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This article really nails this topic. Architecture and film theory are two of my favorite topics, because visual symbolism is so integral in both. Both discipli
by Declanomous 10y ago
This article really nails this topic. Architecture and film theory are two of my favorite topics, because visual symbolism is so integral in both. Both disciplines have a lot of domain-specific language that it's really easy to write an article that is inaccessible to most readers. Most articles by 99% invisible really hit the sweet spot where they are entertaining and accessible introduction to the subject, but are still interesting to people familiar with the topics being reported. This article could easily have been "Five real buildings that housed Evil Megacorporations, #4 will surprise you!"
Speaking of dystopian megacorps and their architecture, I bought Invisible Inc during the Klei sale on Steam. I'd highly recommend it. It's a turn-based stealth rougelike based based in a cyber-punk world run by dystopian megacorporations. You control a team of technologically augmented spies who infiltrate these megacorps. The levels are all procedurally generated, which works really well for the inhuman sameness that corporations have in science fiction.
The gameplay is well thought out, and the story mode is well written. It deconstructs a lot of themes typically present in cyberpunk, but the deconstruction doesn't upstage the gameplay (I feel like game designers sometimes try to be 'clever' when deconstructing tropes, to the detriment of fun.) The story mode isn't very long, but it has good replayability due to the roguelike nature and the procedurally generated levels. There is also an endless mode, which adds a lot of replay value, and is something that I miss in other roguelikes, such as FTL.
I played it on Linux, and it runs well. It's $20 normally. I'd say it's a must-buy at $10 or below if you enjoy roguelikes or stealth games. I'd say take a pass if you don't enjoy turn based games or cyberpunk. You can probably get a pretty good idea of the gameplay from watching a video on youtube, but I'd definitely try to avoid spoilers.
- Eric_WVGG 10y agosuper-into isometric graphics. Invisible Inc does it very well. Tokyo 42, a supposed spiritual successor of Syndicate, is another new game with a terrific architectural style.
- Declanomous 10y agoThanks for the recommendation. The art direction on that reminds me a lot of absolute drift. I like how many games are getting back to isometric but using updated graphics, rather than going for the full-retro style. It seems like it makes it easier for developers to achieve their vision, and I feel like isometric games tend to flow better.