French game developer studio, Spiders, known for the recent “Bound by Flame” and “Of Orcs And Men”, introduces their new title “The Technomancer” in a visually beautiful trailer at Gamescom – a sci-fi RPG set for release in 2016 on the PS4, Xbox One and PC, with a soundtrack by “Remember Me” composer Olivier Deriviere.
With their new title, Spiders promises customisation of both the game’s protagonist Zachariah, and his various weapons and armour, three branching combat styles accompanying melee and the warrior-mage Technomancer’s innate electrical abilities, with the player’s decisions in-game with the story and the followers they recruit affecting the quests you receive and the story’s overall outcome.
The trailer itself, while looking like a blended mixture of Destiny and Fallout and promising an enjoyable experience for those who are fans of the sci-fi RPG genre, makes it somewhat difficult to discern what the Technomancer’s story actually is without previous knowledge or research. The ambiguity, while if done right can be exciting, I feel ultimately does the game an injustice due to the Technomancer being an entirely new game and not an additional entry into an already previously established franchise.
Truthfully, the game’s trailer and description is eerily reminiscent of Spider’s previous RPG title Bound by Flame, that also boasted features such as character customisation, crafting mechanics, diverse companions and, perhaps one of the key factors in distinguishing a role playing game, choices that matter and have a significant impact on the world around you, adding to replay ability. Bound by Flame ultimately ended up being a disappointing experience, with clunky combat mechanics, linear story-telling with options between “good” and “evil” only, cliche companions who ended up being more of a burden in combat than anything else, and a snide potty-mouthed protagonist with a predefined personality.
The Technomancer, while having an interesting concept with post-apocalyptic space exploration, is unfortunate in that regard to be following in the wake of Fallout 4 and in the same year as the slated release of Mass Effect: Andromeda, with the obscure Spiders going up against the extremely popular Bethesda and Bioware.
A title to keep an eye on, especially if you’ve personally enjoyed any of Spiders’ titles or even if you’re a passionate fan of the genre, but I’ll personally reserve judgement until it’s release next year. It’s too easy to be sucked in by grand promises of everything you want in a role playing game, when ultimately you end up disappointed and feeling grossly misled.
