Finally, after 4 years, multiple demo's, and a whole lot of waiting, Lab Zero's Indiegogo darling Indivisible is here. The game is their biggest undertaking yet. We all know them from Skullgirls, and it's obvious that with such a long dev time, they really put their all into making Indivisible.
This narrative-based, platformer, fighting game inspired, Valkyrie Profile-esque title revolves around a plucky girl named Ajna as she travels the world literally collecting friends inside her head. These newfound companions can range from a literal Mastiff puppy to a thousand-year-old Deva who shoots water from her hair. Honestly, With its 20 character cast, there's a design here for everyone. So, let's take a look through them all and judge which of these amazing designs is the best of the best, both in terms of their design and their usefulness within the game itself.
20 Zahra: Like an Oud Without Strings, Zahra Is Underdeveloped
Sadly, Zahra isn't worth the amount of work and backtracking players have to put in to unlock her. Ajna has to hunt three unique monsters, one in each location, in order to repair her Oud so Zahra can join the party.
Once unlocked, players will quickly notice that her buffs aren't worth a slot on the four-person team, they affect characters individually, and her music is repetitive at best. Zahra feels like she was supposed to be a much deeper character, both in her songs and her mechanics.
19 Zebei: The Bog Standard Archer With An Extra Bit Of Confidence
The Protectors of Lhan are just a bit boring is all, Zebei especially. Kushi at least has Altun to spice her up. Zebei is the classic confident Archer we've seen a hundred times but without any extra bit of "flair" to make him feel unique.
Sure he's a bit cheeky, and his arguments with Ajna are quite compelling. But, for most of the game Zebei is just kind of there, and he only really shines when supported by some of the more entertaining cast. That said, his moves are useful early on, but once players are about halfway through the game, they'll notice his damage isn't really cutting it anymore.
18 Kushi: Altun Needs More Screentime
Kushi and Altun should've been much higher on this list, but they really don't get much characterization. Altun barely has any moments where he can spread his wings, both literally and narratively. While Kushi is relegated to doing whatever Zebei says or does.
They're cute, but we couldn't describe Kushi as anything more than a "nice person" and that's not great. While Altun especially is great for juggling early on and has an interrupt, that's only useful before obtaining Baozhai.
17 Qadira: The Lipless, Listless, And Sadly Lacking Shield Knight
Qadira is a fine character, her design is great, she has a neat backstory, and her "Double-tap" shield bashes are fun to use. But, that's kind of the problem, she's just alright.
She's a bit too mellow and tame, both in design and personality, to really stack up against some of the more interesting Incarnations in Indivisible. Plus, it's well known that she was meant to be mechanically deeper, but that was scrapped for time, and it shows.
16 Ginseng & Honey: The Future Owl Knight Has A Lot To Offer
Ginseng and Honey were Incarnations that weren't originally planned. There were a lot of cuts during development and Antoine and Sangmu still aren't ready. Lab Zero actually added in a brand new character instead, and she works.
As additions go, we think Ginseng is great. She's a perfect combination healer, both her design and personality are fun, and she has interactions with a lot of the cast. But, since Ajna and her party heal after every battle, her main benefit quickly becomes unnecessary and her overall character development throughout the game leaves a lot to be desired.
15 Hunoch & Xiboch: The Supernatural Athletes With A Tell-Tale Play
Hunoch and Xiboch are hilarious characters. Two brothers who are obsessed with their version of "sportsball". Xiboch's head was eaten by the Camazotz (a demon) right before the pair played against the best Tlatchlibol players out there, the Lords of the Underworld. That backstory alone we could watch an entire movie about but mechanically, the twins are a bit plain.
They only have one move that's obviously inspired by the Ganon fight in Ocarina of Time. They also have no potential for juggling and their super only switches between damage types. Essentially, they're a fun idea but needed another level or two of complexity.
14 Latigo: The Old Gunslinger Shows Up A Bit Too Late
Latigo is one of the Incarnations in Indivisible that suffers from only being obtainable past a certain point in the story. From a design standpoint, Latigo is one of the best, his design is just so striking. Plus, in combat, he has fun and immersive reload mechanics. But, players can only knab him about 60-70% through the game, and he very rarely gets any dialogue outside of his introduction to the crew and side-mission.
Latigo has all the makings to be one of the best Incarnations in the game, but none of the much-needed screentime. Maybe we can hope for some DLC campaigns.
13 Leilani: The Hawaiian-inspired Lumberjack Is A Real Hit
Leilani is an Incarnation that players really just happen upon quite early in Indivisible. She is literally just waiting at the Iron Kingdom docks.
This Sharktooth chainsaw-wielding Island Native has one of the best gimmicks and designs in the game. Her chainsaw mechanics deal some of the highest damage and contribute to some of the longest combos we've seen. It's just such a shame that she really gets nothing in terms of backstory or in-game dialogue outside of her sidequest and introduction. But we know she loves food and always gets lost, so that's something at least?
12 Lanshi: A Pupper We Can't Stand Disliking
Quite honestly, as much as we love the puppers, if we were purely ranking the Incarnations based on their usefulness in battle, Lanshi would be at the bottom.
This doggo is outclassed in almost every way in battle. He has two moves, sleeping, and barking. While sleeping he can be stroked for extra Iddhi, but this is only useful for the boss-fight directly after he's obtained. Or, if players let him bark, he'll just keep going and use up all his Action Points.
Basically, Lanshi is an adorable doggo with a great design that should only be delegated as a bench-warmer. His super is great for random encounters, but nothing justifies putting him on the team outside of that adorable design of his.
11 Yan: The Charismatic Dancer With Almost Zero Screentime
Yan is another Incarnation that has all the makings of something great, but none of the spotlight and shockingly, she's obtained quite early. Yan can be found while climbing Mara's tower by going down a bit of a side path. She was locked in there only to be used for her dancing skills but joins Ajna and the crew once she's free.
Yan, like Naga Rider, is based around juggling, and deals more damage the longer she keeps the target in the air with her absurdly long legs. Frankly, Yan has one of the best designs in the game, and some of the most useful moves, but her lack of screentime makes it a bit hard to rank her any higher on this list. Plus we never really get a reason for her absurd height or lack of upper appendages.
10 Baozhai: A Real Riot Both On And Off The Battlefield
Personally, we couldn't really get behind Baozhai's gameplay mechanics. Her money-stealing, turn interrupting ways were just a bit too much for us. But, we can easily recognize how that's on us, and this Pirate queen is absolutely useful in battle. Plus, outside of combat, Baozhai is a riot.
She's part of some of the best scenes in the game and her dialogue with Thorani is some of the funniest and most charming interactions throughout the entire game. Especially considering how she and Ren are some of the more tastefully done progressive integrations we've seen in a while.
9 Ren: Literally A Murderer Who Somehow Becomes A "Good Guy"?
Here's the thing, Ren is a bit polarizing. On one hand, he's literally an Assassin that kills people for money and worked for Mara. On the other, he's got a great design and is incredibly useful in combat.
Ren is well-loved by people who would've loved him regardlessly because he's "that character". You know, the one with an obsession for violence and has a bit of a sadistic side? Quite frankly, we love him too. He's just so dangerously charming. It's a bit of shame that he can only be obtained by Ajna so late in the game, but he absolutely carried our team with his traps and status effect supers in the end-game.
8 Dhar: The Best Character Arc With No Real Closure
Dhar's ranking is absolutely based on the individual, and we wouldn't argue with anyone that put him on the bottom of their list. But, for us, he's one of the best.
Dhar's the one that murders Indr, Ajna's father, at the beginning of the game. That's unforgivable, and eventually, he learns that. But, throughout the events that unfold, Dhar realizes his past mistakes, grows as a person, and really strives to help Ajna in the end. He has one of the best arcs of any character throughout the game, and we love him for it. Plus, he is a heavy hitter in combat all the way through the game.
7 Nuna: The Adorable Buffoon Whose Veggies Kick Butt
Nuna is one of the most fun designs throughout Indivisible. She's minimalist, quirky, and yet absolutely charming in both appearance and personality. Nuna originally had a much different design during the planning phase of Indivisible, and we're glad that this is what we ended up with.
Nuna can be obtained pretty early in the game, and her juggling and trap potential is by far some of the best. Plus, she can back and forth so quickly in combat. Nuna's Action Point regeneration and overall annoying moves are tantamount to making our late-game combo's so terrifying for the enemy forces.
6 Tungar: Everything Good Packed Into A Teensy Angry Looking Warrior
Tungar is one of the first optional Incarnations that Ajna can unlock. He's another warrior that's locked in a cell upon Ravannavar's flying vessel, the Fortress Vimana (or later on in Tai Krung). Tungar is a Shayak Knight, one of the protectors of a Kingdom that used to rule the region Ashwat is in, Ajna's hometown.
In combat, Tungar's Urumi headpiece has some of the highest juggling potentials in the game, considering his down+attack has a massive AoE to it. But, as a character, Tungar is also just a ton of fun. We kept him on our team throughout most of the game, just to hear his "I'm the best at what I do" yell whenever he leveled up.
5 Thorani: Finally, A Thousand Year Old Character The Doesn't Look Like A Child
Thorani is absolutely Ajna's surrogate mother. This thousand-year-old Deva absolutely takes it upon herself to baby Ajna at every chance she gets and it's so cute. All this to say, Thorani is a delight, she's just so sweet and nice.
Her design is striking and unique, her puddle mechanics are inventive and quite useful even during the late-game, and her constant dialogues with Ajna and other characters are always funny. Thorani is one of the "main" incarnations in Indivisible, and we think Lab Zero did a fantastic job with her.
4 Phoebe: A Maternal Warrior Done Right, And Tungar's True Bae
Phoebe's design and mechanics are our weakness. She is the Maternal Warrior of Indivisible, doing everything for her kids. She's the grappler character who can extend any combo with her anti-air command grab, which is also a fantastic damage dealer.
Are her mechanics simple? Yes. But they evolve with every synergy. Basically, Phoebe's a home run in every sense of the word. Her design is amazing, her story is a blast, she synergizes with almost every character, and her damage is top-notch. Our only tip? Equip her on either the left or right button, because she blocks other characters with her massive height otherwise.
3 Kampan: A Fresh Take On A Thief Character, And A Real Asset To Boot
When the dev team behind Indivisible said they were going to have a character with a giant mechanical fist, Kampan is not what we were expecting.
Usually, the character that uses a big robot fist tends to be a looming figure. They can be either male or female, and they don't really mince words. So it was fresh and exciting to see Kampan, the happy-go-lucky thief who never stops chatting to Ajna in that adorable accent. Additionally, she's also one of the best damage dealers, with her one super doing staggering amounts of damage at high Iddhi and her other moves just tearing through enemy health.
2 Razmi: The Funniest, Most Loveable, And Creepiest Character In The Game
These last two might as well be tied for first, just a heads up. But here's Razmi, because where else would we rank her?
Razmi is the first Incarnation Ajna grabs in the game, and also her closest friend. Razmi might as well be the secondary main character honestly, as she talks almost as much as Ajna does during story scenes. And frankly, we don't mind.
Razmi is hilarious, charming, offputting, creepy, sweet, and adorable. She's a fantastic design, with a fantastic backstory, who has fantastic dialogue and deals fantastical amounts of damage. All hail to Razmi and Bom.
1 Naga Rider: We Couldn't Give Him Any Other Ranking, You Know, For Justice's Sake
We couldn't help ourselves okay? Naga Rider is just too cool. With one of the most striking designs in the game, Naga Rider arrives on the scene.
This Sentai Hero is part of the story in Tai Krung city and is an absolute delight to watch whenever he's on-screen. His idle animation is hilariously dynamic, his juggles and combos in combat are staggeringly strong, his interactions with Ajna and Ginseng are amazing, and his supers are absolutely bombastic. Plus, thanks to the pallet-changing NPC we grabbed, his Gurren Lagann colors elevate him to the absolute peak of all Incarnations. We love you Naga Rider!