The Invincible

Far from alone in the universe

“SET IN A FUTURE WHEN THE COLD WAR NEVER ENDED.”

FORMAT PS5 / ETA 2022 / PUB TBC / DEV STARWARD INDUSTRIES / PLAYERS 1

Adapting literary works into playable experiences is an egg only a few developers have attempted to crack. New studio Starward Industries’ first project is attempting to do just that for Polish science fiction writer Stanisław Lem’s 1964 novel of the same name.

The game’s set in a future when the Cold War never ended and the digital revolution never took root. Caught between superpowers still obsessed with the space race, you play in first-person as an astronaut dependent on analogue technology boasting a distinctly atompunk

aesthetic. When disaster strikes far from home, it’s up to you to locate your missing crewmates.

In the original novel, the spacecraft Invincible lands on the lonely planet of Regis III to investigate why its sister vessel, Condor, crashed. As Invincible’s crew explore the planet, they find it is far from uninhabited. The story centres on exploring the humans’ attempts to communicate with profoundly alien beings – a recurring theme in Lem’s work, Solaris in particular – and it’s not hard to see why this story is so enduring or why game developers continue to draw inspiration from his writings.

Coming from a small team of just 12 devs, the project has been in development since 2018. Starward Industries’ CEO, Marek Markuszewski, previously worked on various projects at CD Projekt Red as a senior producer. Markuszewski says The Invincible combines “a fascinating setting, iconic story, and an established non-linear gameplay to deliver a truly unforgettable experience.”