Xbox and inXile have given us an in-depth look at Clockwork Revolution, and in a word, it is looking ambitious. The steampunk time-bending first-person RPG got a five-minute deep dive at the Xbox Games Showcase overnight that gave us a lot to chew on.
At a glance, the most clear comparisons this trailer draws are the likes of Dishonored or BioShock. It differentiates itself from these titles by promising to be far more of a choice-driven RPG. You’ll be playing a customisable character named Morgan, who steals the time-manipulating powers of the ruling Lady Ironwood to use how you see fit. How you go about that exactly is up to you, and between this trailer and the Xbox Wire Interview with some of the game’s leads, choice and consequence is a clear design pillar.
This trailer also gets into the weeds of The Tangle. Your character is from this region of the city, and that grime-covered slum vibe connects to the class-warfare themes. To take part in this warfare, your arsenal will include guns, gadgets, and time-bending powers. Slowing time to dodge bullets or reversing it to reload is cool, but the standout in this sneak peek was weapon customisation. A very flashy menu showed off a lot of options for you to live out your steampunk tinkering dreams. Although if one of your abilities turns enemies directly into skeletons like an old-timey cartoon, I eagerly await the in-fiction justification for using anything else.
The trailer also takes a second to remind us that despite all the action, this is an RPG. Speaking with Xbox Wire, Game Director Chad Moore says this “highlights our multi-person conversations”, continuing that “some conversations will have multiple people involved, and who you choose to speak to can send you down different dialogue branches.” It will be interesting to see how prevalent these scenarios end up being in the full game. Regardless, distracting beard physics aside, it also confirms a fully voiced protagonist.
Promising this level of choice-driven consequence, especially with time travel as a central plot and mechanical element, is potentially a huge risk. But when Wasteland 3 launched a few years ago, it surprised me at every turn with reactivity. Choices would ripple across the entire adventure, and in surprising ways. With this premise, making player choices truly impactful will be a big acid test for the game. Although given their history, I am cautiously very optimistic for Clockwork Revolution.
Despite looking very far along, we sadly did not get any indication of a release date. As they say in the stinger, Clockwork Revolution is coming in due time.
About the Author
Austin Gallagher
he/him
Austin enjoys long walks on the beach, sunsets, and games with turn-based tactical combat. If he isn't save-scumming in XCOM or a immersive sim, running a tabletop RPG, or climbing a rock wall... wait that's not Austin... what is that?
