Inversion
Preview
Difference is the key
by Mariana Morales
previewed on PC
MultiVersion
Need another Third-Person shooter game to add to your collection? Imagine the world being attacked by aliens and gravity within your powers to your control. Namco Bandai’s Inversion had been previously delayed but with some tweaks and fine-tuning, this blend of games such as Infamous, Red Faction, and Gears of War may be worth your while, especially on the multiplayer side of things.
Inversion is set in a futuristic world where peace is disrupted by an invasion from an alien race known as the Lutadore and they love to cause mayhem with weapons that defy and even alter gravity. You are Davis Russel, a police officer but above all a father in search for his missing child. He wears his daughter’s rainbow-colored friendship bracelet with him at all times as he finds himself trying to survive in an ever changing world - and you can take that literally. As far as the story goes, that’s pretty much it. However, sometimes we play not for the story but for the cool gadgets and a refreshing gaming experience.
Gravlink
David, supported by his neighbor Leo Delgado, begins the game escaping a prison camp which the Lutadore have created. He manages to steal some alien technology, walking off with a weapon called a Gravlink that allows its wielder to control gravity in various ways. ‘Low gravity’ is a blue force that can grab enemies and make them float. Once you have your enemy floating in the air, you can move them around, bring them in closer, shoot him while he is still in the air or you could even send explosives their direction. I can recommend grabbing some flammable liquid for that purpose to create a Molotov; it can create quite a stir. No matter what you choose, the Havok Destruction engine gives you that ragdoll feature that always makes it fun. Who doesn’t like throwing enemies around and seeing how high in the sky they can fly?
The Gravlink also creates gravity blasts which is a useful tool for making random objects slam into enemies. Alternatively, you can pick up objects and then move them around, for instance to use a large object as a shield against incoming fire. As environments are destructible, you can take advantage of all sorts of objects lying about and if there are none, it is simply a matter of destroying something.
By using the ‘high gravity’ function, you can push heavy crates, offering a neat way of crushing someone underneath. More interestingly, it creates Gravity wells that make travel on different dimensions on the map possible. Fighting from the walls and ceilings definitely makes things interesting! But remember, enemies use anti-gravity weapons on you too. You are, after all, using - their - technology. The Lutadore often catch you mid-air, a perfect vantage point to shoot them from but perhaps a little too vulnerable a position.
You’re not alone
During the single player campaign, your partner Leo Delgado is always with you and controlled by the CPU. He is also - along with two other characters - available for four player co-op, allowing you to complete the main campaign together with one or more friends, facing waves of enemies and a boss creature unique to co-op at the end of each level.
Besides the usual Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch modes, there are a number of cool multiplayer modes to play with too. One that stands out is Hourglass and has two teams trying to take over a control point in which the first team only has low gravity powers, and second has high gravity powers. Once a team takes over a point, the level then like an hourglass, turns the other way flipping over.
Difference is the key
Inversion’s cover system can be used whenever when the action is a little too much to take, giving you an opportunity to regenerate your health while staying out of the fire zone. New upgrades for your Gravlink can be unlocked as well, giving you access to better new abilities and improvements on existing ones, like lifting larger objects. If you’re tired of the Gravlink (though it’s difficult to see how), you can always fall back to more mundane weapons such as assault rifles and grenades.
Whatever weapon you chose, Inversion is sure to stand out from other Third-Person Shooters. It delivers intriguing new features that could prove truly entertaining for a long time, especially during multi-player sessions.
