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 Invisible Inc. is a turn-based stealth game, ala X-COM EU/EW, developed by Klei Entertainment (Don't Starve, Mark of the Ninja, Shank) releasing today (May 12th, 2015) on Steam for $20. I've been playing the game off and on since it was in Early Access, and I have to say it has progressed to the point where it is pretty polished. Goons in the Steam thread have been giving it some good praise, and since its release time I figured it deserves a thread. The game is set in a dystopian cyber-punk future where corporations rule the world. You play as an Operator, commanding a small squad of covert agents and secret operatives. While the game is best described as a mashup of X-COM EU with stealth mechanics, there are some big differences and unique features that set Invisible Inc apart from other turn-based strategy games:
As mentioned, the game gives you a ton of parameters and game modes to customize when starting out:  Missions and levels are procedurally generated:  Selecting a mission on the map Different missions give different rewards. This mission gives a bunch of credits and potentially a nice item (or two):  Other rewards include weapons, additional mission locations, unlockable upgrades, unlockable characters, etc. Mission gameplay is a familiar isometric view:    Doors can be opened/peeked through. Not closing doors behind you is generally A Bad Thing.  Different agents have different abilities, like being able to wirelessly hack devices for power  Knocking out guards is a wise decision, although they only remain incapacitated for a few turns  Guards have a line of sight, and they'll investigate last known positions (like Mark of the Ninja) and sounds/oddities. There is also a hacking element:  Notice the yellow circle in the top right hand corner? That's the alarm system for this game - it goes up when you do things like hack, and it goes up each turn as well. When the meter fills, the alarm level goes up one stage, and each stage has various drawbacks (more guards, security, etc.) so you want to be mindful of completing objectives in a quick fashion, or the level becomes unwinnable.  Upgrade your operatives  Post-mission rewards and stats I've been having a blast with the game so far in its currently release state, I think there is some real replayability and potential here. The game basically caters to the poopsocking/ironman type of gameplay that makes X-COM EU (Long War) so intriguing. There is a lot of good stuff in this game and things that it does right, a game about risk/reward. There are no new recruits, so when your guys die, they're gone. Guards are smart and lethal, but manageable, so there is a great sense of satisfaction when you complete a level without being detected or casualties. The art style and visual presentation is fantastic and very polished. Highly recommended if you enjoyed X-COM EU, Mark of the Ninja, stealth games, tactical games, or just Good Games In General.
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May 12, 2015 16:52
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Looks really good, I'll buy it when it's on sale because I'm a cheap rear end in a top hat.
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May 12, 2015 16:59
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Yeah I don't have enough money to buy this right now but I'll probably check it out at some point. I really love how Klei seems to put so much effort into making their games visually unique. I mean "dystopian cyber-punk future" is one of the most generic settings I can imagine but they still made it look interesting.
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May 12, 2015 17:05
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Internet Kraken posted:Yeah I don't have enough money to buy this right now but I'll probably check it out at some point. It is interesting to see the difference between the Early Access versions and the release day version where the cinematics and art style have been refined pretty significantly. I mean, it kind of looks like Mark of the Ninja, but it isn't. Also the soundtrack is awesome: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0MpqBqpB8w
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May 12, 2015 21:01
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I was sold when I saw that this has an Endless Mode. I haven't done anything but play the tutorial so far, but even so I feel I can already say that I'm liking this a lot. By the way, the game has three different colorblind modes. Also, it's an absolutely massive 10% off on both GOG and Steam right now.
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May 12, 2015 21:09
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Finished a(n Experienced difficulty, so one step up from beginner  ) run over the several days when early backers had the release build.Obvious MVP: Cloak Mk3. Once every eight turns (or less with cooldown reducers), get out of jail free card for one or more agents. Also, it costs 650 credits. Totally nuts, I managed to pick up two just before the final mission. Dark horse MVP: the Incognita program that permanently tags all visible guards for 3 power. This gets real useful once you have multiple guards loose from patrol paths. The starting team I currently strongly favor is Banks (non-archive) and Sharp, because having a keycard from the word go lets you have a lot more flexibility in route choice, and Sharp's just awesome. +1 KO duration at 3 augments, +2 at 6. He also comes with an extra point in Hacking, which is surprisingly handy. Edit: oh, and Fusion/Parasite, which has been my go-to program loadout since forever. Slower but monstrously efficient. Even more important in the release build, where some of the most awesome agent equipment and augments use power! The last level was hilarious. I don't know if it always has around the same balls-hard ending layout or if I just got lucky. Invisible Inc was pretty awesome from the moment they put it into Early Access, and it's only gotten better. Strong contender for my Game of the Year 2015, I suspect. Goatse James Bond fucked around with this message at 21:17 on May 12, 2015 |
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May 12, 2015 21:09
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GreyjoyBastard posted:Finished a(n Experienced difficulty, so one step up from beginner I finished it on beginner on Sunday night, then tried experienced. I'm getting my rear end utterly destroyed. The biggest difference is the fact that the guards just go anywhere now. Actually I have a question for you: On experienced I was doing a level that had glass walls. 2 guards were in a glass-wall room. They saw me so I sneaked behind a safe. I looked at their pattern, they were going to walk up to the safe right next to it so I readied a melee attack. They did something (?) in their turn that knocked out both of my agents for 2 turns though. I was hidden from their sight so I'm not sure how they could have shot me or something. Do guards on experienced, come with like, gas grenades or something?
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May 12, 2015 22:18
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The characters are drawn differently, but the environments (in and out of cyberspace) and the menu themes look almost identical to Shadowrun Returns.
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May 12, 2015 22:32
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redreader posted:I finished it on beginner on Sunday night, then tried experienced. I'm getting my rear end utterly destroyed. The biggest difference is the fact that the guards just go anywhere now. Actually I have a question for you: On experienced I was doing a level that had glass walls. 2 guards were in a glass-wall room. They saw me so I sneaked behind a safe. I looked at their pattern, they were going to walk up to the safe right next to it so I readied a melee attack. They did something (?) in their turn that knocked out both of my agents for 2 turns though. I was hidden from their sight so I'm not sure how they could have shot me or something. Do guards on experienced, come with like, gas grenades or something? I'm about 80% sure that enforcers occasionally have a stun grenade instead of a scan grenade. Or maybe elite enforcers always have one and I just usually gank them too fast. Bonus round: don't stand directly behind a door when being pursued by an alerted guard. 
Goatse James Bond fucked around with this message at 22:45 on May 12, 2015 |
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May 12, 2015 22:42
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Game is pretty good, I played it a little in early access and just finished it in one sitting on beginner. Looking forward to getting my face crushed in experienced. I found that I had more money than I knew what to do with after robbing a vault with a key code to get into the back room. I'd like to do the same with a cybernetic station to see whats in there. My main complaint is how annoying it is to get reloads in the game, ranged weapons are practically useless after the first shot and a few enemies with 3 armor (not the hackable armor) are straight up impossible to take down without specialized equipment or a special character for the last mission.
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May 12, 2015 22:55
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Is it just me or is the ambush mechanic not working? I open a door to coax a guard to my location, have an agent beside the door on taser ambush, only for the guard to stop past the door and immediately spot my agent without the overwatch proc'ing. Is this working as intended?
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May 12, 2015 23:08
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Bloody Pancreas posted:Is it just me or is the ambush mechanic not working? I open a door to coax a guard to my location, have an agent beside the door on taser ambush, only for the guard to stop past the door and immediately spot my agent without the overwatch proc'ing. Is this working as intended? Maybe you got the geometry wrong? It's been working fine for me for a while. Alternatively, maybe he was more armored than your agent can handle? Goatse James Bond fucked around with this message at 23:22 on May 12, 2015 |
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May 12, 2015 23:19
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Bloody Pancreas posted:Is it just me or is the ambush mechanic not working? I open a door to coax a guard to my location, have an agent beside the door on taser ambush, only for the guard to stop past the door and immediately spot my agent without the overwatch proc'ing. Is this working as intended? I've never had a problem. Apart from the time they snoozed me before they even got there, as I described above.
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May 12, 2015 23:23
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I think the most overpowered character ability/augment combo I got playing this game was Internationale's remote hacking and the augment that gave you extra movement points whenever you hacked something. I was zipping across entire levels like I had wheels on. End mission tip: bring along some armour piercing weapons.
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May 12, 2015 23:36
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Hank Morgan posted:I think the most overpowered character ability/augment combo I got playing this game was Internationale's remote hacking and the augment that gave you extra movement points whenever you hacked something. I was zipping across entire levels like I had wheels on. You get one for free. It just has a downside. 
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May 12, 2015 23:43
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Hank Morgan posted:I think the most overpowered character ability/augment combo I got playing this game was Internationale's remote hacking and the augment that gave you extra movement points whenever you hacked something. I was zipping across entire levels like I had wheels on. Also, I'm glad that I started out on Beginner, because I'm definitely making beginner mistakes here.
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May 13, 2015 00:01
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GreyjoyBastard posted:Maybe you got the geometry wrong? It's been working fine for me for a while. I would have my agent against the wall right next to the opened door, so that when the guard walks through he'd be right next to my character and thus trigger the ambush. For some reason this doesn't seem to be happening and I can't figure this out. And these are beginning enemies, not the armored ones.
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May 13, 2015 00:06
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Bloody Pancreas posted:I would have my agent against the wall right next to the opened door, so that when the guard walks through he'd be right next to my character and thus trigger the ambush. For some reason this doesn't seem to be happening and I can't figure this out. And these are beginning enemies, not the armored ones. Maybe take a screenshot (ideally with guard path) and I'll take a look. I guess it could be an unusual bug, but I haven't encountered it yet.
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May 13, 2015 00:29
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Just thought I would let everyone know that Red Letter Media did a review of this game while it was in early access. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-BnU2AToU8 Their main complaint was that the alarm timer went up too fast but otherwise they liked it.
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May 13, 2015 01:11
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Axetrain posted:Just thought I would let everyone know that Red Letter Media did a review of this game while it was in early access. It's extremely feasible to be in and out with a huge pile of loot before alarm level five on most levels on most difficulties. (And N+2 guards, a few more cameras, and a firewall boost ain't a huge deal.) On Expert Plus, you're going to need to make some (more) tough choices on what loot is feasible to grab. OTOH, beginner's probably entirely feasible for pretty much everybody! Goatse James Bond fucked around with this message at 01:58 on May 13, 2015 |
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May 13, 2015 01:55
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Invisible Inc: Door Closing Simulator 2054 Klei absolutely nailed the risk v. reward formula for this one. Every decision you make feels weighty and impactful. Do I spend my AP observing guards, or do I just try to move into a (hopefully) better position? Do I trigger this safe's daemon? I finished the objective early, should I just leave now? (Ans: go back and steal from every safe in the level) I also love being an annoying poltergeist and leading guards on wild goose chases by strategically opening and closing doors. Spooky!
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May 13, 2015 02:13
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died on 3rd mission due to Enforcer fucker coming right out of the exit room, spent too much time loving around. Sometimes the random room layout can work in your favor, sometimes not. So far I'm enjoying it better than XCOM if only because there's no bullshit outside of missions like satellite poo poo to worry about. Definitely gonna have fun with this one breaking my will.
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May 13, 2015 04:27
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Just beat the game on beginner and Im hoping there will be a better ending... Any tips on how to handle Omni soldiers who I can't seem to ko?
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May 13, 2015 07:13
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Exmond posted:Just beat the game on beginner and Im hoping there will be a better ending... Any tips on how to handle Omni soldiers who I can't seem to ko? I'm not sure what you mean by not being able to KO them. The only way that happens is if the guard is armored, and it should mention that if you attempt to hit them. Unless you were set to ambush someone with armor. EDIT: Are Omni soldiers the guys with 3 armor? Monst3r's gun and shock traps are the easiest ways I can think of without going crazy with augments. abardam fucked around with this message at 12:40 on May 13, 2015 |
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May 13, 2015 12:34
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Drones are pretty tough to deal with since they reset in one turn, hilariously they have a cleanup cost associated with destroying them. I think omni soldiers are the ones with hack armor. The way I took them down in the last mission was to use a dagger program for -3 armor and the wrench for the other 3 which let me use a takedown. My preferred starting party is the two ladies. One can hack consoles from several tiles away and if you give her a few levels in hack you won't ever need the trickle power skill anymore. The other lady like someone else said can bypass any basic locked door which is just super handy since you can mostly ignore guards that way and slip in anywhere.
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May 13, 2015 13:21
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When you rescue an operative, is there a way to get them a taser that I didn't notice? Was I supposed to loot a safe in that cell block, or something? It's nice having a third pair of hands, but it would be nicer if she could KO people 
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May 13, 2015 13:44
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I really love the rewind feature. Majority of the time I use it, it's for "oh goddammit I pressed the wrong button" moments but also changing your plan when in hindsight you just made a really idiotic move is great too.
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May 13, 2015 14:06
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0lives posted:I really love the rewind feature. Majority of the time I use it, it's for "oh goddammit I pressed the wrong button" moments but also changing your plan when in hindsight you just made a really idiotic move is great too. The rewind feature is amazing - I am so prone to Savescumming in other games, but I love Ironman style roguelike gameplay, and the rewind button is a perfect middle-ground between the two. deadly_pudding posted:When you rescue an operative, is there a way to get them a taser that I didn't notice? Was I supposed to loot a safe in that cell block, or something? It's nice having a third pair of hands, but it would be nicer if she could KO people I have not found a way to do this, which sucks.
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May 13, 2015 16:02
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deadly_pudding posted:When you rescue an operative, is there a way to get them a taser that I didn't notice? Was I supposed to loot a safe in that cell block, or something? It's nice having a third pair of hands, but it would be nicer if she could KO people Buy a spare from a nanofab and carry it until you can hand it off.  Spares are handy anyway, they don't share cool down (other than 1 attack/turn for Not Nika).
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May 13, 2015 16:04
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Gyshall posted:I have not found a way to do this, which sucks. I'll just give her a gun then, I guess. It was stressful as heck having her run recon and stuff without any backup plan.
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May 13, 2015 16:06
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Just bought this game due to the sale and RTS gameplay. Mark of the NInja didn't blow me away but I thought it was fun and had some interesting gameplay techniques, hoping for a similar take on the RTS formula. Hopefully Invisible outshines Shadowrun Returns, which was a little disappointing, tedious, and bland.
Miss Lonelyhearts fucked around with this message at 16:20 on May 13, 2015 |
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May 13, 2015 16:17
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Yeah, when you rescue an agent, it seems that you have to go through the trouble of arming them yourself. Annoying. So much to do, so little time, am I really expected to beat this game in 72 in-game hours? That's like...seven missions.
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May 13, 2015 16:20
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Gyshall posted:It is interesting to see the difference between the Early Access versions and the release day version where the cinematics and art style have been refined pretty significantly. Yeah, they really stepped things up for the release version. I like the talking heads, especially Gladstone. I said this in the steam thread, but failing a mission means disappointing her and that's the worst thing you could do.  My most recent run was Banks and Nika, and I knew things weren't going to go well when I ran out of ammo for Banks' tranq gun and didn't have any charge packs. And neither did the first couple nanofab shop terminal things I found. Eventually, I got one, as well as a taser that runs on power (-4 per hit), and I figured that would be a good backup for her... and then I started hitting buildings with level 2/3 firewalls and daemons on just about everything, and lockpick and power drip just couldn't keep up with my power needs. They finally were caught by the corps during a failed rescue attempt on a detention facility (I wanted a third party member badly). Managed to see the room outside what I'm sure was the cells, but there was just too much security (drones and armor are terrible when you can't get any good gear from nanofab shops or Monst3r). At least the corp didn't have to take them very far! Fifty Farts fucked around with this message at 16:29 on May 13, 2015 |
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May 13, 2015 16:24
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I just finished the campaign on beginner and is that it? Obviously knocking it up to experienced and above will make the experience last longer and Endless mode exists but the campaign storyline is really a half-dozen missions and done as the AI takes over? EDIT: Don't get me wrong the game is super-good and I'm gonna besinking more hours into it but this felt like a mid-season twist, not a series finale. Pierson fucked around with this message at 16:51 on May 13, 2015 |
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May 13, 2015 16:44
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Pierson posted:I just finished the campaign on beginner and is that it? Obviously knocking it up to experienced and above will make the experience last longer and Endless mode exists but the campaign storyline is really a half-dozen missions and done as the AI takes over? It's meant to be replayable in the vein of Roguelike-likes. Procedural Death Labyrinths? Anyway... Beginner difficulty can be thought of as the tutorial. It's an easy-to-digest tour of all the different menus and gameplay mechanics, and a chance to try all the different general types of missions at least once.
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May 13, 2015 16:50
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I'd certainly like to see more/expanded content - but there is an endless mode, for what that is worth.
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May 13, 2015 18:01
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Played through three or four missions and am having a lot of fun! Definitely worth the price point so far, am excited to keep going. Sometimes items/augments can be a little confusing and it's hard to determine if they're worth the price point if you haven't played through the game already and know what's useful in what situation, but overall that's a minor quibble solved with more gameplay. A+ so far.
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May 13, 2015 18:48
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Why would anyone ever want a gun that costs 400 dollars for 2 shots, taking up inventory?
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May 13, 2015 19:00
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I like using guns as a safety net if I'm doing an ironman run or anything like that.
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May 13, 2015 19:21
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Pierson posted:I just finished the campaign on beginner and is that it? Obviously knocking it up to experienced and above will make the experience last longer and Endless mode exists but the campaign storyline is really a half-dozen missions and done as the AI takes over? The only things that stuck out to me after I'd finished my first campaign were that Monst3r is dumb and needs to shut up and that the ending is a bit annoying because I couldn't see an option to not do the obviously stupid thing and I didn't care enough to feel much of an emotional impact, just slight irritation that I was unable to get a better result. Also, I can't help but compare this to Jagged Alliance 2 on some level, and I wish I could care about Invisible Inc.'s agents the same way I do for my mercs, but that's not happening. Still going to have a lot of fun with this. I haven't even gotten around to trying out my new unlocks or loving around with the million campaign settings and I already feel like I got my money's worth. Wizard Styles fucked around with this message at 19:41 on May 13, 2015 |
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May 13, 2015 19:39
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