Game Review: The Technomancer (Xbox One)

“As you drink the sap of the world, the water that feeds our lives…abandon the one you thought you were and instead, become our brother, Zachariah Mancer.”

A post-apocalyptic RPG set in a cyberpunk world. Set on Mars during the War of Water, 200 years after humans colonized Mars. The protagonist is a rookie technomancer named Zachariah from Abundance, one of the powerful corporations on the red planet. He faces a myriad of questions as his future grows threatened by the secrets of his past.

After swearing an oath to defend The Technomancer’s secret and continue to find out the fate of Earth, Zachariah becomes a brother of the order. You begin in his home city of Abundance, meeting various companions such as Dr. Scott, Amelia and Niesha. The Technomancers have enemies due to their secretive and mysterious nature, one being the ASC. After returning to your superior Captain Eliza, you find yourself caught up in a conspiracy to take you down and must fight to save yourself and others trapped under the authority’s boot.

Combat is split into 3 different classes, as well as skill trees, I chose warrior which is similar to any type of mage combat. I found this to be the most effective and fun to use. Enemies are varied but always spawn in the same configuration in each area so it eventually feels extremely monotonous, especially if you have to travel through that area a lot (cough cough the underworks).

Visually the game looks great but for a cyberpunk environment, the cities look drab and dark. But hey, I got to customize my character so at least he stood out. The Technomancer has a lot of dialogue, you can learn what each character thinks of the area and help them out with personal quests. Eventually you can take 2 companions with you and even romance one (I use that in the loosest term). My romance was Andrew, a fellow Technomancer but there was very little romance dialogue and the sex scene was downright weird. I felt as if the game wanted me to date Niesha but I found her dull and rude, never taking her along on any missions unless I was forced to.

The Technomancer is one of the most frustrating games I’ve ever played. It has so much potential but lacks in so much. A fascinating concept is there somewhere, you just have to get through it to see it. I really thought they should’ve used Technomancer’s and their history a lot more, the beginning where I’m training and engaging with Master Sean felt so short. I was the most engaged during the missions that involved my fellow brothers and sisters. A lot of the game feels like fetch quests as you’re constantly back and forth and decisions hold little weight.

The environment is extremely linear and I was begging to explore the beautiful landscape ahead but couldn’t. In the end, I have no clue how a game with such an interesting concept turned out boring but somehow it was managed. From monotonous gameplay, to dull characters and duller conversations, if ever a game series was chosen to be rebooted and tried again, I’d say this was one to choose for sure. So much more could be done and I look forward to one day travelling to Abundance and not wanting to take a nap.