One of the more unexpected reveals from the recent Xbox Showcase was inXile's new genre-bending steampunk FPS Clockwork Revolution. The title already looks like a significant departure from inXile's previous work, with a clear line of inspiration drawn from BioShock: Infinite in both its setting and visual presentation. inXile has long proven itself to be a capable developer and has been consistently producing quality RPGs for years, so to see them pivot into a narrative-driven first-person shooter like BioShock or Dishonored is an interesting premise that's rife with opportunity for the developer to introduce mechanics from its best title to-date - Wasteland 3.
Wasteland 3 released in 2020 to rave reviews and strong critical reception, proving itself to be the strongest entry in the long-running Wasteland series. Famously, some of the team behind the original Wasteland would go on to create Fallout, and inXile brought back many of the core team for work on Wasteland 2 and 3. While the BioShock series is known for its blending of "RPG-lite" mechanics with first-person gunplay, inXile has an opportunity to differentiate Clockwork Revolution from its surface-level comparisons to BioShock: Infinite by leaning heavily into the template established in Wasteland 3 for deep RPG mechanics and systems.
Wasteland 3's Impactful Choices Should Return in lockwork Revolution
Wasteland 3 continued a rich tradition of Western RPGs that use the choices made by the player to shape the world they inhabit in-game. Titles like Mass Effect, Fallout, Elder Scrolls, and even BioShock have found clever ways to incorporate player choice toward having a long-lasting impact in how certain plot points unfold or affect the way other characters react to the player. The original Wasteland was famous for how important and impactful player choice was in affecting the game's outcome, and Wasteland3 is no different.
The debut trailer for Clockwork Revolution from the Xbox Showcase hinted at a time-travel component to the game, showing the game's city of Avalon in either separate timelines or before and after a temporal disruption. Narration during the trailer also indicates that the player is being hunted, and the bounty on their heads may be a result of using time travel to disrupt the current timeline. Already, Clockwork Revolution looks to continue the tradition of impactful choice from Wasteland 3, with every action of the player potentially having far-reaching consequences and creating branching realities.
Incorporating Wasteland 3's Build Variety and Freedom in Approaching Situations
As a squad-based tactical RPG, Wasteland 3's combat was highly regarded as some of the best in the genre. Along with other CRPGs like Divinity: Original Sin 2, players were given nearly limitless freedom in how they crafted their dream party and used their various skills to approach a variety of combat scenarios. Players who got creative with their Wasteland 3 builds and party compositions could find themselves immensely capable of dispatching foes using either conventional or unconventional methods. inXile's skill at providing players with a litany of options to choose from in how they craft out their builds should absolutely make a return in Clockwork Revolution.
In addition to its visual aesthetic, here again is where Clockwork Revolution could see similarities drawn between itself and BioShock thanks to that game's similar freedom in how players crafted their character and allotted skills. In order to clearly differentiate itself from BioShock and stand out from a whole host of BioShock-likes, Clockwork Revolution should fully lean into the idea of granting the player the same kind of freedom in their character build as was found in Wasteland 3. inXile has been steadily growing in scope as a studio, consistently putting out quality titles that have seen it grow and expand. Clockwork Revolution looks to be its most ambitious title to-date, and it has a chance to stand out among the crowd by borrowing heavily from its developer's previous titles.
Clockwork Revolution is in development for PC and Xbox Series X/S.