It was an unfortunate coincidence that, on the day I finally defeated the mighty Kala, final boss of Indivisible, news was breaking that several developers were cutting ties with it's studio, Lab Zero. These parties stated the actions of, and working conditions created by, Indivisible's chief designer as the reason for their departure, and, sure enough, further delving into the story reveals the action of a pretty unsavoury character.
I know (too) many people believe that a piece of media and the actions of it's creator are not connected - you only need to look at the free pass afforded Micheal Jackson for decades to see evidence of that - but I don't fall into that camp and my first instinct was to keep my thoughts on this game to myself, rather than promote the work of someone who, by several, unconnected, seemingly reliable, accounts is a bit of a prick (to put it lightly).
But as I watched the credits roll by with the names of the scores of creative minds who contributed to Indivisible, it occurred to me that it would be ridiculous to disavow the game based on the nature of the one asshat at the top of the tree who was getting paid the big bucks - and this is especially pertinent in the case of Indivisible because I found it to be a wonderful experience, and I'd hope to convince the meager few readers of this review to play it.
Apparently it's a pretty common thing to play a game (or watch a movie, or listen to an album), gather your thoughts, and then head to the internet to see what everyone else thinks. I've done this for a very long time so I'm obviously biased in believing it to be a much healthier approach than obsessing over reviews and the opinions of others before you've made up your own mind.
It's not unusual, when doing this, to find that general reception to a piece does not align with my own. In the case of Indivisible the old spectre of weighing a game against expectations seems to be a common theme amongst both professional and consumer reviews, with the demon of genre conventions also colouring the thoughts of many.
There's no denying that Indivisible was marketed as both an RPG and a Metroidvania, and it's just as true that it's allusions to both of those genres are brought to bare with a pretty light touch, but, similarly to another game I played recently; Owlboy, I find myself won over by what the game IS, rather than what it ISN'T.
Featuring a unique, absorbing, combat system that is both real-time and turn based, beautiful artwork and animation, wonderful voice acting, and an affecting story, Indivisible succeeds on so many levels that it's failure to bring any real RPG trappings to proceedings was of very little consequence to me.
The lack of full-blown metroidvania exploration is slightly more of an issue, but only because the game teases you with what could be on several occasions. There's a brilliant extended platforming sequence around the three-quarter distance mark, for example, which presents a challenge for which all your learnt abilities are required to overcome. There are shortcuts and hidden rooms that become available as new techniques are unlocked, but sense of a world opening up is never really achieved.
The core of the game, however, is doubtlessly it's combat, and in this area Indivisible is simply exceptional.
If you were to look at a screenshot of a battle in Indivisible it would be very easy to mistake it's approach for that of a traditional turn based RPG system. Your team stand on one side, the enemy on the other, you have health and you have hit points. But that's more or less where the similarities end.
Each member of your four strong team is assigned a face button. This is used it to make them attack at any time during your 'turn'. Each attack can be modified in various ways through directional input and most can make use of an accumulated energy bar, called Iddhi.
Later in the game, when your strength is buffed and your roster has been expanded by recruiting characters met in the course of the story, it's possible, through judicious timing and creative use of the cast's vast array of different abilities, to defeat the enemies without them getting much of a look in at all.
You'll find additions to your entourage who are combo specialists and others who are jugglers, there are tanks and speed demons, their are healers and even a character whose abilities are almost entirely passive. It's very much a system that rewards experimentation, and I found it impossible to resist tinkering with my team every time a new member was added - and this is key to the success of the system. With twenty or so characters to collect a 'permutation calculator' I found on the internet tells me that there almost 6000 possible combinations, so realistically the only limit is your imagination (although it must be said that some character are blatantly far better and more developed than others..
As much as the combat is the star of the show in terms of gameplay, it surprises me to say that the story shines almost as brightly.
It surprises me because I'm of the firm opinion that not only is a story an inessential element for a video game, but that the vast majority of stories presented in this medium are sub-B-movie level claptrap that rarely have any relationship to the actions you undertake when playing.
It's high praise from me, then, to say that Indivisible not only has a very well written, affecting, story, but that your actions in the game, particularly in the first half, feel entirely in keeping with that story. Furthermore, the delivery of the narrative takes place mostly through voice acting, the quantity and quality of which adds immensely to the classiness of the product and the success with which the game brings relate-ability to, and empathy for, the characters.
So, to reiterate an earlier point; yes, it's true that Indivisible doesn't offer much for RPG fans, and it's metroidvania elements are a mixed bag. But if you forget about what the game appears to be - and even what the marketing team claim it to be - and instead enjoy it for what it is, you'll find a stunning south asian inspired world, inhabited by a bewildering array of characters for you to fight with, and against using a unique, compelling battle system... and all while enjoying a story that is delivered with class, style, and emotional weight.
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