Glossy, steampunk-infused,BioShock-influencedClockwork Revolutionlooks to be aiming high with its narrative. The game’s premise is ambitious and experimental, particularly for the interactive medium, and exactly how far InXile Entertainment stretches this premise, and how finely tuned it winds up being, will be the difference betweenClockwork Revolution’s success and failureon the narrative front.
For the unapprised,Clockwork Revolutiontakes place in a technologically advanced city called Avalon, which has achieved steam-powered superiority through more than just hard work and human ingenuity. Through as-of-yet unexplained means, Lady Ironwood, a leader in Avalon, is capable of traveling back in time, altering key moments in history to shape the present-day according to her vision. The problem is that her vision involves gross inequality, with the rich getting richer and more powerful thanks to these steampunk machines and machinations, while the poorest members of society live as slaves. This is where the player-character comes in, accessing the same time-travel tech as Ironwood and using it to change the present, with the aim of building a better future.
Clockwork Revolution’s Time-Bending Narrative Could Either Be Powerful or Nonsensical
Clockwork Revolution’s Plot Has a Fine Line to Walk
Before getting into the questions of narrative interactivity, which are indeed important givenClockwork Revolution’s premise, it’s worth examining the substance of this story outside the context of gameplay. Time travel stories can be tough to get right, but in the case of this game, it would appear that time travel is leveraged for a specific and all-too-relatable reason: to change the past, revising what one might view as mistakes throughout history. Such an idea is naturally alluring to many people, since it’s completely impossible to change the past in the real world. But because this power is so fundamentally inhuman and unnatural, it can yield profound philosophical questions.
For instance, the game may explore the concept of the “best possible world.” After all, if onehas the power to alter the pastand prevent bad things from happening, why stop at just one or two major events? Someone could be constantly revising history, tweaking it for the best results for themselves or society at large. And, of course, perfection could probably never be fully achieved, resulting in either acceptance or madness on the part of the time-traveler.
It’s within this context that the player-character will engage with the narrative’s time-traveling hijinks. Will she attempt to create her own utopia, or will she simply rebel against Lady Ironwood’s bourgeoisie regime to no specific end? Or will she get a reality check, eventually understanding that changing the past comes with unexpected strings attached? These are weighty, philosophically complex questions that willinevitably play intoClockwork Revolution’s story.
Clockwork Revolution’s Time Travel Will Be Steered by the Player
InXile has promised thatClockwork Revolutionwill feature some sort of branching narrative, describing the player’s actions at several moments as having a “butterfly effect,” altering the game world in “unprecedented ways.” This is vague, of course, but it indicates that the player will have some pull on the story, which is quite a can of worms, regardless of how it’s opened.
There’s a moment in the trailer where a character (presumably the protagonist) cries “Oh no, what did I do?” as the footage shows a city plunged into chaos and poverty. This strongly suggests that the player’s actions can essentially flip the game world on its head, potentially creating a nightmarish civilization. This is exciting in theory, but it could be hard to implement naturally. So many games promise the player radical control over every facet of their narratives, but very few actually live up to that promise, with most of the others funneling the player down one “right” path, with the others being more like Easter eggs or novelties than strong, healthy narrative branches. Hopefully,Clockwork Revolution’s time-bending storylands it in the former category.
