The Technomancer - gamescom Preview

Little has been shown of Spiders Studio sci-fi RPG The Technomancer, but at this year’s gamescom I got a chance to see the game in action. During a brief presentation, both concept art and gameplay were shown, highlighting the dusty setting of Mars, the futuristic/cyberpunk undertones and of course the combat.

The game is set on Mars and has you playing as a Technomancer, a proficient and deadly warrior with cybernetic magical powers. The story places you on the run from the secret police and sees you facing the deadly atmosphere of the red planet. In fact the setting of Mars was one of the things that struck me about the game. Dark foreboding buildings, dilapidated slums and dangerous wastelands were some of the areas that were shown throughout the presentation. It looked like a great setting that has potential for fascinating locations.

Mars is clearly an interesting place. It’s been colonised by Earth but also separated from the planet due to a cataclysmic event, making the Mars settlers completely isolated. This means resources are scarce and there’s a power play between the corporations who control them. One of these corporations is a water company who is in charge of handling the planet’s water supply. This company is run with Soviet ideals in mind, requiring hard work and diligence, they even have their own version of the KGB.

You play as a young man who comes from the very lowest class of society. You’ve been found to have the abilities which Technomancers have; a surprising discovery considering the class you belong to. The mission I saw had you defending a building which houses relics from Earth from a group of scavengers. There will be a range of combat styles in the game but the one I saw had the player using a double-edged electric staff. The melee attacks were slow but powerful, with other styles of fighting being quicker but less effective. Later on in the mission strange insectoid aliens attacked the player and the demo ended with a giant version of one of these aliens coming out to fight. The design of what looked to be a boss was brilliant; something akin to an enemy from Dead Space or Lost Planet.

There are also skill trees available offering active and passive skills for your character. Each fighting style has a skill tree, as does Technomancer. We were also told about the ways in which you can customise your character. These range from customising your weapons and armour, to equipping attributes and talents. Your attributes affect things such as strength and agility whereas talents effect social things such as Charisma which will bring about new conversation options.

Much like other RPGs, The Technomancer will allow you to recruit a total of five companions to aid you during the game. You can have two with you at any time and depending on your choices within the game certain companions can choose to stay with you or leave. These choices go further than that as well, as companions can aid each other, or even kill each other if certain things affect them. The range of choices applying to your companions also extends to missions, as you don’t have to engage in combat to get things done. You can attempt to use your charisma to get past guards for instance, or you can stealthily manoeuvre past them.

Overall The Technomancer looks like it could be an interesting sci-fi RPG when it releases next year. The setting of Mars coupled with the cyberpunk tone makes it a contender for a game that might very well surprise many people. Whist there were no major aspects of gameplay that stood out, everything looked enjoyable and fun. The Technomancer will release early next year for PS4, Xbox One and PC.