In an age where gamers are constantly bombarded with flashy trailers and endless announcements, it’s rare to find a game that genuinely catches your attention. But at the recent Xbox Games Showcase, Clockwork Revolution quietly stole the spotlight. Developed by InXile Entertainment, this steampunk RPG feels familiar yet fresh—like a breath of vintage air in a crowded room.
If you’ve ever been captivated by the floating city of Columbia in Bioshock Infinite, there’s a good chance Avalon, the setting of Clockwork Revolution, will grab you just as firmly. Set in 1895, this fictional utopia looks dazzling on the surface but hides dark secrets beneath its shiny gears and billowing steam. The city streets—where neon lights and rusty pipes twist and turn—feel like a strange dream where Victorian elegance meets sci-fi fantasy.
But that dream quickly sours. Behind the city’s glimmering facade rules a mysterious figure known as Lady Ironwood, who’s been manipulating time itself. Think back to when you were a kid and tried to trick your alarm clock to get just a few extra minutes of sleep—now imagine someone with the power to rewind or fast-forward entire lives and histories. That’s the kind of game-changing time control Clockwork Revolution is promising.
You play as a character who could unravel this twisted system. The recently revealed trailer highlights a time manipulation mechanic that goes beyond just rewinding; it lets you alter the course of events and truly change the future. Maybe saving one person in the past means they’ll save you later, or a missed conversation could doom an entire district to chaos. It’s a bit like those “If only I had…” moments in real life—when you wish you could go back and do things differently. The game brings that feeling to life in an extraordinary way.
Beyond the grand ideas, the game shines in its small details. Character customization is a standout—you can create your own unique style, whether it’s a one-eyed wanderer with a mechanical arm or a well-dressed noble hiding a revolver beneath their coat. And the villains? Just looking at them makes you want to throw a punch, much like that rude person who cuts in line at the coffee shop and acts like they did you a favor. The developers clearly know how to craft characters that stir genuine emotion.
Avalon itself isn’t just a static backdrop. Different areas change based on how you manipulate time—what’s a lively industrial district one day could become a ruined wasteland the next. It reminds me of how the neighborhood around my childhood home transformed over the years: familiar streets with new faces, old shops replaced by hip cafes. That sense of change makes Clockwork Revolution feel less like a game and more like stepping into a living, breathing world.
Of course, the game still blends traditional elements—you’ve got FPS combat, RPG-style skill upgrades, quests, and dialogue trees. Your choices in conversations may seem small, but they ripple out to shape the story. Sometimes, a well-timed lie saves a life; other times, honesty can lead to disaster. That kind of moral weight hits harder than any gunfight.
Sadly, despite all the excitement, there’s no confirmed release date. The only hint from the developers is a vague “coming in due time.” Fans on social media have joked about borrowing the game’s own time control powers just to speed up the launch. It’s a bit reminiscent of the long wait for Hollow Knight: Silksong—another highly anticipated title that seems to stretch time indefinitely. Patience is a rare commodity these days.
On the bright side, Clockwork Revolution will be available day one on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, so subscribers won’t need to worry about extra costs. There’s no official word yet on Xbox Play Anywhere support, but knowing Xbox Studios, it might just be a matter of time.
All in all, Clockwork Revolution feels like that unexpected friend you bump into at a party—you start chatting and realize you share the same tastes and values. It combines the nostalgic beauty of Bioshock’s world with bold new mechanics, plus deeper character and story engagement. It’s like wandering into a cozy bookstore and finding a novel that’s both familiar and completely new, pulling you in for hours.
The only question now is: when will we finally get to open that book? Until the “right time” comes, this five-minute trailer will have to hold our excitement. Meanwhile, we’ll add Clockwork Revolution to our wish lists and wait for the moment the game’s gears start turning in real life.
