Summary
- Clockwork Revolution shifts inXile's previous genre focus to an FPS RPG in a steampunk fantasy setting reminiscent of Dishonored and BioShock.
- Clockwork Revolution's character creator pokes fun at Oblivion and Skyrim's well-known framework.
- The upcoming title promises humor, a unique world, and storytelling with gameplay mechanics tied to player choices.
InXile Entertainment is known mainly for its CPRGs, with ones like Wasteland (a precursor to the Fallout series) and Torment: Tides of Numenera. But its next upcoming title, Clockwork Revolution, marks a big shift from the developer's previous projects, as it is an action-oriented FPS RPG. After being first revealed at the 2023 Xbox Games Showcase before going a little quiet, Clockwork Revolution recently returned in a big way with a new trailer shown at the latest Showcase during this year's Summer Game Fest.
Clockwork Revolution's steampunk fantasy setting looks to be a little bit BioShock with a dab of Dishonored, while having its own distinct vibes and inXile's patented sense of humor. Part of the focus of the new trailer was the story setup that then flowed into showing off some of the game's character creation. And it cleverly makes use of a well-worn facet from The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion and Skyrim in this area.
InXile did not announce a firm release date for Clockwork Revolution, with the trailer only stating that it would be coming "in due time." It is confirmed to be arriving on Game Pass day-one.
Clockwork Revolution's Main Gimmick Could Make or Break its Narrative
Clockwork Revolution is looking extremely promising, hinging on a central narrative mechanic that is risky, but hopefully rewarding.
Clockwork Revolution's Character Creator Looks Like a Hilarious Take on Oblivion and Skyrim's
The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion and Skyrim Use the Same Famous Framework for Character Creation
As has become widely known and often parodied by fans, both recent mainline Elder Scrolls games see players start from the same exact position—a seemingly random prisoner in the clutches of the ruling empire. After a brief intro, fans can then tailor an avatar to their liking in the creation process. Of course, no matter what race or appearances players pick, in both cases, this prisoner is destined to become the Hero of Kvatch in Oblivion and Skyrim's Dragonborn, respectively. Bethesda invoking this origin for the player character twice in a row for its flagship series has made it the stuff of memes since, however, and the sentiment is sometimes that it may be wearing a little thin.
To be fair, Skyrim and Oblivion do offer an extensive range of customization options. Oblivion Remastered's character creator was further overhauled and modernized to a highly polished sheen. It still retained much of the old-school charm, though, allowing fans to create an array of characters from the truly bizarre and off-putting to the most chiseled peak of physical beauty. It seems Clockwork Revolution is set on continuing this tradition, but with a highly entertaining twist.
How Clockwork Revolution's Character Creator Pokes Fun at Skyrim and Oblivion's
Across all of its games, inXile is known to inject a lot of wacky and offbeat humor along with its more serious plots and themes. In the latest trailer for Clockwork Revolution, an antagonistic figure known as "The Knob" storms into what appears to be the local constabulary to register a complaint about a theft. This crime was orchestrated by the player's character, Morgan Vanet, as a voiceover describes their heist and subsequent getaway.
When a mechanical police officer requests that The Knob describe the culprit, this leads to showing a bit of Clockwork Revolution's character generation. As various attributes are selected and changed, The Knob alters his description, going through gender, physical body type, facial hair (or lack thereof) and other traits. Just as in Skyrim and Oblivion, Clockwork Revolution's protagonist is indeed a criminal. Only here, the narrative method and reason given for fans to design their characters is a clever reversal of The Elder Scrolls' recognized use.
Another factor that adds perhaps an almost meta-layer to this is the fact that inXile was acquired by Xbox Game Studios in 2018, while Bethesda was brought into the fold in 2021. With both studios now under Microsoft's banner, it creates a bit of playful teasing specifically between their incorporation of character creators. Clockwork Revolution thus promises a fun take on this along with its interesting setting and story.
- Developer(s)
- inXile entertainment
- Publisher(s)
- Xbox Game Studios
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 5
