Ever heard of Stealth Inc 1? Well , you won’t have. Previously known as Stealth Bastards on PC, apparently the word is not family friendly enough for this Wii U exclusive.
The game in essence is about a workplace rivalry. You play as a clone whose death is more important than your survival as a tally figure on a chart which will put one employee above another. Unaware of this frankly creepy workplace incentive scheme you are released upon the world and roam the facility with other clones.
From here the game is a basic 2.5D puzzle-platformer, or termed ‘metroidvania’ by some. You traverse the facility and find ‘tests’ which require quick thinking and basic spatial ability. Various mechanics are thrown in to keep you on your toes, such as the Inflate-A-Mate which can be used to reach areas and distract enemies. Throughout this game you are followed by disembodied text,which seeks to belittle you and give plenty of comic relief to the game.
You will die in this game. A lot.
The pace of this game moves from gentle, careful jumping to split section decisions quickly with little warning. The game shuts away areas and opens new ones as each is required in smooth unwavering motions which stop you from seeing too far ahead before you have completed the section in front of you. Out of nowhere in the game will throw walls of death or landmines or creepy robot dogs in with you and that reaction time, which was adequate in COD fails spectacularly and you get pasted. Think Portal with cartoon gore. Accidently miss a ledge and land on mines; get shot by walking turrets; get crushed by your own comrades. A splat of blood and a dark humour comment will commend your greatest failure.
This is not a game for the impatient or the easily annoyed. Dying is a natural part of the game and encourages you to try and beat your time. There are also hidden clones across the levels as well. So each level can be taken slowly to look for clones and fast to top the leader board.
It’s hard to find anything majorly wrong with this game. It looks good whilst not pushing the Wii U too hard and keeping a good smooth motion. The gameplay is not overly complex. You’re going to get stuck, but them the overall mechanics are simple and not too taxing.
However the multiple small gripes in the game can annoy you. Figuring out how to get out of a chamber is half of the challenge. Awkward throws, split-second screw-ups and reaction tasks being thrown at you with no warning. The pinnacle of this frustration is the sentinel; a boss style character at the end of each chapter where you will cry with frustration at the mass sway in difficulty. Multiple times I died during a checkpoint save and was therefore stuck in an endless circle of death with three second intervals being taunted by the disembodied voice. The backdrops of the game also, while beautifully drawn, are very bleak with only a few nice offices and mostly dark gloomy industrial corridors.
Stealth Inc 2 is good. Anyone with a Wii U I would wholly recommend this game to them. For a game I picked at random this is a surprise in its quality and one of the best games on the Nintendo store at the moment. Fancy some old school side scroll with a new twist of class? Stop reading and go buy it then.
I give this game 3 out of the five stars. This isn’t for everyone; only those with patience enough to die horribly a multitude of times and keep pushing on will truly get their money’s worth out of the game. And for $15 (£9.57) it’s a steal for such a charming experience.
Disclaimer:All scores given within our reviews are based on the artist’s personal opinion; this should in no way impede your decision to purchase the game.
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