Review Fix Exclusive: Inside ‘Cosmo Invictus’

Review Fix chats with Kostas Vlassis (Founder & CEO, Pegnio) about his game, Cosmos Invictus to find out what inspired it and why it’s a must play.

About Cosmo Invictus:

As the captain of your very own spaceship, your goal is to help your faction win the war by attacking your opponent until their ship’s hit points reach zero. First, choose between two factions: the Gaia Unity, an Earth-wide alliance – or the High Frontier Alliance. Each faction boasts its own set of core ideals and unique cards – a combination of onboard weapons, mechs (the game’s battle units), and events/pilot cards that attach to already launched mechs and act as modifiers. Next, carefully select the best formation to plan your attacks. Determining when and where to strike (while providing yourself with adequate defense) is crucial if you intend to live another day.

Review Fix: How was Cosmos Invictus born?

Kostas Vlassis: “Let’s create the best sci-fi collectible card game out there!” That was the idea thrown out during a regular catch-up with a group of close friends while we all had a beer down the pub over two years ago. You could say that we were somewhat naive – thinking that as competent gamers, developers, and techies (albeit in totally different sectors) we could build a brand-new game on our own. We had all been frustrated that there wasn’t a really good sci-fi CCG that focused on strategy and tactics instead of “magic” – and we vowed to change that with Cosmos Invictus.

Review Fix: What has development been like so far?

Vlassis: Cosmos Invictus has been a rollercoaster ride for sure. When we said we’d make the game, the question on our lips was “How hard could it be?” Well, the answer is “easy” if you had a few beers … but we soon had a somewhat painful reality check. After what seemed to be endless weeks discussing and debating just the core rules of the game, it became obvious that it would take a lot of effort, passion, and persistence to make it what we were all dreaming about. The number of Post-It notes used to scribble numbers and mock battles must have been enough to build Big Ben, but we kept going as the passion continued to drive us forward. With every step, there were more choices to make: platforms, technologies, style, artwork, story… Every week, we had to make what seemed to be endless choices with no clear right or wrong. Each decision had near- or long-term consequences – and every little detail mattered.

Review Fix: What makes Cosmos Invictus special?

Vlassis: We’re a group of CCG fans that have put their heart and soul, laughter and tears into creating Cosmos Invictus! The challenges were endless – from money to finding the right artists and getting the message out – but we persevered. After a lot of hard work, the game is finally out! We wanted to combine strategy and tactics in a fun, enjoyable way – and I think we succeeded. For example, we introduced quirky innovations that make each engagement somewhat unpredictable – which is something we always wanted.

Review Fix: What games did you play as a kid? How did they influence this one?

Vlassis: Well, that was a long time ago… Most of the team really enjoyed turn-based PC games – and since we’re all sci-fi fans, I must say we’ve enjoyed games like Master of Orion, Space Empires, X-COM, Civilization (starting with the very first!), and Colonization – just to name a few. When our eyes were tired after staring too long at those CRT, monitors we’d opt in for Shadowrun!

Review Fix: What other games influenced this one the most?

Vlassis: A number of physical card games have influenced Cosmos Invictus – mainly from Japan, where we spent a lot of time. We’d visit games shops and tournaments to argue the merits and demerits of existing card games with players. We’re big fans of Sunrise Crusade, and we ended-up collecting most of those cards – even if our Japanese is quite basic :)

Review Fix: Any fun stories or wild moments during development?

Vlassis: After making so many changes and testing Cosmos Invictus over and over again – build after build – we had a power surge due to a thunderstorm, which literally fried our dev machines. We lost so much work and were so frustrated and angry… It turns out that we failed to commit the code – laughing and crying about it for hours on end. From then “git commit” and “git push” became our mantras.

Review Fix: Do you think preserving older gameplay mechanics in new games is important?

Vlassis: We believe that in a world of games with almost photorealistic graphics and endless “twitch” action, there’s a demand for work that triggers the player’s imagination while preserving the planning, thinking, and role-playing moments that we don’t see as often in modern gameplay. Some players don’t even bother reading what’s on screen! They just go from battle to battle… We find enjoyment in strategic planning, changing tactics, and acting both on instinct and thought!

Review Fix: What’s your favorite memory as a gamer?

Vlassis: Completing X-COM (yes, the very first one) and celebrating like I had won the lottery – only to realize it was 3 a.m.! I had managed to wake everyone up – and they were all worried that something serious had happened… It was really hard to explain how difficult it was to complete the game and how important it was for me.

Review Fix: Who will enjoy this game the most?

Vlassis: Sci-fi fans and CCG players will totally enjoy Cosmos Invictus. Everyone who has an appreciation for turn-based strategy games that feature battles that are not over within seconds will certainly have lots of fun as well! There’s a PvE and PvP mode – so players can get accustomed to the game mechanics first, try a few things, and then move on to the BattleZone and go head-to-head against other players.

Review Fix: How do you want Cosmos Invictus to be remembered?

Vlassis: It may sound a bit cheesy, but we want it to be remembered as a game made by players for players!

Review Fix: What have people told you they liked about the game so far?

Vlassis: We have a very good and supportive player community that’s not afraid to highlight the positives of the game – while also providing constructive criticism when we get things wrong. So far, the feedback has been positive on the new elements we introduced – like how Mechs have fuel limitations, Pilots can attach to Mechs, and that in the battlefield Mechs are positioned in formations that have position modifiers. Also, instead of “heroes” we have spaceships that are customizable rather than being “sitting ducks” as in other games. The community has reacted well to this particular innovation, which makes us quite happy.

Review Fix: How would you describe this game to someone who has never seen it?

Vlassis: Cosmos Invictus is a strategic turn-based sci-fi game with two opposing factions. Battles are fought using cards that represent battle units – big bad robots known as “Mechs.”

Review Fix: What do you think is the best part of Cosmos Invictus?

Vlassis: It’s hard to just pick one, since we’ve worked hard on all aspects of the game – but if I had to choose, it would be the amazing artwork we have on the cards. Each one has been created exclusively for Cosmos Invictus by incredibly talented artists from all over the globe! We’re in awe of the many artists that helped to make the game possible.

Review Fix: What do you think needs the most work?

Vlassis: As with every game in Early Access, there are some bugs and balancing work to get through. We’ve done extensive playtesting, sure – but nothing can match the acid test of real players taking the game head-on and finding those nasty bugs where you’d least expect them. This is now our top priority: to ensure we fix as many bugs as possible and exit Early Access in good shape.

Review Fix: What’s next?

Vlassis: Shhhhh, that’s a secret! We certainly have a number of ideas for expansions for both cards and story. For us, these always go together.

Review Fix: Anything else you’d like to add?

A big thanks to everyone who has supported us in making this game. This goes especially to our player community, which has just been amazing!

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