Exploring the mysteries of the universe remains ever-popular when considering the ongoing success of games likeStarfield. As such, those curious about Starward Industries' story-driven adventure game,The Invincible,may be keen to know more about its mysterious setting of planet Regis III. Players may also be eager to learn more about how exploringThe Invincible’s hard-science-based world works as a video game adaptation of Stanislaw Lem’s namesake novel.
Game Rant recently interviewed several developers at Starward Industries aboutThe Invincible’s setting of Regis III as aretro sci-fi game first teasedback in 2021. The team also spoke more about how players can discover and navigate Regis III, including using a land vehicle.
The Invincible’s Setting Of Planet Regis III
Exploration is a big part ofThe Invincible’s gameplaywhere players explore the undiscovered, seemingly barren planet of Regis III in the Lyra System. When asked how much freedom players have to explore the world, environment artist Sebastian Spłuszka said thatThe Invincibleisn’t an open-world game, but as a story-driven experience, players “won’t get bored in the abundance of different places to discover. " AsSpłuszka further explained,
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.
Footage so far shows a rocky, desert-like planet with dusty, variable conditions where players can also encounterdifferent kinds of robots, including possible helpers, robots with antimatter power, and androbots. Additionally, players will encounter alien species alongside human factions, as hard surface artist Piotr Mierzwa explained,
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…
The Invisible’s Retro Astro-Tools And Land Vehicle Exploration
In contrast toStarfield’s Nasa-punk aesthetic approachwith its single, HUD-based environmental scanner, players use different kinds of retro-futuristic tools to discover and navigate Regis III. Reflecting the era of Lem’s 1964 novel, atompunk-like gadgets are analog rather than digital, with various kinds of dials for players to interact with, something art director Wojciech Ostrycharz describes as “hands-on technology” with devices based on 1950s technological designs. For instance, players can wield a tool called a Detector that enables them to identify metallic parts of the environment.
Where some players were disappointedStarfielddoesn’t have land vehicles,The Invinciblelets players explore Regis III using a Rover land vehicle, with the map unveiling in parallel with players' terrain discovery. While using a vehicle has its uses, hard surface artist Piotr Mierzwa mentioned exploring on foot is still necessary in certain situations,
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.
Overall,The Invincible’s exploratory mechanics and tools combined with narrative and choice-driven elements seem like a unique formula for exploring Regis III that could shake up the usual space exploration approach, while incorporating the book’s philosophical, science-based themes.
The Invincible
WHERE TO PLAY
You are a highly qualified, sharp-witted astrobiologist named Yasna. Being entangled in a space race, you and your crew end up on the unexplored planet Regis III. The scientific journey quickly turns into a search mission for lost crewmates. Follow its trail, but be fully aware that every decision you make can bring you closer to danger.On her journey, Yasna will face decisions that will shape the outcome of the story. Help her make difficult choices and witness one of 11 possible endings to the deeply philosophical story.Discover fragments of what’s lost and report to your Astrogator. Let his voice aid you during hard times when humanity’s greatest threat emerges. The latter will force you to rethink mankind’s ambitions and biases. Go on - make decisions, follow the mystery… but remember not to underestimate the brutal simplicity and brilliance of evolution.
