With season two of Amazon’s animated series Invincible premiering this month, the release of Invincible Presents: Atom Eve is surely not a coincidence. Releasing a game as a tie-in to the show might be a smart marketing strategy, one which was common with games a few years back.
Instead of focusing on Invincible/Mark Grayson himself, Invincible Presents: Atom Eve puts the players in the shoes of Samantha Eve Wilkins, the famous teen superhero Atom Eve. The story is a retelling of the events that occur in the first season of the show from Eve’s point of view, which, I’m not going to lie, is a genius idea. Players will also get to witness Eve’s personal journey as she tries to balance her responsibilities at home, her school, and being a superhero. The best part is the players get to choose how to shape Eve’s story.
Even though being a tie-in to the animated series, the way Atom Eve plays feels very much a homage to the comics. With ten episodes, each chapter more or less feels like you are experiencing an issue of a comic book. The game’s art style is not trying to copy Ottley and Walker’s art from the original comics; instead it does its own thing. Rossi Gifford and the art team are successful in keeping it fresh, unique, and vibrant. More importantly, the art style of the game captures the essence of the Invincible universe by being lively and dynamic, which fits along with Atom Eve’s story.
I was surprised by how challenging the combat felt in Atom Eve. Turn-based combat wasn’t my cup of tea for a long time, but I am slowly realizing that might be changing as I keep playing more games like Atom Eve. The gameplay, unlike Eve’s powers, isn’t fast paced or overly glamorous. Instead, it’s direct and simple to follow. If you are someone new to turn-based combat, this might be the best game to start with. The game’s tutorials were adequate, and, unlike many games I have played in the past, weren’t rushed.
Eve’s abilities don’t feel overpowering in the game, especially against big boss fights. After failing and dying multiple times during combat, I learnt the key to defeating enemies in Atom Eve is strategy. Because Eve’s powers are energy based, she has an energy bar that decreases by varying amounts depending on which ability is chosen. The way to conserve her energy bar is to give her a rest, which means passing your turn in combat. Eve also has the advantage of predicting her enemy’s next move, so it was easier for me to strategize Eve’s moves and how to utilize her energy.
Not once the combat gameplay felt boring or repetitive. As the story goes, the enemies keep getting stronger, meaning taking them down keeps getting harder. This is why the game offers an oversized skill tree for Atom Eve that can be used to unlock various abilities and health upgrades. There are three paths to choose from — empath, creator and firebrand. You can either choose one main path and unlock those abilities or, like me, you can mix it up and balance with all three. Depending on what you unlock, Eve’s dialogue options also change. For example, when I unlocked an ability in the empath path, I got dialogue options where Eve talks her way out of certain situations. This kept the game more interesting and I got more invested into unlocking such perks in the skill tree.
However, my only gripe with the skill tree element is it feels too big for a game that is only six to eight hours long. There is a replayability option once you unlock all ten episodes and play those episodes individually. But when I tried to start a new game from episode one, all my previous progress with skills and upgrades had been lost. So, I hope the developers release a New Game+ option where the previous skill tree upgrades can be carried into a new playthrough.
Gameplay is only a part of Atom Eve and, while it is important, more significant are the RPG elements woven into the game’s story. My favorite part was having the option for Eve to reject Rex Splode and stay as friends instead of the messy relationship. Even though the game doesn’t deviate massively from the canon, there were still certain dialogue options that felt satisfying, like talking back to Eve’s abusive father. In another instance, I tried flirting with Mark as much as possible since they are my favorite duo. With familiar faces from the show and comics appearing, it’s up to the players on how they want to interact and with whom.
Atom Eve also consists of various side missions like hanging out with a particular character and having a conversation, indulging in a screaming session to burn Eve’s stress away, or fighting crime and kicking some bad guy butt. For a short game, Invincible Presents: Atom Eve has lots to do and never drags. I could play this game for hours and not get bored because of its already established universe and characters.
Essentially, Invincible Presents: Atom Eve is probably the Invincible game I never knew I wanted. It surprised me in every step of the way and I am glad I got the opportunity to experience it. Being Skybound Games’ first title in the Invincible franchise, Atom Eve delivers a fantastic and satisfying solo adventure based on a fan-favorite character. I hope they continue to make tie-in games to the animated series from different characters’ point of view. Who wouldn’t be interested to play as Omni-Man in an interactive visual novel? I sure would!
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