to explain it afterward. This is not surprising since the game is based on the novel "The Invincible" and books tend to have better stories than games.

Firewatch meets Forbidden Planet. Absolutely fantastic. Story driven adventure with lots of choices and gorgeous art direction and design.

A terrific work of art honoring Stanislaw Lem's story.

Almost a top tier walking sim.
Now, if you consider that term deragatory save yourself some time, turn 360° and moon walk away, because The Invincible won't be the game to change your mind. If however this descriptor has piqued your interest you'll almost certainly love it, just be prepared for a deeply unsatisfying ending.

The game is driven by a tight narrative - pacing is really on point. It positively drips tasty tasty mystery thriller out of every pore. It never ever veers into horror territory, but does flirtatiously court those elements a couple times.
The Invincible is so good at capturing a certain stark alienness that there's often a sprinkling sense of general unease that juxtaposes the game's beautiful art direction.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3291681931
The writing and voice work left me impressed. Music and sound design are excellent and really help the game with establishing its weird vibe. The game's aesthetics are incredible.

Unfortunately character movement is pretty slow, sprinting isnt significantly faster and feels limited both in range and how it only works when moving in a straight line. Small rocks or other environmental details that you should just breeze over can frequently interfere, this makes movement feel clunky. You can chortle ironically at the fact that this walk sim's second greatest weakness is in fact the walking.

And the single biggest weakness? The last 20 minutes or so. The whole mystery was rather unceremoniously... Demystified in the most blunt of ways. For 90% of the game's runtime we're treated to a lovely slowburn sci-fi enigma and then suddenly there's a huge tonal shift and we get spoonfed exposition.
It is actually pretty frustrating. Stories like this so frequently end in some open to interpretation copout bullshit because the writer couldnt figure out how to properly climax, or on the other hand we get things tied up with a bow on top that leaves nothing left to the imagination.
Damned if you do, damned if you don't, I guess, but I wish these writers could better find the balance between the two extremes.

Additionally, I was ferociously gobsmacked by the abruptness of the ending. The first thing I did after finishing the game was go on youtube to see the other ones, there's 11 of them. And they're all shit. Some less shit than others, but they're mostly all just different degrees of shitness. We were so close to greatness here. Ahh well.

If you can overlook a little bit of mechanical jank and aren't immediately turned off by the term 'walking sim' The Invincible has a lot to offer, especially for sci-fi fans. While I really, really wish it had a better resolution I'm glad to have played it.

I have spent great time with this game.
Because there is a lot of dialogues, so game is not always so dynamic (but sometimes is very dynamic). But game is still great. And story is very, very interesting.

Unique and interesting game, enjoyed it! Graphics are beautiful too.

I'd read this and also Lem's Solaris a few years back when on a 60/70's retro sci-fi reading binge and was interested to see what they did with it. As a game it looks beautiful and evokes the vivid book covers from that period and the voice acting, for the most part, is excellent, particularly the main character.
It's a walking sim with literally no puzzles except for looking for the next checkpoint and for the most part sticks faithfully to the book, with it's depiction of swarming clouds of nanobots, metal trees and robotic evolution ("necroevolution" - great phrase). Strange then, that at the end, you are allowed to totally upend the original sympathetic ending if you want and nuke the **** out of everything, lol. Not sure what Lem would have thought of that. It was an interesting few hours but don't expect a 'game', just a very pretty interactive novel.

Spectacular. I felt like I was legitimately stranded on this planet. A meaningful 6 hours of game-play or, more aptly, an immersive narrative. Some of the visuals were absolutely stunning. A few glitches here and there, but overall the stylized world created provided an unforgettable experience. Kudos!

Phenomenal story and well-polished game, with depth and richness and complete immersion. It has inspired me to read the novel. I hope this studio creates even more sci-fi adaptations of this type. They did a wonderful job bringing such a distant place to life. The environments were beautiful and delivered on the feeling of vastness. Difficult choices there toward there end. Well done. Highly recommended.

I played the non-Steam version of this amazing piece of game development art. And finished it only now. It deserves every second of my time, and money too. The story reminds me of Isaac Asimov’s classic science fiction masterwork «I, Robot». Talking about the circumstance, where the «Arctane» robot with a crate was caught in an endless loop alone. That’s a good reference to Isaac Asimov’s «Runaround» short story. This game also reminded me of a horror, sci-fi film called “Life”. There was a curious and strange life form, that looked harmless and innocent at first glance. But it wasn’t, it started to kill the crew expedition on space station. That’s where comes the relevant meaning of the next phrase - “Not everything everywhere is for us.” Same meaning applies to inorganic life forms called «flies» - the local inhabitants of the mysterious Regis III. It makes you think about humanity’s inability to explore something beyond our borders of understanding. Some things should have never been explored by humans. The sheer curiosity of scientific discovery may lead to humans own destruction. If we deeply talk about this particular topic alone.

For me, the game caught my attention the moment I saw the trailer. It holds the person’s attention with its narrative, atmosphere and hard sci-fi world setting. As well as mandatory decisions you’ll make along the journey, which will lead to different consequences and endings. Not to mention about sound design of environment and voice actors. It’s superb. I’ve never read any of Stanislaw Lem’s books, I’m not going to lie. But I’ll sure change that, he’ll become my new favorite science fiction writer, along with Isaac Asimov.

It’s a 100% pick for those who are interested in science fiction, and story games. I would also suggest an idea of making a similar game, centered around Isaac Asimov’s books too. Developers did an amazing job with adapting Stanislaw Lem’s iconic novel. And I would really recommend them to do the same treatment with some of the Isaac Asimov’s titles.

Unfortunately, the story just didn't hook me up. The characters look and act as logs (although the voice acting is great), some scenes are just dull. The main issue is that the game fails at engaging you emotionally: you simply don't care about what's going on.

I haven't finished it yet, but when I started it I went almost 3h straight and it kept going more and more intriguing, only I have to go to work in the next morning so I had to take a pause.

This is a very gripping game about space exploration. You wake up in a unknown planet, disoriented, and you try to figure out what happened and what's going on. You get some flashbacks involving your crewmates and the past. The more you go, the more it feels like there's something "alien" going on, though you can't quite put your finger on it.

It plays like a linear "walking simulator" in the 1st person, but you have access to equipment that makes it feel much more realistic than that. Just the simple binoculars where you can zoom and focus to a set distance makes it everywhere you look you are trying to place your bearings in this alien planet. But you have more than that as well....

When nothing is badly wrong, you have comms with the orbiting space vessel, so you have guidance and at times a space to dialogue deeply about stuff, like what AI will represent for our society in the future.

Visually, the game is pretty good, I appreciate the decent use of shadows; of course not the most tech showcase out there, but it's also not that demanding, you can probably benefit from the cool shadows and lighting even with a mid-range GPU.

I read some "old" sci-fi stuff from the 70s and earlier, mainly since my dad was into it. I found indeed many of the authors to be born in the old soviet union kind of countries. I am amused that the game showcases those vibes very well, with no judgment. To this day I find that some of the best "space" sci-fi was done in that "cold war" period - and this game showcases quite well.

It plays as a "walking simulator" but it reaches high into the "space exploration grounded in reality" feel very well. I haven't read this Stanislaw Lem novel (only did "Solaris"), but I feel all the vibes.

If you want an honest and grounded sci-fi adventure I don't think it gets any better than this.

The game might be good, but it was impossible to find out due to a critical bug. It was also impossible to get a refund because after 5-6 attempts to get past the bugged area, more than 3 hours of playtime accumulated

Great walking simulator (no combat, just exploring), great story, good mechanics, A+ voice acting and beautiful visuals. The main storyline will take you 10 to 15 hours, depending on your tenacity to get to the bottom of the intrigue. Some replayability due to the 10+ different story endings depending on your decisions.

The story is based on a 1960's hard-science-fiction novel, hence the Atompunk aesthetic. Way ahead of it's time, liking to the works of Arthur C Clarke, and still relevant today. However, avid science-fiction fans will see the plot-twists coming by now.

The combatless gameplay does not mean it's boring or even relaxing. There's some urgency to it all (lore driven, no artificial countdowns) and sometimes decisions need to be made in seconds. And yes, most of the time you'll have time to think about your next course of action, but most of it is morally gray and probably will have consequences.

In short, a very high quality and polished game that's definitely recommended for fans of the genre. Personally, it was the pleasant surprise of the year (gaming wise).
Main retail price is worth it for the absolute fans; otherwise make sure to get it on a sale.

The story could have been a bit better but overall a very well done game. The gameplay was fine, 7/10 overall.

The Invincible is a very special game.

The developers intentionally stayed away from high-budget bombast, exaggerated character archetypes or very epic events; even Regis III, the wretched misery planet this all takes place on, lacks much exciting detail other than rocks and craters. The desolate environment complements the small cast and limited visual scope. Because, much like the novel it's based on (which was very highbrow and idea-heavy, with no female characters and only a handful of broadly sketched archetypal actors), this game wants to be about Ideas first and foremost.

I'd say these are all its strengths. The Invincible has its theme - the rejection of human hubris, confronting us with our smallness in an utterly barren, dead and uncaring universe - and it's single-mindedly focused on it. It's the kind of game where, lacking a detailed UI and mission markers, you spend a lot of time checking out the limits of your environment in complete isolation. Is that odd formation just a rock or an artifact of interest? It's usually a rock, but I still checked every time, spending longer in this fascinating world that I would have in another kind of game. I got used to the enduring isolation, unbroken save for the occasional comment over the radio to underline how you're the only living soul on the planet. It's good. It works. The sense of bleak isolation is palpable. The mundanity of the endless deserts, the sometimes-plodding pace of the narrative, they all underscore the pointlessness of the character's presence here. We shouldn't have come here.

That's not to say Regis III is not beautiful. The art team really did a spectacular job making a deserted, lifeless, barren world interesting and engaging. Its environments are captivating even though they are static.

Those same artists did an equally amazing job creating the human side of this setting, and the humans' technological aesthetic: every vehicle and robot is all space-age wiz-bang soviet retrofuturism, all perfectly grandiose (the titular starships are the size of mountains) and all practically begging for a vast and cold universe to show them their limitations. It wouldn't be nearly as impactful with a more used-future, "humbler" technological aesthetic.

The voicework is excellent as well. Poor Yasna is the latest in a long line of traumatized fictional space dwellers, going through the worst day imaginable on the worst planet in the universe. Unlike protagonists like Isaac Clarke however, she's much more likely to analyze and strive to understand her circumstances. Indeed, it feels like "understanding" is like a thesis for this game - the only thing that redeems the otherwise futile effort to explore the stars. The narrative's final conflict is best resolved by presenting your findings from earlier chapters in as detailed and rational a manner as possible.

Just like a Stanislaw Lem character.

It's probably the best compliment I can give The Invincible to say that it fits right in with the source material, and even offers up some improvement to it - Lem couldn't have been bothered to make his characters as deep and human as Yasna or Novik or Rohytra. The game is janky at times, and rather poorly optimized - I experienced texture breaking and stuttering a lot during my playthrough - but it's so earnest and dedicated to its themes that I kept coming back despite all the bugs.

8/10