What we know about Clockwork Revolution

A great RPG deserves a deep story and a spectacular setting, and inXile knows that. You can’t help but fall in love with the game's steampunk environment. Expect a Victorian atmosphere that shares its aesthetic look and feel with masterpieces like BioShock Infinite and Dishonored. The world is incredibly rich, starring human characters with clockwork prosthetics alongside automatons (mechanical helpers) that give the RPG a distinct appearance. The weapons look authentic as well, and that is exactly the kind of detail that helps suck you into this fantasy world.

Does that smell a bit like Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura? We’ll dive into the roots of inXile in a moment, but yes, Arcanum is very much connected to Clockwork Revolution. inXile feels that steampunk hasn’t been well-represented in modern RPGs, and this project is a direct nod to that classic. Arcanum was developed by Troika Games, another team of RPG veterans who also created The Temple of Elemental Evil (props if you know that one) and Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines. Both are incredible RPGs, so it’s a massive plus that inXile actually hired veterans from that studio to help build Clockwork Revolution.

Some spoilers below the trailer!

You play as Morgan Vanette, a customizable character and member of the Rotten Row Hooligans gang. Morgan soon discovers that their world has been meticulously altered by the enigmatic Lady Ironwood. Using time travel, she has unnaturally manipulated history to amass immense wealth and power for herself, all while keeping the working class firmly under her heel. After discovering her method of traveling through time, you are thrust into a reality-bending adventure to turn back the clock and right Ironwood’s wrongs - however you see fit.

You can fully customize your appearance, of course, and it’s wonderful to see that inXile stays true to the steampunk setting. If you want a character with flamboyant clothing, a big mustache, a monocle, and a dapper bowtie, Clockwork Revolution has got you covered.

The real treat, however, is the weapon customization. The trailer showed a ton of modification options, like upgrading a standard pistol with a Snub Nose Barrel or a Long Barrel, as well as more exotic components like a Steam-Propelled Receiver or a Steam-Assisted Receiver. We also caught a glimpse of a Fire Carbine that can be upgraded with an Air-Regulated Barrel, a Hush Puppy Barrel, or a Howitzer Barrel. You can even add a Skeleton Stock to improve mobility while aiming. You will need Gun Parts and Metal Cylinders to craft these upgrades, meaning you'll have to make tough choices. You can’t have everything all at once.

Warning for sensitive gamers: There might be some minor story spoilers in the next section. Feel free to skip ahead if you want to go in completely blind!

Combat is entirely first-person and happens in real-time, so there are no turn-based elements or active pause mechanics from what we’ve gathered. The shooter action looks fast and dynamic, especially since you can use environmental elements like fire and electricity to your advantage.

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You can also combine offensive actions with your time manipulation skills. For example, the trailer shows the protagonist throwing a grenade that launches an enemy into the air, only to finish them off with a fatal mid-air gun salvo. It looks a bit like Dishonored, which is absolutely a massive compliment.

Your primary tool for altering history is the Chronometer, and the trailer highlighted a powerful new ability called Displace. This skill allows you to telekinetically reposition heavy objects, such as hurling an explosive barrel directly into a group of enemies. While not explicitly shown in combat, Displace will also be used to open hidden pathways and solve environmental puzzles, adding a healthy dose of brainpower to the action.

[original] Time manipulation is nothing new to RPG gamers, but it is always incredibly fun when executed correctly. In Clockwork Revolution, time is at the absolute center of both the narrative and the gameplay. You discover an invention that allows you to travel into the past of the steampunk metropolis Avalon, giving you the power to alter history. Even small alterations and player choices will trigger a butterfly effect across the entire world. Characters will change physically and respond completely differently based on how you've messed with the timeline. This could bring a whole new level of replayability to the RPG genre.

Naturally, time manipulation heavily influences core gameplay in ways that will feel familiar to gamers. Expect to rewind time after making a mistake, execute impossible jumps, and physically reconstruct destroyed environments to use as cover. You can also exploit time during combat - such as clawing back ammunition after fatally wounding an enemy or using time delay to line up headshots. We also saw a portable turret you can deploy via a grenade, and a terrifying skill that drastically accelerates an enemy's aging process, turning them into a skeleton in seconds.