One of the most intriguing announcements from last year was that some former members of Polish AAA game company, CD Projekt Red, had opened up a new studio known as Starward Industries. The studio includes talent that helped create games such asThe Witcher 3: Wild Hunt,Dying Light, andCyberpunk 2077. Now, it is looking to launch its first ambitious title known asThe Invincible, a retro sci-fi cinematic epic based on the novel of the same name by Stanislaw Lem.
The Invinciblewas announced to be in developmentlast year, with a few details given on its story and premise. It is set in an alternate universe where the Cold War never ended, and where humanity developed advanced space travel technology. The player is put in the space boots of Dr. Yasna, a scientist who landed on the unknown planet known as Regis III in the Lyra constellation. From there, Yasna explores the planet looking for her team, accompanied by Astrogator Novik, an ally that players can communicate with over radio.
RELATED:Cyberpunk 2077 Has A New Quest Director
The first teaser trailer showed off the alpha footage ofThe Invincible, giving players some insight into what they can expect. The footage shows Yasna scaling the mountain cliffs of Regis III, where viewers can hear her and her companion Astrogator chatting about the status of their adventure, with Yasna talking about searching for someone. As soon as she reaches the top, she looks back from where she came from, giving a gorgeous look at the sprawling world of the planet’s surface, along with the base where she started her journey.
The trailer also gives a look at some of theretro atompunk inspired elementspresent in the setting, such as the protagonist’s radio communicator and other technology used when they landed on the planet. Yasna then detects the presence of the one who she is looking for, who has her pinned down and points a gun at her, alongside his robotic assistant. The trailer very tensely ends on the man’s words, asking Yasna “what have you done?”
Starward has said that this game will be a cinematic thriller, where the choices players make and the consequences from them can lead tobranching storylines and multiple different endings. The trailer seems to cement this oppressive and tense atmosphere, as Yasna is put into a difficult situation where the solution is up to the player and can affect the overall narrative. While there’s no moment-to-moment gameplay shown off yet, the game is looking quite promising, based on the premise and its retro sci-fi aesthetic.
The Invinciblewill launch in 2022 for consoles and PC.
