Indivisible (Demo Review)
By: EyeSpyeAlexI’m a big fan of representation, so finding a game with both a female lead and a culturally diverse world can be tricky. Enter Indivisible, an action RPG by Lab Zero Games, which managed to meet both criteria and then some! Slated with a 2019 release I was lucky to have a crack at the demo, and it didn’t disappoint.
Our story begins
Ajna is our young protagonist, traveling the world to understand her mysterious powers. As Ajna travels on her mission she meets up with various characters who join her quest. For reasons unknown, Ajna is able to absorb her teammates and call out specific ones during battle. Together, she and her friends explore the land to discover hidden crystals and the reason for Ajna’s powers. While a little weird, this does wonders to avoid cluttering up the scenery. The variety of companions also allows players to pick and choose the best lineup to face off against any enemies.
The Review
While the demo doesn’t provide much for story, Indivisible makes up for it with gameplay. Each character has energy levels and once the levels are full they are able to attack. Because it takes some time to recharge, the battles end up being sort of turn-based. Unlike typical turn-based games, it is possible to attack with all the heroes at once. Ultimately it’s up to the player to determine the best course of action to vanquish any foes.Although the battle mechanics are pretty straightforward, the controls can take some getting used to. One thing I wasn’t aware of at first was that each character in battle is assigned to a specific button. Indivisible made it initially seem as if the player needed to toggle between each character to get them to attack. This confusion led to me underutilizing my companions and struggling a lot with my first battles. Once I realized how to attack with each character, battles became much easier.
One thing I really like about Indivisible is that every character that joins your party has a purpose. Each character has enemies that they are powerful against, which makes them all incredibly useful. The slight downside is that certain enemies can be difficult or impossible to beat without the assistance of that one character. For example, there are several enemies that can block frontal attacks, which is quite the nuisance as nearly every character relies on frontal attacks. However, Razmi, uses magic attacks which cannot be blocked. Using her as the first attack leaves enemies defenseless, allowing Ajna and the others to take the baddies to pound town.
Overall, I really like Indivisible. While the demo didn’t have a lot in terms of story, it laid the groundwork for an interesting game with tons of lore. The turn-based battle mechanics and many companions allow for the player to formulate strategies with endless possibilities. While the controls can be tricky to learn at first, once you get the hang of them the game is a breeze to play.