One of the more unexpected reveals from the recent Xbox Showcase was inXile’s new genre-bending steampunk FPSClockwork Revolution. The title already looks like a significant departure from inXile’s previous work, with a clear line of inspiration drawn fromBioShock: Infinitein both its setting and visual presentation. inXile has long proven itself to be a capable developer and has been consistently producing quality RPGs for years, so to see them pivot into a narrative-driven first-person shooter likeBioShockorDishonoredis an interesting premise that’s rife with opportunity for the developer to introduce mechanics from its best title to-date -Wasteland 3.
Wasteland 3released in 2020 to rave reviews and strong critical reception, proving itself to be the strongest entry in the long-runningWastelandseries. Famously, some of the team behind the originalWastelandwould go on to createFallout, and inXile brought back many of the core team for work onWasteland 2and3. While theBioShockseries is known for its blending of “RPG-lite” mechanics with first-person gunplay, inXile has an opportunity to differentiateClockwork Revolutionfrom itssurface-level comparisons toBioShock: Infiniteby leaning heavily into the template established inWasteland 3for deep RPG mechanics and systems.
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Wasteland 3’s Impactful Choices Should Return in lockwork Revolution
Wasteland 3continued a rich tradition of Western RPGs that use the choices made by the player to shape the world they inhabit in-game.Titles likeMass Effect,Fallout,Elder Scrolls, and evenBioShockhave found clever ways to incorporate player choice toward having a long-lasting impact in how certain plot points unfold or affect the way other characters react to the player. The originalWastelandwas famous for how important and impactful player choice was in affecting the game’s outcome, andWasteland3is no different.
The debuttrailer forClockwork Revolutionfrom the Xbox Showcase hinted at a time-travel component to the game, showing the game’s city of Avalon in either separate timelines or before and after a temporal disruption. Narration during the trailer also indicates that the player is being hunted, and the bounty on their heads may be a result of using time travel to disrupt the current timeline. Already,Clockwork Revolutionlooks to continue the tradition of impactful choice fromWasteland 3, with every action of the player potentially having far-reaching consequences and creating branching realities.
Incorporating Wasteland 3’s Build Variety and Freedom in Approaching Situations
As a squad-based tactical RPG,Wasteland 3’s combat was highly regarded as some of the best in the genre. Along with other CRPGs likeDivinity: Original Sin 2, players were given nearly limitless freedom in how they crafted their dream party and used their various skills to approach a variety of combat scenarios. Players who gotcreative with theirWasteland 3buildsand party compositions could find themselves immensely capable of dispatching foes using either conventional or unconventional methods. inXile’s skill at providing players with a litany of options to choose from in how they craft out their builds should absolutely make a return inClockwork Revolution.
In addition to its visual aesthetic, here again is whereClockwork Revolutioncould see similarities drawn between itself andBioShockthanks to that game’s similar freedom in how players crafted their character and allotted skills. In order to clearly differentiate itself fromBioShockand stand out from a wholehost ofBioShock-likes,Clockwork Revolutionshould fully lean into the idea of granting the player the same kind of freedom in their character build as was found inWasteland 3. inXile has been steadily growing in scope as a studio, consistently putting out quality titles that have seen it grow and expand.Clockwork Revolutionlooks to be its most ambitious title to-date, and it has a chance to stand out among the crowd by borrowing heavily from its developer’s previous titles.
Clockwork Revolutionis in development for PC and Xbox Series X/S.
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