Spiders released its action role playing game, The Technomancer on consoles and PC which follows their other games Bound by Flame and more linked Mars War Logs. Players return to the red planet for more decisive actions against the factions but is The Technomancer worthy of your time and effort? Take a look at our The Technomancer review for the full picture.
The Technomancer Review:
Today we’re taking a look at developer Spiders “The Technomancer” which comes in as an action based role playing game set on the red planet Mars. The game presents a sci-fi cyberpunk offering much like Spiders other game Mars War Logs and to be frank there are similarities between the two, however, The Technomancer is by far the more polished and engaging of the two games despite being set in a similar location.
To begin, players get to choose their avatar from a selection of templates. It’s not very in-depth but at least gives you something to personalise the experience a little. Unfortunately, there’s no female option here but that’s a minor quibble really. Once you’re happy with the look of your avatar you’re quickly introduced to training in the three main combat styles of the Technomancer. There’s no elongated back-story, rather you’re thrust into the thick of it which is actually quite refreshing. In a nutshell, players can hot swap between the three styles at any time including Guardian which adopts a shield and blunt type weapon, Rogue which utilizes a pistol with a blade, and Warrior favouring a two handed staff weapon. A forth skill relies on the Technomancer’s electricity abilities which can be used in conjunction with any of the three combat styles. You’re encouraged to level up each style evenly although depending on your play style you’ll find a favourite and possibly stick with that. Using the guardian style proved fairly easy once a few additional upgrades were added including a handy counter attack and shield bash move which essentially made light work of most opposition throughout the campaign. It’s neat having the choice though which means if you’re one to experiment the option is there for you.
The combat is fairly accomplished here although there’s an element of numbers being calculated behind the scenes which in some instances feels a bit archaic – as in missing when clearly hitting the target. There are skills and attributes to add to your character when you level-up which improves your combative prowess but it takes some time to become more accomplished leaving the combat early on feeling a bit cheap at times. Opposition comes in the form of various humans, mutants and vile creatures alongside a few boss monstrosities thrown into the mix at key points. However, on one hand it’s neat seeing the fallen remain grounded as you pass through the same areas again but on the other, some constantly re-spawning enemies can begin to grate after a while as you fight the same battles over and over. A little more variety could have gone a long way here even if you’ve the choice to engage in a bit of stealth. talking of which there’s a few oddities with the AI not spotting fallen comrades right in front of them which is a little jarring.
The game offers plenty of role playing elements where you’ll undertake missions from various superiors and factions across three main hub areas. Its design isn’t anything new but works well enough which means please one faction whilst running the risk of losing standing with another to the point where you’ll get randomly attacked. There’s a whole cast of NPCs to converse with and many opportunities for optional side quests if you look around outside of the main story. As the tale unfolds, The Technomancer character takes on a more authoritarian role where NPCs look up to him for assistance with finding people, conducting investigations, negotiations and obviously underhand work which might involve a bit of brutality. There’s options for players to adopt a more sinister role in the grand scheme of things or take the moral high ground and avoid killing. This choice is available at all times because when in combat you’ve the option of harvesting serum from the fallen – serum being the game’s currency – of which you’ll get more if you kill knocked out opponents. That said, there are consequences to your actions which can sway relationships with others and ultimately how the story concludes.
Throughout the campaign you’ll gain some companions although this aspect is handled pretty poorly. Introductions to some characters are a bit vague and it’s quite easy to miss key moments when suddenly you find you’ve got several new party members to choose from leaving you wondering how you teamed up in the first place. That said, you’re then able to form meaningful relationships with your crew and with it some skill bonuses which come in handy. Each member has their own story to tell and with a bit of digging you can find out more and undertake optional side quests which could also lead to your character becoming a techno-romancer.
In terms of visuals, the game looks pretty neat (especially on PC in 4K) with some detailed textures and impressive lighting and shadow effects.It’s perhaps safe to say this is Spiders most detailed and diverse looking game to date. They have captured the cyberpunk flavour very well across the three main hub areas which have their own style and themes. The industrialized city of Ophir where you start the game offers dark back streets, neon lit slums, and a distinct moodiness that’s in complete contrast to the more organic Mutant Valley for example. There’s some great viewpoints and what’s more there’s a day and night cycle as well which provides more realistic open world locales to mess around in. Unfortunately, the NPCs are a little old school in that rather than feel a part of the world merely stand in the same spot moving in looped animations. Whilst it’s good there’s a bit of atmosphere the pre-canned routines spoil it somewhat.
Audio comes with a variety of flavours featuring an enchanting sound track and mixture of ambient sound effects making for a welcome aural palette. Coupled with some solid voice acting and you have a game that not only looks good but sounds great too.
Players can sink quite a bit of time into the game despite having to revisit the same locations many times over. And as mentioned, there’s a bit of repetition with the combat too which adds to the overall play time. That said, there’s plenty to see and do which means you’ll certainly get your monies worth. Coupled with difficulties and various dialogue choices means replay is also fairly high if you want to see how relationships pan out and events change at the end of the story. It’s quite possible to play through one time only though and by the end feel like you’ve had your fill.
The Technomancer is a neat cyberpunk game that follows Spiders previous works and improves on them with a very visible level of polish. Whilst it’s not all plain sailing, there’s still a compelling game here which perhaps does drag its feet a little towards the end. What really lets the game down though is the behind the scenes numbers and repetition with the combat which after so many hours does feel a bit forced in elongating the game’s longevity. However, if you really do get into the role of Technomancer than you’re likely to be thankful there’s plentiful cannon fodder to aid your character progression. With a meandering story, lots of characters and the choice to act like a nob or angel makes the game worth checking out despite the relatively minor negatives.
Score 8.5/10
Note: PC version reviewed.
