The Technomancer

Set on a futuristic and hostile Mars, ‘The Technomancer’ is an action RPG where players assume the role of a technomancer, a formidable warrior with the ability to harness devastating electrical powers. The game’s narrative is driven by player choices, branching storylines, and consequences that shape the journey across the Red Planet, offering a deep and immersive sci-fi experience with combat, skill progression, and exploration at its core.

The Technomancer: Review

Introduction

In the often-flooded landscape of action role-playing games (RPGs), few titles arrive with as distinct a niche as The Technomancer. Released in 2016 by French developer Spiders and published by Focus Home Interactive, it stands as a singular, ambitious creation: a cyberpunk epic transplanted not onto the rain-slicked streets of a dystopian Earth, but onto the windswept, desolate plains of a war-torn Mars. As the spiritual successor to their earlier Mars: War Logs, the game promised to expand upon a unique universe, blending science fiction with fantasy elements to create a vision of a future where humanity’s greatest curse is not its technology, but its own thirst for power. Its central conceit—a “mage-warrior” harnessing destructive electrical powers through cybernetic implants—is a compelling hook, offering a fresh perspective on the well-worn tropes of the genre.

However, the legacy of The Technomancer is one of fascinating potential tragically shackled by significant technical and design shortcomings. It is a game that dreams of being a sprawling, choice-driven epic in the vein of The Witcher 3, yet is ultimately hampered by a budget that could not support its vision. This review will delve exhaustively into the game’s DNA, dissecting its rich yet underdeveloped narrative, its ambitious but flawed combat and progression systems, and its evocative yet technically limited world. By examining its development context, thematic core, and the polarized reception it received, we will ultimately determine whether The Technomancer is a flawed diamond, a noble failure, or simply a game that should have remained a launch trailer fantasy. The thesis, therefore, is that The Technomancer represents a fascinating case study in the challenges of mid-budget development, delivering a world brimming with ideas and a surprisingly deep RPG foundation, but one that is perpetually undermined by a lack of polish and the crippling weight of its own ambitions.

Development History & Context

To understand The Technomancer, one must first understand its creators, Spiders SARL. Founded in 2008 and led by CEO and Creative Director Jehanne Rousseau, the Paris-based studio has carved out a specific, if not universally acclaimed, niche for itself. Spiders has built a reputation for producing solid, if often unpolished, action RPGs with a strong focus on narrative choice, character development, and distinct, often dark fantasy or science fiction settings. Prior to The Technomancer, their portfolio included titles like Faery: Legends of Avalon, Of Orcs and Men, and the aforementioned Mars: War Logs (2013), which established the Martian universe that would serve as the game’s backdrop. This iterative approach, building upon a familiar universe, was a deliberate choice to focus their limited resources on refining core mechanics rather than building a world entirely from scratch.

The game was officially announced on April 10, 2015, with Spiders penning an open letter to the PlayStation Blog to detail their vision. Rousseau was explicit in her ambitions for the title, stating, “Mars is a lot bigger in The Technomancer compared to what you saw in Mars: War Logs.” She promised several hubs and cities, an estimated 25-30 hours for the main quest easily extended to 50 with side quests, and a staggering “4 times as many quests as there were in Bound by Flame,” the studio’s previous RPG. This was clearly pitched as Spiders’ largest and most ambitious project to date, a statement of intent to compete with the bigger players in the genre. The technological foundation chosen for this ambitious leap was the Sony PhyreEngine, an in-house middleware solution used by many smaller studios to create cross-platform titles without the immense cost of developing a proprietary engine from the ground up. This choice speaks directly to the game’s budgetary constraints; it was a capable enough engine for the generation, but not one known for pushing graphical or technical boundaries.

The release of The Technomancer in June 2016 placed it in a fiercely competitive gaming landscape. It arrived in the wake of genre titans like The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (2015) and shortly before the behemoth that was Fallout 4 (late 2015). These AAA benchmarks set an impossibly high bar for open-world size, narrative depth, and technical polish. The Technomancer, with its smaller budget and team of 160 credited developers, was never intended to compete on that level. Instead, it occupied a space alongside other mid-budget RPGs of the era—games like Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen or Divinity: Original Sin—offering a different kind of experience without the marketing muscle or development resources. Its reception would be a direct reflection of this context: praised for its ambition and RPG systems, but ultimately judged against an unfair standard, and found wanting in the areas of visual fidelity and technical execution. Spiders, in essence, was trying to build a cathedral with the resources of a parish church, and the structural limitations were impossible to hide.

Narrative & Thematic Deep Dive

The Technomancer‘s narrative is, without question, its greatest strength and most compelling feature. Set 200 years after a cataclysmic solar event severed the Martian colony from Earth, the game’s world is a harsh, unforgiving desert where water is the ultimate source of power. This “War of Water” rages between the four Water Guilds that control the planet’s resources, creating a politically charged and morally grey sandbox. The protagonist, Zachariah, is a rookie technomancer from the most powerful of these guilds, Abundance. His journey begins with his initiation into the secretive order of technomancers—individuals with cybernetic implants that grant them the ability to wield lightning. This initial promise of power is brutally shattered when Zachariah is framed for treason by Abundance’s ruthless secret police, the ASC, forcing him to flee his home of Ophir and go on the run.

The plot, as established across multiple sources, is a classic sci-fi odyssey of discovery and survival. Zachariah’s primary goal is to find a functional communications beacon to re-establish contact with Earth, a quest that serves as the backbone of the main narrative. However, the game’s true narrative depth emerges from the web of factions, allegiances, and personal relationships Zachariah navigates. This is where Spiders’ design philosophy shines brightest. The narrative is not a linear railroad but a reactive web of choices, both major and minor. A key example is a fateful mission for the military where, regardless of whether you capture or execute the targets as ordered, the corrupt Colonel Viktor will always frame you. This “But Thou Must!” moment brilliantly illustrates the game’s central theme: the individual is powerless against a corrupt system, and even the most loyal soldier can be made a scapegoat. The resulting choice—to escape and fight back or perish—is a powerful catalyst for the rest of the story.

The game’s dialogue and character interactions are surprisingly robust for its scale. Zachariah can engage his companions and key NPCs in extensive conversations, digging into their backstories, motivations, and opinions on current events. This system directly feeds into the game’s outstanding Karma System. Karma is not just a simple morality meter; it directly impacts gameplay. If Zachariah kills needlessly for Serum (the game’s form of currency, which can be harvested from the bodies of the dead), his party members will begin to resent him. They will backtalk, disobey commands, and may even desert him entirely. This creates a tangible, mechanical consequence for player actions, making every decision feel weighty. For instance, sparing a criminal in a side-quest might cost you Serum in the short term but earn you the respect and continued loyalty of your companions, who value mercy. The game successfully explores themes of power and corruption, the burden of unique abilities, and the struggle for survival in a society built on scarcity. The story culminates in a bittersweet ending where Zachariah and his companions learn that Earth was destroyed long ago. This revelation forces a final, crucial choice: reveal this truth and potentially spark a planetary revolution, or keep it secret to maintain a fragile, albeit unjust, peace. This final decision, shaped by the player’s Karma and prior choices, provides a thematically resonant and narratively satisfying conclusion to Zachariah’s journey.

Gameplay Mechanics & Systems

If the narrative is The Technomancer‘s soul, then its gameplay is its heart, a complex and ambitious system that is simultaneously its greatest strength and its most significant point of failure. At its core, the gameplay is an action RPG built around three distinct combat stances, which Zachariah can switch between on the fly. These stances define both his playstyle and his role in combat. The Rogue stance combines a one-handed melee weapon with a pistol, emphasizing agility, dodges, and crowd control via gunfire. The Guardian stance utilizes a one-handed weapon and a shield, focusing on defense, parrying, and protecting allies. Finally, the Warrior (or Staff) wields a two-handed staff, offering powerful, sweeping melee attacks. Each stance has its own skill tree, allowing for deep customization of Zachariah’s combat abilities.

What elevates this system is its seamless integration with Technomancy. Regardless of the chosen stance, Zachariah can always channel electrical energy. This can be used to coat his weapons in lightning for bonus damage, fire ranged bolts, or unleash devastating area-of-effect attacks. This fusion of melee and elemental powers allows for diverse and creative combat scenarios. You might parry an enemy’s blow with a shield, counter with a shock-imbued mace, and then finish them with a charged staff attack. However, this combat loop is severely hampered by poor implementation. As numerous critics noted, the combat lacks “flow or rhythm.” The animations are clunky, the hit detection can be unreliable, and the camera often struggles to keep pace with the action. This results in a frustrating experience where even basic enemies, who possess twice as much health as the player, can feel like sponges, and a few ill-timed hits can lead to a swift defeat. The game is, as one source bluntly states, “Nintendo Hard,” with a lack of meaningful progression in enemy difficulty as you level up, robbing the player of a satisfying sense of growth.

Beyond combat, the RPG progression is surprisingly robust. Zachariah’s development is managed across three interconnected systems: Skills, Talents, and Attributes. The Skills are tied to the combat stances and Technomancy, unlocking new moves and enhancing their power. The Talents are more utility-focused, governing skills like Lockpicking, Persuasion, and Crafting, as well as passive bonuses like health regeneration. The Attributes (Strength, Power, Agility, Constitution) provide more fundamental bonuses. A key challenge here is resource management, as players don’t receive points for all categories with each level up, forcing difficult and meaningful choices about how to build their character.

The game is also filled with quests and a deep crafting system. There are hundreds of items to collect, which can be used to craft and upgrade weapons and armor. A novel feature is that crafting visibly alters the appearance of gear, allowing players to create a unique look for their character and companions. Furthermore, you can directly manage the inventories and equipment of your party members, customizing them to complement your playstyle. Despite these strengths, the gameplay loop is undermined by tedious design choices, most notably the excessive backtracking. As one German review (PC Games) lamented, “Das permanente Back-Tracking nach Ophir gestört” (“The permanent backtracking to Ophir disturbed me”). Players are constantly sent back to previous hubs for quests, and the enemy respawn system, which repopulates areas after just moving two zones away, makes this process feel like a tedious grind rather than an exploration of a living world.

World-Building, Art & Sound

The world of The Technomancer is, without exaggeration, its most spectacular achievement. Spiders’ vision of Mars is a rich tapestry of disparate cultures, decaying infrastructure, and breathtaking landscapes that genuinely evokes a sense of a frontier world struggling to survive. The game is divided into distinct hubs, each with its own unique identity and atmosphere. The gleaming, opulent, yet oppressive city of Ophir, under the iron fist of the Abundance guild, stands in stark contrast to the grimy, lawless underbelly of Noctis, the hidden merchant city built into a Martian canyon. The journey also takes players to tribal communities frozen under the ice and sprawling dystopian slums, each environment telling a story about the society that built it and ultimately abandoned it. This sense of place is a testament to the art direction, which, even when technically limited, excels at creating a coherent and evocative sci-fi aesthetic. The architecture is a believable mix of corporate brutalism and scavenged, makeshift structures, all bathed in the dusty red and ochre hues of the Martian landscape.

However, the art’s ambition is betrayed by the technological limitations of the PhyreEngine. Character models are a consistent point of failure, often appearing stiff, generic, and devoid of life. Facial animations are particularly poor, with characters’ mouths moving in unison with their dialogue while their faces remain frozen in a single, often inappropriate, expression. This severely undercuts the game’s narrative and emotional moments. The environments, while artistically strong, suffer from bland textures, low-resolution assets, and a general lack of detail. As one review from Starburst Magazine cruelly but accurately put it, “Outside of some fairly pretty environments and a good PC build, there is nothing worth praising here.” The game’s art direction is trying to sell a grand, epic future, but its technical execution keeps pulling it back into the realm of the budget title it is.

Sound design, however, is one of the game’s most polished and effective aspects. The score by Olivier Deriviere is exceptional, blending traditional orchestral pieces with futuristic, electronic elements to create a soundscape that perfectly complements the game’s themes. The music swells during epic combat encounters and shifts to more somber, ambient tones during moments of exploration, significantly enhancing the atmosphere. The sound effects are equally well-crafted, with the crackle and hum of electrical powers, the deafening roar of gunfire from nailguns, and the thud of heavy weapons all packing a satisfying punch. The voice acting is a more mixed bag. While the dialogue itself is well-written and the performances of many supporting characters are competent, the lead performance of Zachariah is widely criticized as being flat and emotionally sterile, failing to convey the gravity of his situation. This inconsistency in voice acting further highlights the game’s uneven production quality.

Reception & Legacy

Upon its release in June 2016, The Technomancer was met with a reception that can best be described as “mixed to average,” a verdict perfectly encapsulated by its Metacritic scores of 56 for PC, 60 for PS4, and 68 for Xbox One. The critical response was a tale of two halves, with a significant number of reviewers falling into the “mixed” camp. Positive reviews, like the 80% from Digitally Downloaded, praised the game’s ambition and narrative strengths, stating, “The team writes intelligent, worthy scenarios and narratives, and then they do the best they can to build gameplay to support that concept.” Similarly, We Got This Covered lauded its “solid story” and “familiar formula,” arguing it was “more than worth your time.”

However, the negative reviews were often far more scathing and focused on the game’s technical failings and frustrating gameplay. IGN’s 4.9/10 was particularly damning, calling it “a jack of all RPG trades, master of none” and criticizing its combat for lacking “flow or rhythm.” The German gaming press was especially harsh, with 4Players.de giving it a 59, concluding that while the game tried hard, it offered “zu wenig Klasse” (“too little class”) and that everything remained “an der Oberfläche” (“on the surface”). The most vitriolic reviews, like the 30/10 from Starburst Magazine, dismissed it entirely as an “unparalleled failure of game design.”

Player scores on platforms like Metacritic and OpenCritic mirrored this critical split, landing around the 6.4/10 mark, indicating that players who enjoyed the game did so in spite of its flaws, while others found them intolerable. The game’s legacy has, over time, been re-evaluated through a more forgiving lens. It is now often remembered as a fascinating “diamond in the rough,” a title for dedicated fans of the genre who can appreciate its strengths. Its direct influence on the industry is negligible, but it holds a unique place in the lineage of mid-budget RPGs. It stands as a crucial stepping stone for its developer, Spiders. The lessons learned from The Technomancer‘s mistakes—particularly regarding technical polish and level design—were clearly applied to their next major title, the far more successful and acclaimed GreedFall (2019). The Technomancer is thus a fascinating artifact, representing the awkward adolescence of a studio with big dreams and a growing talent for world-building, but still learning the painful lesson that ambition must be matched by execution.

Conclusion

After a comprehensive examination of The Technomancer, a final, definitive verdict can be rendered. It is, unequivocally, a game of profound contrasts. It presents a world brimming with originality and a narrative that, for a significant portion of its runtime, is genuinely engrossing. The Karma System and the reactive dialogue are highlights of smart RPG design that many AAA titles would do well to emulate. Its core combat concept, fusing melee stances with elemental powers, is innovative on paper, even if its implementation is deeply flawed. The world of Mars, as conceived by Spiders, remains one of the most unique and atmospheric settings in modern RPGs, a testament to the studio’s world-building prowess.

Yet, these strengths are perpetually undermined by a litany of shortcomings that prevent it from ever achieving its potential. The combat is clumsy and frustrating, the technical polish is almost entirely absent, and the game’s structure is bloated with tedious backtracking. It is a constant battle between the game’s aspirations and its reality—a battle that the reality, unfortunately, wins more often than not.

So, where does The Technomancer land in the pantheon of video game history? It is not a great game, nor is it a terrible one. It is, however, a vital and fascinating one. It serves as a masterclass in the challenges faced by mid-budget developers trying to compete in an industry dominated by AAA giants. It is a noble failure, a project with a heart and a soul that were sadly trapped in a body that could not support them. For players who can look past its dated visuals and janky gameplay, there is a deeply rewarding RPG experience waiting, one that respects their intelligence and offers a compelling journey across the red planet. For those seeking the gloss and polish of a modern blockbuster, it will be an exercise in frustration. In the end, The Technomancer is best remembered not for what it is, but for what it almost was—a glimpse into the unfulfilled potential of a passionate, ambitious development team.