Intravenous

As someone already wrote: "What if Hotline Miami was a stealth game. The result is masterpiece" Exactly that but with one thing added: I liked Hotline Miami controls more. This is a bit (tiny bit) clunkier game. But that's just my opinion. Try the game first if you think it's exactly like Hotline Miami. Oh yes, one more thing: it's harder than Miami.

Disclaimer: I haven't finished the game. Intravenous should be right up my alley: I love stealth games like Metal Gear Solid, Splinter Cell, Hitman and so on, and I thought a pure top-down version would be great. Sadly, the execution leaves a lot to be desired. The story is a weak revenge tale, with morally questionable characters. After the intro I honestly just started skipping, it's not worthwhile in any way. The gameplay, however, is worse. First, the map design feels messy: buildings are haphazardly thrown around, enemy patrols are impossible to follow since they all move way beyond your current screen, buildings have often bizarre layouts, with tons of windows and other openings just to make things more annoying for you. You rarely ever have a good hiding spot from which to study the situation, so you are always moving. Often, you only have vague objectives and directions, which doesn't help. The game does a bad job at showing how dark any given spot of the map really is (other than your current one, since you have a "light meter" to tell you how exposed you are). It's also made harder by the fact that you have a cone of view, making it unable to know how dark what's behind you is. This is a huge issue, since: A) As mentioned above, hiding spots are rare in certain areas; B) Patrols move fast, so if they do a sudden turn toward you, it can be too late to change position, and you can't even be sure it will hide you; C) The terrain can be hard to read for obstacles, getting you stuck in the enemy's way; D) Some of the controls are awkward, so you need to know you are well hidden when starting some actions. That isn't to say the game is difficult: you have a limited amount of saves per level, but you can do so anywhere, it's just that the gameplay is super stiff this way. The AI is also stupid, prone to overreacting, and generally uninteresting to handle. It's often easier to not engage with it. There are other issues, but I have hit the 2000 letters mark.

I've sank hours into this game ~accidentally~ which usually tells me how fun a game really is. I enjoy games like Jydge and Neon Chrome, and this game fits right in. The level of challenge is high enough to punish you for more than just carelessness, it will punish you for lack of planning and forethought. I suggest everyone try this game for themselves, especially if you've enjoyed a top-down shooter before.

What I mean by top down magic is the way the game handles and I've played more then 50 hours of this game. I'm currently playing the new game plus mode and that gives it a better sense of progression for the most part that wasn't reakky there before. the story is your standard revenge plot but, the style makes it work. There is even a decent modding coummunity and the game gets some cool updates as well. Bottom line, if you even have a passing interest in stealth shooters you'll love this game.

sneaky sticky stabby or balls out blastin, good fun either way