Name: The Technomancer
Release Date: 28 June, 2016
Developer: Spiders
Publisher: Focus Home Interactive
Genre: Action RPG
Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC
Reviewed on: PS4
The development team Spiders doesn’t have a lot of successful games out to this day in the RPG genre.
The last game Bound By Flame is a solid game, but lacks the depth and width we expect from an RPG game. But then again, Spiders are making games with a small budget and tight deadlines, this equals limitations to the games. The Technomancer is no different sadly, there are a few glimpses of greatness in the game, but I get the feeling it’s clumsy and unfinished. Compared to the competition (Witcher 3 and Dark Souls), can’t The Technomancer get close to hitting the same level as they do in the RPG genre.
Story
You play as a Technomancer on Mars, Technomancer’s are one of the breeds on Mars, a sci-fi warrior mage. Mankind is fighting to survive on the planet against monsters and mutants. To make a summary of the story, is the world in sort of police state based on religious rule.
The planet is divided into four different city parts, and the settlement put in different working classes.
You play as Zachariah Mancer, a new Technomancer caught in the middle of struggle of the army and the secret police of the abandoned corporation.
The story is a follow up to the 2013 RPG Mars: War Logs, there is no hint of this in the game though.
One big minus to The Technomancer is that I feel the game is quite linear, a good RPG game is more open world and not linear.
Graphics
“Oh the graphics are so good, the environment is so beautiful and inspiring to watch” – this is something I would say about the graphics back in 2008. Sure The Technomancer has some fine moments in there, but unfortunately for the development team and its deadlines the game comes in for short, unpolished and lack of interest.
Gameplay
If you are familiar to Bound By Flame, the combat system is quite similar. And that doesn’t mean it is a good thing. Because I didn’t like it. The combat is fun to watch which equals exciting animations and variety of parkour abilities, but then again comes the control system. It’s clumsy to control at its best and unacceptable at worst.
“Imagine Geralt from the Witcher series, strip off his clothes, armor and weapons, and fight off some Griffins. How did you do? Did you kill it or did you die? “
In The Technomancer the enemies are always much more stronger than you, the crafting and upgrading equipments doesn’t seem to have any impact at all. I’m basically just jumping around instead of actual fighting while I look a badass.
Even when I play the game on the lowest level, with the best gear and weapons in the game. The lowest leveled enemies feels much stronger and more deadly than me. The whole RPG genre is simply gone.
Mash the buttons, especially the dodge button. You will get familiar with the dodge button more than the attack button, but be careful when to stop spamming the dodge button or else you will probably die from the dog licking you in the face.
The Verdict
The Technomancers lack of good RPG game elements could have been forgiven, if the developer team got to polish and finish the game properly, and changed the combat system since it was badly constructed in this game. The storytelling could have been more interesting if the characters in the game didn’t get me this feeling, that they rather be somewhere else than here talking to me. But then again, the game does have a few moments that are extraordinary, but this is not enough to satisfy an RPG gamer.
4/10
+ World setting and environments
+ Few extraordinary moments
– Story
– Combat system / Controls
– Feels unfinished and lack of interest in the game
