In just a few days, the first ever video game adaptation of polish author Stanisław Lem's work, The Invincible, releases. Developed by Starward Industries, which is composed of CD Projekt Red and Techland vets, The Invincible adapts the work of the same name though with a few twists and key changes to preserve Lem's legacy. For example, the video game follows a new protagonist named Yasna as she undergoes similar events on Regis III to Lem's protagonist, Rohan.
Early previews of The Invincible have praised its retro sci-fi approach to gameplay and narrative, while also applauding its visuals. Yet, many of those interested in the game may not know about the work of Lem. Lem was to Polish literature what Edgar Allan Poe, Herman Melville, and Ralph Waldo Emerson (among others) were to early American literature and what William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and William Blake were to British Romanticism. One of Lem's unique qualities is that he was considered a futurologist, as he predicted drones, the internet, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, and more.
Adapting his work into movies has proven to be a challenge in the past. So much so that, prior to Starward, it had not yet even been attempted in the video game space. The Invincible is the very first, and that presents challenges not just in the game space but in ensuring that the works of Lem are accurately portrayed and honored through this work. The Best War Games recently spoke with several devs at Starward about their approach to The Invincible and Lem's legacy.
Who is Stanislaw Lem?
Lem was born in 1921 in Lwów, interwar Poland, which today would be Lviv, Ukraine. He'd study medicine for some time, but World War 2 and his own aversion to blood would see him leave this field. Thanks to false papers, Lem's family was able to avoid the ghetto - a life-saving privilege that Lem recognized. Lem worked as a car mechanic and welder at this time, sometimes stealing from Nazis to aid the Polish resistance. After the war, Lem's family resettled in Kraków; it's clear how the early years of Lem's life were marked by war, atrocities, and the bleakest humanity had to offer.
His literary work began in the mid-1940s with a plethora of publications, including poetry and his first science fiction novel. He'd continue to publish works for the remainder of his life, slowly building his futurologist reputation. On top of that, Lem would quickly prove himself to be an Author's Author; in other words, his work would continue to influence other Polish writers for years to come and would be well-respected within that sphere. Though, it wasn't without challenges. Several pieces of his early work did not make it past communist state censors, with Lem himself later criticizing some of it because of the enforced ideologies. He'd still sprinkle in some of his own beliefs, however.
With Polish October in 1956, a major political movement that led to greater independence within the country, Lem's works became much more frequent thanks to increased freedom of speech. His writing from this period on, which lasted for about three decades, was largely split between science fiction and various essays. In 1964, Lem published The Invincible, meaning Starward Industries' adaptation is effectively bridging 60 years, and he also published the Summa Technologiae—which contained many of his philosophical beliefs, as well as his thoughts about the future.
Although certain events led to Lem moving around a lot in the late 1970s and early 1980s, he continued to work on philosophical and hard science-based essays. He also conducted a lot of interviews during this period, practically right up to his death in 2006. In one of his final interviews, he talked about space travel's impact on humanity, discussed how the ever-expanding information technology industry leads to misinformation, and much, much more. A lot of this, as well as his general predictions of sorts, are all as relevant today as they were when he wrote them, which is one reason that Starward Industries chose to adapt his work. Common complaints when students learn about early 1900s literature are that it's boring, that it's not relatable, and that it's not relevant, but that cannot be said about the man who predicted even modern-day issues such as artificial intelligence and the spread of misinformation.
In honor of his memory, Poland labeled 2021 as Stanislaw Lem Year, and many of his works are still celebrated to this day. Starward Industries' CMO Maciej Dobrowolski would explain Lem's importance to Poland during our interview, which showed just how invested the development team was.
"Stanisław Lem is our national literary pride, although not an obvious one. The writer, futurologist, and philosopher once referred to himself as the "Casanova of science," a self-description that held true in reality. It can be said that he foresaw many contemporary inventions, such as drones, audiobooks, smartphones, and the internet. His book "Solaris" is listed as one of the greatest achievements in the science fiction genre, alongside the works of Wells, Stapledon, and Dick. It's important to note that Lem had a distinctive and recognizable style, where often grotesque humor intertwined with profound cognitive pessimism."
All of this is to say that not only did Lem produce an impressive body of work, but he did so during some of the most vital moments in Polish history. And while CEO Marek Markuszewski would explain that adapting The Invincible felt like "destiny," that it was love for Lem that brought many developers to this team, the pressure to do his work justice has to be incredible.
Adapting Lem's Work into a Video Game
Inspiration can come from anywhere, something any artist of any medium is aware of, and the initial concept for Starward's debut game came from a simple conversation. A co-worker had recommended Markusewski read Lem's The Invincible, and while Markusewski was familiar with Lem's work, this was the first time he had read this particular novel. He was so drawn in that he managed the finish the book in two nights, and his inner game dev knew that it had all the makings for a fantastic sci-fi game.
Markusewski would also explain that the establishment of Starward came with tons of determination and dreams, as well as a plethora of fortunate coincidences—a not-so-uncommon story in the gaming industry. Lem served as the crux of all the developers who would come together to work on this game. As Markusewski explained, "Lem acted as a magnet for many developers who joined our studio. It was through him that we developed our original visual art style. The game itself, based on Lem's ideas, serves as a contemporary commentary on reality." Of course, honoring Lem's legacy also means honoring the wishes of his family. Thus, Tomasz Lem (Stanisław Lem's son) was informed about the progress of pre-production and production, as well as the studio's planned changes to this story. Namely, this was the use of Yasna instead of Rohan as the game's lead.
Because of their dense philosophical messages and his personal style, adapting Lem's work is a challenge for any medium. For example, the 2002 film adaptation of Solaris—his most well-known novel—was met with mixed reviews, but it's a very common refrain that novels are always better than their movie counterparts because there is a certain level of imagination left to the reader. While it was up to Starward to fill in the creative, imaginative holes of Lem's The Invincible, it was done with obvious dedication and a simple goal. Dobrowlski would explain that "Lem created this breathtaking world - we merely wanted people to be able to experience it through a different medium."
Of course, filling in the blanks is not a difficult task. We asked art director Wojciech Ostrycharz what the studio would have asked Lem today, if they could have, and two questions came to mind. The first was about his philosophies and whether he saw any hope and empathy in humanity's pride and determination when it comes to the future and exploring other worlds. A more grounded question would likely have been about undefined aspects of the book, such as certain forms and shapes as well as methods of operation, although Ostrycharz also highlighted how "the lack of concrete descriptions only stimulated our creative imagination."
In honoring Lem's legacy, Ostrycharz also added that:
"Lem's spirit and his quotes are present throughout the gameplay. The game's message, its promotional slogan: "Not everything everywhere is for us," is a tribute to Lem, as well as the numerous small Lem-inspired Easter eggs in the game. We hope that we will add to his legacy and that because of our game, a whole new generation of people will pick up his books and be lost in Lem’s worlds as much as we have been."
Starward Industries' The Invincible
The result of this passion is the upcoming release of the retro sci-fi adventure game, The Invincible. It's clear how much passion each dev we spoke with had not just for the upcoming video game release, but Lem's overall legacy.
Art Director Ostrycharz on Choosing and Changes to Lem's The Invincible
Presenting the story from a different perspective was aimed at making the narrative appealing to both readers of the book and those unfamiliar with it, encouraging people who don't know Lem to explore the original work. We also didn't want to translate Lem's character Rohan directly into the language of the game, precisely because we know how significant the character is to readers, and the gaming medium comes with its own opportunities and limitations. An essential aspect that determined our choice of "The Invincible" as the source material is the profound relevance of the book's message. Both the book and the game strongly reference anti-imperialism, anti-colonialism, the limits of human knowledge, and respect for nature, even if it's alien and incomprehensible.
Writer Piech on the role of Evolution in Lem's Work and The Invincible
Both the book and the game are about evolution, taken literally. In the game, we deal with the phenomenon of evolution. We analyze it, try to understand it, and comment on it. We make decisions on how to behave in the face of it. Psychologically, we ourselves evolve - Regis III changes our character.
CEO Markuszewski on Necroevolution in The Invincible
It's a very important plot element in the game. We can't go into too much detail to avoid spoiling the experience for players, but I can reveal that it's the subject of significant and profound discussions that engage the player.
Writer Piech on If Players Need to Be Familiar with the Book
Players don't need to be familiar with the book. We would be thrilled, however, if they decide to read it after playing our game and then replay it. We would like as many people as possible to discover Lem. And for those who are familiar with his work and enjoy the author, they will appreciate the subtleties subtly hidden in the Easter eggs.
Narrative Designer Kucenty on The Invincible's Multiple Endings in Relation to the Novel
In the game, there are 11 different endings. Some of these are adapted from the book, while others are our narrative solutions, closely aligned with the story's progression, gameplay, and contingent on the player's choices.
The Invincible Gameplay
All of this passion packed into the overarching frame, narrative, and art also has to be matched with gameplay. In many ways, The Invincible is a combination of Lem's work and games like Firewatch, Alien: Isolation, and Road 96. The development team was inspired by the use of walkie talkies in Firewatch as a method of communicating Yasna's relationship with her astrogator, Novik, while Alien: Isolation's suspense and ongoing threat was important in creating the design of Regis III and how players explore it. Meanwhile, Road 96 directly influenced the character profiles of the game.
The Invincible's dialogue system is arguably its most important mechanic, as players can use it to form Yasna's character, form their own opinions on the events evolving around them, and interact with and challenge the opinions of the astrogator. The feature adds a ton of replay value since the game presents different decisions, as well as the opportunity to get various endings. Gameplay designer Mariusz Antkiewicz also explained that the choice system in the game is designed to emulate real life choices and decisions, adding that,
"Sometimes you will be able to name different formations on Regis III, and it won’t have any consequence apart from your enjoyment. Other times, when speaking with somebody, your words and actions will shape your relationship with that person, and in turn may impact what they will do in the future (both to your benefit or demise). You may also come across choices that seem insignificant at first, but will have great consequences later in the game… so be careful and you just may get one of the multiple endings you can feel proud of."
All of this, of course, while they seek to rescue the missing crew members scattered across Regis III. This inevitably leads to conflict, and while combat may not be the driving force behind The Invincible's gameplay, it does have its role. Players will be able to wield the Weyr gun, with Antkiewicz also teasing that players will encounter a certain, well-known weapon from the novel. Furthermore, players will have a few atompunk devices on them at all times to supplement the exploration of Regis III, such as a tracker, telemeter, lunette, and detector. There is also a rover players can take across the surface of Regis III. Level designer Paciorek was quick to point out there's more astroequipment than that in The Invincible, but of course, this is up to the player to discover.
Although fans will not be constantly accompanied by robots on her mission, there are various robot companions players will encounter. Paciorek described the encounter of a helper androbot designed to aid everyday life in an astrobase and highlighted the irony in that there's been no humans for it to really help. Paciorek even teases that subtle, small, and seemingly friendly encounters like this have more under the surface.
At some point in the game, however, you will be of more use to the androbot than it will be to you…
Ultimately, it's clear how dense The Invincible's narrative is and how much adventure-based atompunk gameplay is packed into it. The Invincible's hard sci-fi approach may not be for everyone, but it's clear that those who click with it will be rewarded tenfold in terms of story, gameplay, and more.
The Invincible
- Released
- November 6, 2023
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.
- Publisher(s)
- 11 Bit Studios
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- Developer
- Starward Industries
- Genre(s)
- RPG, Action-Adventure, Hack and Slash
