Invisible Inc.
- August 19, 2014
- Klei Entertainment
- 59h median play time
Invisible Inc. is smart and stylish, and delectable for fans of stealth or strategy.
Invisible, Inc. is a turn-based stealth game where players control a team of agents infiltrating dangerous corporations to complete high-stakes missions. With deep customization and randomly generated elements, each playthrough offers a unique challenge, as success requires strategic use of agents, items, augments, and programs. The Contingency Plan DLC expands the campaign with new rewards, agents, programs, and threats.
Reviews
- Excellent turn-based roguelite strategy game with a unique blend of stealth mechanics.
- High replayability due to procedurally generated levels and diverse agent abilities.
- Stylish artwork and engaging soundtrack enhance the overall experience.
- Campaign is relatively short, leaving players wanting more content.
- Difficulty can spike unexpectedly due to random level generation, leading to frustrating experiences.
- Limited in-game explanations for mechanics can make it challenging for new players to grasp.
- story2,243 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 83 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The story in "Invisible, Inc." is generally described as minimal and somewhat cliché, serving primarily as a backdrop for the gameplay rather than a central focus. Players embark on a series of procedurally generated missions as part of a spy agency, with a time limit of 72 hours to prepare for a final mission, which adds urgency but leaves little room for narrative depth. While the art style and voice acting are praised, many reviewers express disappointment in the brevity and lack of character development in the story, suggesting that it could benefit from more substantial content and variety in future updates or expansions.
“The story is good, but it is quite short.”
“The story, while not being jaw-breaking, is totally fine.”
“The story is minimal and incomprehensible, but who cares, you can skip it all and even play endless mode instead if you want, although i think its more fun to work towards a winning run in story mode.”
“The story is very simple and wont single handedly hold you through more than your first playthrough, but that's to be expected.”
“The story is short and consists of a cutscene, a string of randomized missions, a final static mission, and another cutscene.”
- gameplay1,285 mentions
- 35 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Invisible, Inc." is characterized by its blend of turn-based strategy and stealth mechanics, drawing comparisons to titles like XCOM and Metal Gear Solid. Players navigate procedurally generated levels, utilizing a variety of agents with unique abilities to complete missions while managing an escalating alarm system that adds tension and urgency. While the core mechanics are praised for their depth and strategic complexity, some players note a steep learning curve and occasional repetitiveness in mission types, though the customizable difficulty settings and roguelike elements enhance replayability.
“The gameplay loop is basically that of a roguelike; the game scales in difficulty with every mission, and you have to keep up or die.”
“The core gameplay is challenging enough, but there are also higher difficulty levels with more constraints, and multiple things to unlock on subsequent playthroughs, which is why I've got nearly 70 hours logged in a game that only takes a few hours to complete.”
“The gameplay is tight, focused, and challenging the whole way through a playthrough.”
“There are 8 mission types which differ mostly by rewards rather than gameplay differences, and you choose 1 out of 4 randomly generated missions given until the in-game 72 hours runs out and you have to do the final mission.”
“It fails to give me any XCOM / Darkest Dungeon 'long term' campaign progression & resource management, nor does it give me the Hades / Synthetik roguelite immediate 'mechanical' gratification (it's turn-based tactics after all).”
“The gameplay is incredibly shallow and gets old after a few hours.”
- replayability507 mentions
- 51 % positive mentions
- 47 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The game is widely praised for its high replayability, primarily due to its procedurally generated levels, diverse character options, and customizable difficulty settings. Players appreciate the variety of strategies and playstyles available, which keep each playthrough fresh and engaging. While some reviewers note that the short campaign may limit long-term interest, the overall consensus is that the game's mechanics and randomization provide virtually endless replay value.
“Many games claim to be very replayable, but this is one of the few that is, in fact, forever replayable. The distribution of maps, guard positions, and schedules, the location of cameras and other security measures, and what items you can find are always random, and the challenge is always high if you choose so.”
“The game has a very high replay value because of the procedural generation system for the map, so every mission will feel different each time you play, which makes the whole stealth aspect of the game more meaningful.”
“The randomly generated levels, large character roster, and plenty of items and abilities provide endless replayability.”
“The game lacks meaningful replayability once the core story is completed, despite having randomly generated dungeons.”
“The problem with saying it is all about replayability while creating a storyline is that players who love story-driven challenges may end up disappointed by the sudden ending and lack of incentive to replay.”
“Despite its emphasis on replayability, this game has very little.”
- graphics497 mentions
- 54 % positive mentions
- 46 % neutral mentions
- 1 % negative mentions
The graphics of "Invisible, Inc." have received widespread acclaim for their unique and stylish art style, which effectively captures the game's cyberpunk and espionage themes. Players appreciate the clean, crisp visuals and the well-executed animations that enhance the overall gameplay experience, while the aesthetic is often compared to other Klei titles, showcasing a consistent quality in design. Despite some critiques regarding the simplicity of the graphics, many agree that the visuals complement the gameplay and contribute to the game's immersive atmosphere.
“The graphics are crisp and stylish (while extremely light on GPU requirements), user interface feels smooth, it all fits perfectly.”
“The art style is both aesthetically pleasing and aids gameplay immensely by making sure you always have a clear picture of the situation.”
“The cyberpunk aesthetic is spot-on, and the voice acting is top-notch.”
“Its pixely graphics might not look like much, but it's a very complex game that has immense replay value as a roguelike tactical stealth game.”
“The visuals can strain the eyes, or it could just be one of the side effects from playing this game for 12 hours straight; who knows.”
“The story is pretty thin, and I personally didn't care for the artwork, which makes the cutscenes reminiscent of an extended Esurance commercial - of course, that's just one person's opinion.”
- music232 mentions
- 53 % positive mentions
- 46 % neutral mentions
- 1 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim for its ability to enhance the atmosphere and gameplay experience, with many reviewers highlighting its dynamic nature that adapts to the game's tension levels. While the soundtrack is generally praised as masterful and fitting for the cyberpunk theme, some players noted that it can become repetitive over time. Overall, the combination of engaging music, stylish graphics, and immersive sound design contributes significantly to the game's appeal.
“The soundtrack deserves a special mention as it is masterful.”
“The music and sound design are also top-notch, adding and subtracting track elements depending on the alarm level of the stage, creating an absorbing and immersive experience.”
“The music ramps up in intensity when the game becomes more intense, starting out calm when the enemies are unaware but becoming incrementally more intense as more enemies become aware of your intrusion, letting the player really get into the groove of the situation.”
“The music is your standard cyberpunk background music, with little to nothing in the way of audio cues for any sort of events, good, bad, or otherwise.”
“My only negative remark is that the music is not up to par, and that in its current state, it becomes repetitive quite easily.”
“You will always see the same colors and hear the same music.”
- atmosphere66 mentions
- 62 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive cyberpunk aesthetics, dynamic environments, and engaging sound design, which collectively enhance the stealth gameplay experience. Reviewers highlight the tension and high stakes created by the game's mechanics, alongside its stylish visuals and atmospheric music that contribute to a sense of urgency and strategy. Overall, the game successfully combines a rich thematic backdrop with polished design elements, making it a standout in the stealth genre.
“The gameplay is tight, the atmosphere is right.”
“The music and visual design help to cultivate a nicely tense atmosphere, making it easy to forget that you can walk away, make a sandwich, eat it, and come back all in the same five-second interval of game time.”
“The cyberpunk atmosphere is super nice, with animations and looks that are very similar to Æon Flux.”
“The atmosphere of the whole world presented is as cyber as you can imagine.”
“Pleasant, challenging, and requires some real skill and thinking, the universe and atmosphere are not fully fleshed out yet but already feel really nice.”
“There is very little variety, if any, music, but that keeps the atmosphere focused.”
- humor23 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by a lighthearted tone, featuring dry wit, comical character interactions, and absurd scenarios, such as guards displaying hilariously poor awareness. Players appreciate the blend of tension and levity, with funny dialogue and amusing gameplay moments that keep the experience enjoyable, even amidst challenging mechanics. Overall, the game successfully balances its serious elements with a playful sense of humor, making it a fun and engaging experience.
“There's a lot of difficult decisions to make, tension and suspense, but at the same time the game maintains a very enjoyable lightheartedness, both in content (a bit of dry humor here and there, the way the characters dash about, the snarky comments and fun enemy exclamations) and in gameplay experience (you're not really heavily punished if you fail missions and campaigns but you simply fail and move on; the preference for sneaking around instead of attacking), which makes this game such a perfect companion to spend from 20 minutes to several hours with.”
“The guards are pretty hilariously stupid, with some of them spotting you and entering overwatch, but if you just shut the door in between the two of you, they give a comical 'guess they got away.' The existence of cloaking devices also gives you another way out if you should need it.”
“The premise is intriguing, the between-mission chatter adds to the story and is frequently hilarious ('this is my surprised face.' - okay, you had to be there...), and the opening sequence is a fabulously animated adventure that really sets the scene brilliantly.”
- character development20 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is generally viewed as minimal, with many reviewers noting a lack of depth and meaningful progression for the characters. While the character designs and voice acting are praised for their quality and appeal, the overall narrative and character arcs are considered short and underdeveloped, leaving players wanting more. Despite the engaging gameplay and strategic elements, the absence of substantial character development is a common criticism among players.
“Great combination of strategy and character development.”
“Character development, between inventory management, skill development, and augments, is satisfying and unlocked characters add flavor and replayability.”
“The art style and character design is really beautiful and unique like in most Klei games.”
“It's interesting enough that it helps complement the game, but it's very short and there's not a whole lot to character development.”
“There's little to no character development for your agents; I wouldn't be surprised if they have less than 5 lines of dialogue each, and it's only on mission start to make some witty remark like 'let's do this so I can go drink.'”
“I loved this game but was really disappointed that the story was so short, and there was almost no character development.”
- grinding19 mentions
- 11 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 89 % negative mentions
Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, often detracting from the overall experience. While some appreciate the replayability and character synergies, many express frustration with the need for grinding to unlock content, leading to a sense of monotony. Despite these criticisms, a few users note that certain modes or elements can mitigate the tedium, making the game enjoyable in parts.
“The perfect 'no grinding for resources' RTS!!”
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“Then tediousness set in.”
“The game increases its alert system constantly (no matter how stealthy you are) and I just found that kind of tedious.”
“Unfortunately, in its current stage (and it is not an early access title) this game offers somewhat frustrating gameplay experience, inconsistent universe, and not a very entertaining replay-grinding.”
- stability16 mentions
- 31 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 69 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's stability is praised, with most users reporting a smooth experience and minimal bugs or glitches. While some acknowledge the potential for occasional issues typical of early access titles, the majority find it well-polished and reliable, even on lower-end hardware. Users appreciate that it stands out positively compared to other early access games known for being more problematic.
“Smart, entertaining, well designed, bug-free for the most part.”
“It looks great, runs great.”
“Runs great on Linux on my ThinkPad T450s.”
“Troubleshooting doesn't help.”
“This game isn't Bethesda-buggy; instead, there are a few very precise bugs with gameplay.”
“This is the level of product early access games on Steam should be held to rather than the overly ambitious, bug-ridden messes that populate most of the category.”
- optimization15 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 13 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The game is highly praised for its optimization, running smoothly even on older or less powerful PCs, with minimal performance issues reported. Players appreciate the excellent loading times, visual polish, and stability, making it a reliable choice for those with lower-end systems. Overall, the game is considered well-optimized and bug-free, enhancing the overall gaming experience.
“And because it's Klei, you know the game is so well optimized and lightweight that it'll practically run on a potato.”
“Great performance optimizations, excellent visual polish with awesome pre-rendered cutscenes.”
“The technical part is already very good; the game runs smoothly and is very stable (stabler than many 'finished' games).”
“One thing that stands out is performance.”
“Zero performance issues even on my shitty PC.”
“The progression of unlocking new 'programs' and agents by your performance during a campaign, combined with a smart tactical game design is what keeps you coming back for more.”
- emotional14 mentions
- 93 % positive mentions
- -14 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
Players report a profound emotional experience, characterized by intense highs and lows throughout gameplay, from moments of triumph to devastating failures. While some feel the story could have been more developed to enhance emotional investment, the tension and connection to characters create a gripping atmosphere that leaves players feeling deeply absorbed and often exhausted. Overall, the game successfully evokes strong feelings, making players feel like they are part of a high-stakes narrative.
“It will take you on an emotional rollercoaster - from initial confidence to total devastation when you make mistakes that end in a disaster, from doubt and despair to exhilaration when you manage to get out of a seemingly hopeless situation.”
“I've had so many close call heroic victories in this game and also heartbreaking defeats.”
“It really made me feel connected to the characters, as their operator, guiding them and trying to keep them alive in a corporate world seeking to consume the rogue agencies that defied them!”
“The story was incredibly boring and failed to evoke any emotional response.”
“I found the narrative to be dull, lacking the depth needed to connect emotionally.”
“The emotional impact was nonexistent; I couldn't care less about the characters or their struggles.”
- monetization1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -300 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Reviewers appreciate the game's deep and challenging gameplay, highlighting its replay value, and notably commend the absence of microtransactions, which enhances the overall experience.
“Deep, fun, challenging, tons of replay value, and most importantly, no microtransactions.”
“The game is enjoyable, but the constant push for in-game purchases really detracts from the experience.”
“I feel like I'm being nickel-and-dimed at every turn; the monetization strategy is frustrating.”
“It's disappointing to see such a great game marred by aggressive monetization tactics.”
Critic Reviews
Invisible, Inc. Review
In a genre that's traditionally concerned more with open combat, Invisible, Inc.'s stealth focus is a revelation. Chock full of smart game design, you're gifted plenty of options in how you approach your mission, and despite having so many tools at your disposal, it remains satisfyingly challenging, without ever crossing over into being unfair. While the roguelike progression could potentially be a downside for some, the high level of customisation around the difficulty settings will swiftly rob you of this complaint. Simply put, if you have even a passing interest in turn-based strategy games, you shouldn't let this exceptional title sneak under your radar.
90%Invisible, Inc: Console Edition PS4 Review
As overwhelmingly terrifying as it can be to learn, Invisible Inc just so happens to be a ridiculously compelling experience. The congregation of turn-based strategy, stealth and roguelike seems like an odd grouping, but my word, it works so very, very well.
90%Invisible, Inc. Review
Invisible, Inc. is a tense squad-based strategy game, simultaneously honouring and reinventing the genre with neat twists and smart design. While the main campaign is short, it's rich enough to want to play again straight way, focusing on different types of missions, going after different upgrades, or trying to free new people to join the team. The only thing lacking, perhaps, is a multiplayer mode, which could have been a fun inclusion. Overall, this is a must-play game for TBS fans, or those that feel like they might enjoy a smartly made game of hacking and heists.
90%