The Technomancer

Last updated

The Technomancer
The Technomancer cover art.jpg
Developer(s) Spiders
Publisher(s) Focus Home Interactive
Composer(s) Olivier Deriviere
Engine PhyreEngine
Platform(s) Microsoft Windows
PlayStation 4
Xbox One
Release28 June 2016
Genre(s) Action role-playing
Mode(s) Single-player

The Technomancer is a 2016 action role-playing video game developed by Spiders and published by Focus Home Interactive. It is set within the same universe as Spiders' previously developed game, Mars: War Logs . Olivier Deriviere scored the game. [1]

Contents

Gameplay

There are three styles of combat. The player can add companions to their party, who can then level up. [2] The player will also be able to improve their own combat abilities, and they can make different choices about how to solve each quest. [3] There are three different endings, and each is slightly modified by several major choices the player makes throughout the game. The player can craft their weapons and armor. There are four different skill trees. [4]

Plot

The game is set during the War of Water, 200 years after human colonization of Mars. [2] The protagonist is a rookie technomancer named Zachariah, [3] a former delinquent from Abundance, one of the powerful water guilds on the red planet. Soon after his initiation as a technomancer, Zachariah finds himself on the run from the guild's secret police. After fleeing the city of Ophir with a group of companions, he takes refuge in the hidden merchant city of Noctis, where he begins his search for a functioning communications beacon in order to reestablish contact with Earth. [5]

Development

The game was first announced on 10 April 2015. [6] Spiders wrote an open letter to PlayStation Blog accompanied by a new trailer for the game. [2] A 13-minute gameplay video was released on 7 August 2015, [3] and another five-minute video was released on 21 June 2015. [7]

In an April interview, CEO Jehanne Rousseau explained that "Mars is a lot bigger in The Technomancer compared to what you saw in Mars: War Logs." There will be several hubs and cities that can be unlocked. Rousseau estimated the main quest to be around 25 to 30 hours of play and "easily extended to around 50 hours with the inclusion of side quests." Overall there are around 4 times as many quests as there were in Bound by Flame. [8] In a second interview when asked about the possibility of DLC, Rousseau stated that the game would be a complete and finished product, and although they do not currently have plans for additional content after launch, Spiders "may consider it at a later date." [9] According to Spiders CEO and Creative Director, Jeanne Rousseau, the game is their largest and most expansive to date. [10]

Reception

The Technomancer received "mixed or average" reviews, according to video game review aggregator Metacritic. [11] [12] [13] IGN stated the game "has all the moving parts of a mid-2000s BioWare game but lacks technical polish and storytelling finesse to a sometimes painful degree." Combat was heavily criticized for its lack of "flow or rhythm" and difficulty that depends on random chance, but they praised the setting. [15]

Related Research Articles

Marvel Games is the licensing and publishing brand for video games based on Marvel properties, and is also the video game division of Disney Interactive. Before the incorporation of Marvel Games, video games based on Marvel properties released between 1982 and 1985 were handled by Marvel Comics Group, with Marvel video games from 1986 to 1998 being handled by Marvel Entertainment Group, while video games based on Marvel properties prior to the incorporation of Marvel Games were handled directly by Marvel Enterprises.

<i>LittleBigPlanet</i> Puzzle platform video game series

LittleBigPlanet is a puzzle platform video game series created and produced by British developer Media Molecule and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Most games in the series put a strong emphasis on user-generated content and are based on the series' tagline "Play, Create, Share". The tagline represents the three core elements of the series: playing alone or with others locally or online, creating new content using the in-game creation tools, and sharing creations and discoveries online with other players.

<i>Mars: War Logs</i> 2013 video game

Mars: War Logs is a cyberpunk role-playing video game developed by Spiders and published by Focus Home Interactive. It was released in 2013 for Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3. The game is set on Mars and features a character who can specialize in stealth, combat or 'technomancy'.

<i>N++</i> 2015 video game

N++ is a platform video game developed and published by Metanet Software. It is the third and final installment of the N franchise, which started with the Adobe Flash game N. It is the sequel to N+. The game was initially released for the PlayStation 4 on July 28, 2015, in North America, and July 29, 2015, in Europe, and was later released for the Microsoft Windows and macOS operating systems on August 25, 2016, and December 26, 2016, respectively. The Xbox One version was released on October 4, 2017. The Linux version of the game was released on May 31, 2018. An expansion to the game, entitled N++ Ultimate Edition, was released for the Windows version of the game on April 21, 2017, as a free update to the game. N++ Ultimate Edition was released for the Nintendo Switch on May 24, 2018.

<i>MLB 14: The Show</i> 2014 video game

MLB 14: The Show is a 2014 baseball video game developed by San Diego Studio and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita. A PlayStation 4 version was released the same year. It is the ninth installment in the MLB: The Show series and the first to be released on the PlayStation 4. Detroit Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera is the featured athlete on the cover. As with the previous two entries, Canada has a unique cover, with Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Brett Lawrie on the cover.

<i>Dex</i> (video game) 2015 video game

Dex is a side-scrolling action role-playing game developed and published by Dreadlocks Ltd. The game was crowdfunded on Kickstarter, and was released in 2015.

<i>Bound by Flame</i> 2015 action role-playing video game

Bound by Flame is a 2014 action role-playing video game developed by Spiders and published by Focus Home Interactive. Bound by Flame puts the player in the role of a victim of demonic possession, where it is necessary to choose between the evil powers that are offered or rejecting them in favor of developing heroic talents.

<i>Futuridium EP Deluxe</i> 2014 video game

Futuridium EP Deluxe is an indie shoot'em up video game developed by Italian developer MixedBag for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Microsoft Windows, OS X and Linux. It was released in North America on September 30, 2014 and on October 1, 2014 in Europe.

<i>Dragon Quest Heroes: The World Trees Woe and the Blight Below</i> 2015 video game

Dragon Quest Heroes: The World Tree's Woe and the Blight Below is a hack and slash game developed by Omega Force and published by Square Enix. It was released for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 in Japan in February 2015, and in North America, Australia and Europe only for PlayStation 4 in October 2015. It was later released for Microsoft Windows in December 2015. The game received generally positive reviews, with a sequel Dragon Quest Heroes II being released in Japan during May 2016. Dragon Quest Heroes would later be released with the sequel in a compilation for Nintendo Switch in Japan.

<i>Vampyr</i> (video game) 2018 video game

Vampyr is an action role-playing video game developed by Dontnod Entertainment and published by Focus Home Interactive. It was released for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One on 5 June 2018, and for Nintendo Switch on 29 October 2019. The plot relates how Jonathan Reid, a doctor who has turned into a vampire, is torn between the Hippocratic Oath and his newfound bloodthirsty nature.

<i>Dragon Quest Builders</i> 2016 video game

Dragon Quest Builders is a 2016 sandbox action role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Android iOS, and Microsoft Windows and published by Nintendo for Nintendo Switch.

<i>Dragon Quest XI</i> 2017 video game

Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age is a 2017 role-playing video game by Square Enix. The eleventh entry in the long-running Dragon Quest video game series, it was released in Japan for the Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation 4 in July 2017 and worldwide for the PlayStation 4 and Windows in September 2018. An enhanced version, Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age – Definitive Edition, was released for the Nintendo Switch in September 2019; for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One in December 2020; and for Stadia in March 2021. Taking place in a world called Erdrea, the game follows the hero's quest to save the world from an impending darkness. Throughout the game, he explores challenges related to his prophesied Luminary identity as he endures persecution from those who demonize him.

<i>Steelrising</i> 2022 video game

Steelrising is an action role-playing video game developed by Spiders and published by Nacon. The game was released for Windows PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and Series S in September 2022.

References

  1. "Olivier Deriviere | Free Listening on SoundCloud". Soundcloud.com. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 "The Technomancer Coming to PS4 – PlayStation.Blog". Blog.us.playstation.com. 6 August 2015. Archived from the original on 5 September 2015. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 "The Technomancer Gamescom 2015 trailer". Gematsu.com. 6 August 2015. Archived from the original on 20 April 2016. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
  4. "Spiders and Focus Home Interactive announce continued partnership for a new RPG: The Technomancer". Focus-home.com. Archived from the original on 1 September 2016. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
  5. "Review: The Technomancer (PS4)". 28 June 2016. Archived from the original on 13 April 2019. Retrieved 13 April 2019.
  6. Yin, Wesley (10 April 2015). "Bound by Flame dev announces cyberpunk RPG The Technomancer". Eurogamer.net. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
  7. Sykes, Tom (21 June 2015). "Here's five minutes of The Technomancer, Spiders' Martian RPG". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on 29 May 2016. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
  8. "Dev: The Technomancer Is Our Deepest & Richest Game to Date, Will Last Up to 50 Hours". Wccftech.com. 8 April 2016. Archived from the original on 14 July 2016. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
  9. "The Technomancer Interview - Mars Calls RPG Fans Once Again". Wccftech.com. 11 April 2016. Archived from the original on 19 July 2016. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
  10. "New trailer shows PS4 RPG The Technomancer in action - PlayStation.Blog.Europe". Blog.eu.playstation.com. 19 April 2016. Archived from the original on 5 June 2016. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
  11. 1 2 "The Technomancer for PC Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved 28 June 2016.
  12. 1 2 "The Technomancer for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved 28 June 2016.
  13. 1 2 "The Technomancer for Xbox One Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 1 January 2024. Retrieved 28 June 2016.
  14. D'Aprile, Jason (14 July 2016). "The Technomancer Review". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 17 July 2016. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  15. 1 2 Hafer, TJ (28 June 2016). "The Technomancer Review". IGN. Archived from the original on 28 June 2016. Retrieved 28 June 2016.
  16. Birnbaum, Ian (15 July 2016). "The Technomancer review". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on 17 July 2016. Retrieved 15 July 2016.