The first original Invincible videogame, starring Atom Eve, is out today
Turn-based combat meets graphic novel storytelling, emphasis on the "graphic"
Robert Kirkman's Invincible is a comic book and lately, animated series about a young superhero finding his feet in a world where superheroes routinely get decapitated, disembowelled, melted, squished or just plain old beaten to a pulp. Much like The Boys, it's got a not-very-nice version of Superman, Omni-Man, who you might have seen doing not-very-nice things in Mortal Kombat lately.
Skybound and Kirkman's first videogame based on the license isn't about Omni-Man, though. Developed by Terrible Posture Games, it's about Atom Eve, a high-school do-gooder who can manipulate the atomic structure of the world, changing one thing into another.
The Atom Eve game is a blend of visual novel and turn-based combat, which I always think is a pretty triumphant combo on paper - all the tactical and conversational intricacy of a "proper RPG", but without all the intervening legwork.
It's the story of Eve's early dealings with superhero posse the Teen Team, and her troubled relationship with her family. You'll make choices that determine relationships and "define what kind of hero you want to be", while evolving Eve's powers to unlock combat skills and secial dialogue options. You'll also, from the looks of things, get to do PG-rated sexy times with your boyfriend and hang out with the original Guardians of the Globe, who, err, don't get much chance to strut their stuff in the show.
All of which sounds fun, though I think it'll need more pizazz to make our list of the best visual novels. The limiting factor is chiefly that Invincible is fundamentally just another superhero origin story, for all its atypical blood and gore. Speaking of blood and gore - the Atom Eve game isn't Mortal Kombat, but there's a reminder on the Steam page that the Invincible franchise aims to depict the "real impact [of superheroic powers] on human bodies and the world around us". So maybe don't gift it to your kids.
I've only watched a few episodes of the Invincible animated series but I feel like Atom Eve is not-so-secretly the most powerful character in the show. I mean, she's basically Dr Manhattan in pink. It's surely only a matter of time before she tires of being caught in the tangle of human lives, transforms Omni-Man into a club sandwich, and zips off to build cities on the Moon.