Surprisingly enough, inXile’s new first-person steampunk action roleplaying game, Clockwork Revolution, was unveiled today at the Xbox Games Showcase.
inXile CEO Brian Fargo shared the first details of Clockwork Revolution in a blog post on Xbox Wire. According to Fargo, the game features dynamic ‘time-bending’ combat, deep interconnected roleplaying systems, and the ability to create your own character. As previously reported, the project is led by Game Director Chad Moore and Principal Designer Jason Anderson, who created Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura (considered one of the best steampunk RPGs ever made) when they were at Troika Games.
Clockwork Revolution is set in a metropolis called Avalon during a fantastical take on a Victorian era where steam trains fly overhead, wealthy folks can replace their limbs with ornate clockwork prosthetics, and mechanical servants take care of all the hard work.
Not all is fine and dandy, though, as a dark secret held by Lady Ironwood is behind this supposed Golden Age. Through the use of a time travel device, Lady Ironwood has changed key moments in the history of Avalon, keeping the working class struggling in the slums and factories while bringing herself wealth and power.
The main character, following the discovery of Ironwood’s machination, uses a wondrous device known as the Chronometer to travel back in time, where they’ll choose how to influence the past, and then return to the present to experience the effects of their changes. Fargo promises ‘unprecedented and complex visual and narrative depth’, not to mention that the choices made during the players’ trips into the past will change the people, stories, and the city of Avalon in many ways, sometimes. inXile is attempting to increase roleplaying reactivity in Clockwork Revolution.
Fargo ended his blog post stating that this is the company’s biggest project yet thanks to the support of Microsoft. Clockwork Revolution is still early in development, though, and the trailer was captured from a pre-Alpha build. As such, the game will be released ‘when it’s ready’ on PC and Xbox Series S|X, appearing on Game Pass from day one.
