InXile Entertainment recently announced their upcoming release,Clockwork Revolution, at the Xbox Games Showcase 2023. The steampunk title was one of the more exciting upcoming releases of the showcase, with a short two-minute trailer providing a glimpse into what the studio has been working on. Known for making high-quality RPGs, inXile appear to have taken inspiration from games such asDishonoredandBioshock: Infinitein both the overall art-style of Avalon (the game’s city setting) and with regard to several time-manipulating game mechanics.
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The game also appears to feature political themes, meaning possibly different factions and ideologies to choose from. Similar to the way in which players were able to shape the outcome of the game-world inDying Light 2,it appears that the player’s choices will have visible and lasting effects on the world around them. It is not entirely clear when the game will release, with the trailer merely teasing that the game will be ready ‘in due course’.
4Retro-Futuristic Steampunk Setting
The most immediately striking and unique aspect ofClockwork Revolution’sreveal trailer was the incredibly rich anddetailed steampunk setting. From mechanical birds and performing automatons to zeppelins and cabaret joints, everything about the game’s apparent setting of Avalon seems to be a uniform depiction of a world in which the Age of Invention really accelerated at full steam. Cobblestone and brickwork still make up the majority of the buildings with a distinctly industrial atmosphere, while gold trimmings and fancy signs are an indication of wealth and prosperity - perhaps hinting at a further divide to come, since after all it is calledClockwork Revolution.
Players can expect to see plenty oftop hats and gramophoneson the streets of Avalon, and Steam-powered monorails, drone-like devices and mechanical soldiers also feature heavily throughout the trailer - piecing together what promises to be a highly immersive and memorable setting for the game. Weapons appear to be a complex mix of steampunk technology and late 19th century weapons such as revolvers, lever-action repeaters and modified Gatling guns.
3Player Choices Will Reshape The Environment
Much of the reveal trailer’s emphasis centers around the changing environment, with fast-cut edits showing the city seeminglybefore and after certain key decisions have been made. On one hand is the initial utopian vision presented from the start, while the other depicts a darker world, seemingly destroyed and overrun with anarchy (or tyranny) which will surely be central to the game’s main stroy. It is implied that the time travel element will largely shape this, and it will be interesting to see how this area of the game develops over time.
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It seems that, at least in some part, the surroundingenvironment may be destructiblewith weaponry, too, since a clip shows a powerful-looking gun destroying a bridge before subsequently reversing the process. Whether or not there are any magical elements to the game remains to be seen, but certainly there is some level of supernatural ability within the game. Likewise, a clip also shows an enemy being thrown into some sort of propellor, suggesting that the environment could also feature heavily as an aspect of combat, too.
2Political Themes
Another prominent feature throughout the trailer were thethemes of tyranny and authoritarianism. For a start, the monologue appears to have been voiced by an in-game character, a matriarchal ruler of some kind, talking about how order must be kept and how a single ‘rebellious little gear can ruin everything’. She also vows to seek out and destroy any such threat with the realms of space and time being little to obstacles to her power, and it is suggested that she may be in possession of a time machine.
It seems quite likely that players will have a hand in the coming revolution, and there are political posters and graffiti throughout the city to suggest this further. Different banners adorn buildings to represent rivaling factions while NPCs can be seen gathering in protest. It certainly makes for an interesting and dynamicgame world to become immersed in, and it seems that player choices could have a massive impact in shaping the fate of Avalon and its citizens.
1Time Travel
Perhaps the most unique aspect in terms of gameplay mechanics revealed in the trailer wasthe inclusion of time travel. It seems to be quite a chief concern of the society, or at least the ruling hierarchy, that this time-manipulation device or technology is kept under control - but clearly the player will have access to this somehow. As well as destroying and repairing environments, it seems that certain combat abilities might also be able to make use of this.
It would seem, therefore, that both on a micro and macro level, these temporal-shifting technologies will play a central role, and given the studio’s history of producing interesting and complex gameplay mechanics, it is this feature that many players are most excited about. Although we were only able to see a brief, two-minute glimpse into whatClockwork Revolutionhas to offer, it certainly looks promising, and many gamers are highly anticipating what is to come in the future.
Clockwork Revolutionis coming ‘in due course’ and will be available on PC and Xbox.
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