Introduction
Basic information
Developer: Lab Zero Games
Full name: Indivisible
Release date: 2019
Released on: Nintendo Switch, Steam, PlayStation 4, Xbox One.
Cross play: no
Genre: action adventure, role playing game.
Additional information: I will write this review as honest as possible. However, I encountered a major game breaking bug and was unable to complete this game. More about that later!
Initial thoughts
This was a game that I had been eying for a while, it kept getting bumped to the next game on the list. That is, until it came to Xbox gamepass, and I was like, this is it! Thus, I downloaded this game, wondering what kind of adventure would await me. I only knew it was a mix between turn based and an active fighting style. There also seemed to be some Metroidvania elements.
Story and setting
Plot overview
The story begins with a strong group of warriors who are fighting a goddess on top of a mountain who is bend on destruction. With all their might and a secret weapon, they manage to win and on their way down the mountain. One of them finds a baby and takes her home, she is called Ajna and sixteen years later, the real story begins as the village she grew up in falls under siege.
World building and immersion
The world building takes place in an infinite loop, where the goddess destroys the world when she is no longer content with it. The warriors sixteen years later managed to seal her but due to Ajna’s interference, she wakes up, and it sets the story for a grand adventure to undo her mistakes and take the same journey through different areas. This game does everything in its power to immerse you.
Character development
There is a lot of character development as they learn from their mistakes and grow. Sadly, the character development for side characters is almost non-existent as the game only focuses on the main characters. Making the optional characters just battle meat.
Emotional impact
There are some emotional moments in this story, also some heavy ones. The story is very good as far as I could play, but I could not finish the story sadly due to a game breaking bug.
Rating for story and setting
I have visited multiple aspects of the story and after some thought and objective thinking, I rated the story and setting with an 8.5.
I had to check online how the story ended, but all in all, the story was well crafted, the only point I think was bad was the optional characters.
Gameplay and mechanics
Core gameplay mechanics
The core gameplay mechanics are like many other role playing games. You will slowly grow a party that all needs to be trained and leveled. Ajna has a house in her mind where people will reside. When a battle commences, your main party will get ready to fight. You can use different combos which can be linked together. It is also a possibility to wait until your gauge is full to chain a massive combo.
If an enemy attacks you, you can block by using the right button prompt for that character. If the enemy uses an area of effect attack, you need to use a special block. This uses your Irdi, this can also be used to heal your whole party. Next to battles, there are plenty of areas to explore with platforming. You can find red gems to increase attack or defense. Certain story points also increase the parties stats.
Difficulty and balance
The difficulty is pretty high, and there are plenty of spikes. Killing many enemies will level up your characters, which is needed. Most of the difficulty will come from the platforming in certain areas. The further you progress, the harder the areas will become to explore. You will also need special abilities which you can get from story points, this is also why you will need to backtrack.
Pacing of the game
The pacing of the game is quite steady and you do have some choices. This does not impact the storyline in the slightest bit. If you can’t explore an area you choose early on, your characters will mention it. This means the pacing is very organic, this is also a long game, it is good to explore a place as good as you can before moving on.
Innovation and uniqueness
There is some innovation in this game, it tries to mix certain genres and does so well. The combat is quite unique as it is turn-based but also active. You have combos which is neat, this is no button mashing game. If an enemy has a shield, you are going to need a specific combo to break it. The Metroidvania sections are not unique, but it does add combat transfers in battle. All in all, quite fun and tries to be unique.
Controls and user interface
The controls are slick and are responsive. I do like the user interface, it is not cluttered and there is no unnecessary information. The party menu is good and also shows the combinations for combos, which you are going to need in battle. You can also easily switch between characters. It might be beneficial to take a healer with you, but you do need to use the right controls, or the combo for healing won’t work!
Microtransactions
Microtransactions available: No
Rating
After combing through many of the mechanics, the pacing and other factors of this game, I rated the gameplay and mechanics with an 8.0.
This game has many genres, but all in all, it is just an action role-playing game with some other elements. I enjoyed playing this game, despite the game breaking bug.
Graphics and art style
Quality of graphics and art direction
The graphics are quite well-made, there are also numerous areas to explore. The character design is great, all of them look different, have different fighting styles and more. While the platforming sections are hard and progress slowly in how hard the areas are to explore. All in all, I really like the graphics. The attention to the background is great.
Technical performances
With the graphics, there are not many technical difficulties, some frame drops, a few lag spikes. The crashing had nothing to with the graphics.
Environment and design uniqueness
The environment is lively and diverse. There are many monsters to kill, wildlife to see roaming about. And mostly the areas change as you progress in the game. As for design uniqueness, many of the areas have been done before, mountains, deserts, jungles, and the like.
Rating
It took me some time to give the graphics and art style an objective rating. There are many things to consider, but ultimately, I rated this section with a 7.5
All in all, good graphics!
Sound and music
Music score and how it contributed to the game
The music is actually excellent in this game, there are many soundtracks to listen to. Most of the characters also seem to have some kind of theme to them. I do like the vibe the music gives to this game, the developers choose the right music.
Sound effects quality
The sound effects do get repetitive after a while, there is not a considerable variety. You will notice this mostly in the battles if you are using the same characters in combat. Another place where you will notice this is with the platforming sections.
Voice Acting
The voice acting is actually good in this game. But only the main characters have voice acting. This means that most NPC’S and optional characters have no voice at all. Sadly, This goes coupled with the character development for those characters taking a back seat. This also means the optional characters are never mentioned in the storyline, asked questions or whatever.
Rating
After a lot of consideration, I rated the sound and music section with a 6.0
This is due to the lack of voice acting with optional characters, and other factors like the repetitive sound effects.
Multiplayer components
Online gameplay experience
Not applicable.
Replayability
Game Length and content volume
There is a lot of content in this game, every time you think, oh, we are reaching the end. Something happens and then a lot more needs to be done and explored. If you do like long games, then this is the game for you. One thing I did dislike was some main characters joining you near the end, but I could never finish the game due to a game breaking bug.
Extra Content
There is a DLC pack with extra challenges, but it appears to be terrible. It also has horrible ratings. As for real DLC, which means new characters, areas to explore, I doubt that will ever happen. The developing team has been disbanded.
Replay value
There is a lot to do in this game, replay older areas to find every secret. But once finished, I don’t think there is much more to this game.
Rating
After thoughtful consideration, I decided to rate the replayability and game length of Indivisible with a 5.5.
While there is a lot to do, the replay value is low. There is also no DLC, and since optional characters don’t talk, the DLC would be pricey for new voice actors. And, the developing team has been disbanded.
Suggestions and comparisons
Suggestions and feedback
One of the major flaws is that optional characters are not involved in the game in any way. As if they don’t exist. It would have been better if had voice actors. Even if it was just a tiny amount of voice acting. Involving them in the main plot could have been done with self switches and alternating paths. Yes, this is a lot of work, but throwing the optional characters in the mud is bad.
Comparisons
I cannot see any good comparison for Indivisible, nor does it matter for this game as it mixes a lot of genres. If you enjoy platforming games with combat elements, then this might be the game for you. There are also some Metroidvania elements for the explorers out there.
Personal experiences and anecdotes
I will omit my personal rating since I was unable to finish the game, but up to the point where I got stuck in a game breaking bug, I was enjoying the ride.
Last words
Pros
- The narrative is well-crafted, with an intriguing premise and immersive world-building that keeps players invested
- Combining turn-based combat with active fighting elements and Metroidvania exploration adds depth and uniqueness
- Responsive controls and a clean, intuitive user interface enhance the overall gaming experience
- Well-made graphics, diverse environments, and distinct character designs contribute to the game
- The music complements the game's atmosphere and enhances immersion
Cons
- Encountering major bugs that impede progress
- While main characters receive significant development, side characters lack depth and involvement in the storyline
- Lack of variety in sound effects, especially during battles and platforming sections
- Despite the game's length and content volume, the lack of significant replay value, coupled with the absence of DLC and involvement of optional characters, limits long-term engagement
- The game's difficulty can be uneven, with abrupt spikes that may frustrate players, particularly in platforming sections
- While the gameplay mechanics are innovative, other aspects of the game, such as narrative structure and progression are lacking
- Despite the presence of voice acting for main characters, the lack of voiceovers for NPCs and optional characters detracts from immersion and hampers storytelling potential
While there is a lot of variety in this game, there are also some bad elements. The game breaking bug will never be fixed, for example. I don’t know what causes it, but it ended me in a never ending loop. Don’t let this stop you! You might never encounter it.
Final Rating
7.1
Please let me know what you think of Indivisible in the comments!
I hope you enjoyed reading this review, I hope to see you in the next review!
If you liked reading this review, maybe you would like to share this review with your friends.
I have already but i haven’t played yet. I could think play it soon but so many cons. I will delay to play it.
Yeah, I have the feeling many bug fixes were not made at all.
I was interested in this game before the review. But due to the possible game-breaking bug and the development team has been disbanded, I will have to push it down my list.
By the way, the last 2 cons are duplicated.
Yep, it also piqued my interested but sadly, it was not actually finished.
Aparts from the bugs, this looks like interesting game. Currently I’ve a lot of on my “to play” list, but I’m gonna play it in the future.
I hope you do not encounter the bug!
Oh yeah, this game. I’ve noticed it on Humble and on Steamgifts, and was interested because the art style and character design are cute. But, upon checking the store page… Yeah, that gameplay isn’t for me, especially the combat part.
Still looks nice though, it’s a pity it’s riddled with bugs. :/
And, I totally with your opinion on challenge pack DLCs… They’re awful. Looking at you, Batman: Arkham and Dishonored…
Yeah, it is riddled with bugs since the fixes could never be applies, there were also plans for some massive DLC content. Like new areas, crossover characters, a lot of it was in the works, along with bug fixes when the dev team disbanded. All that work to waste, and it could have been such a fun game.
I have this game pending to play. Seems to have good ideas and combination of mechanics. Art style is the first thing that interested me
The art is indeed good!
Thanks for the review. I am also not uninterested in this game. But I did not play it yet. Sad to read the game breaking bug 🙁
Eeek, why the game breaking bug? Is there a way to fix it to continue the story? Have you investigated other players’ experience?
I love metroidvanias, but this one with its combat seems different from the usual game play I’d expect. I might give it a try. You gave a high rating even though there are lots of cons, so there must be something worth to play in it.
It could have been an amazing game, sadly it is riddled with bugs. If only the dev team could have finished the game properly.
Thanks for the review, i forgot to thanks! 🙂
I have this game on my whishlist / watchlist for quite some time. Good to have a quality review to get first information before playing it.
You should get it on sale, not for the full price.
I am still interested in this game since I really enjoyed Skullgirls, but the bugs do seem pretty concerning…
Thanks for letting us know!
I could not finish this game, since it kept resetting me back to the same save after crashing, and after a few times, I was done with and I could only make this video, since going beyond it crashed the game and reset me to before the boss fight.