Stealth Inc.: A Clone in the Dark - PS Vita Review
Select play and watch your time fly by as you get sucked into this addicting thrill of cat and mouse. Stealth Inc. is a platformer by Curve Studios that requires you to wit or be out witted as you rely on the shadows to keep you concealed from PTi System's security robots.
The game does a wonderful job of making you feel like a true stealth god right from the start. The levels difficulty increases as you move forward in the game. Stealth Inc. does a wonderful job of making the game difficult, but no so much that you want to quit and move on.
Gameplay
The point of this game is to, well, be stealthy. You are tasked as a clone to make your way through levels as best as possible without being detected. Each level is a test to make sure that PTi Systems state of the art goggles are working as expected. The shadows are your best friend in this department. Curve does not give you much backstory or any story of that matter. They do however, let you understand your purpose as you move throughout the game. This may be due to my lack of research before purchasing the game, but starting off your not quite told who or what you are. However, I must say by the end of the game I was very much aware of who I was and my purpose. I was simply a tester. And the game, was nothing but a test.
The mechanics of the game are fluid. I enjoyed jumping and hiding in the shadows. Since you are not given any weapons, stealth was your best friend. Aside from the controls, Curve does well with making everything seem robotic yet fluid. The game was outright addicting and I couldn't wait to make it to the next level. When you fail or do well, the game awards you with comments which I enjoyed the most. For example, when I completed a task, green writing on the wall during the game would say "Glad that you're paying attention". Or if I died while trying I would see "Is this hard for you?".
Visuals
Right from the start you realize that you are monitoring the clone from a camera. Everything seems mechanical and plays to the theme of robotic security. I personally enjoyed what I saw which aided in my addiction. There were no vivid colors or animations, however, Curve stayed true to their theme which made this game work! Though I must admit, when you made a mistake, you knew it. Make the wrong move, and your clone dies as blood floods the crime scene.
Replay Value
The game comes stacked with 8 different boards, each of which have 8 levels. The difficulty increases as you move up the ranks. As you complete the board, you unlock the next clone that can only be used to replay that board. Unlocking clones adds to replay value as each clone gives you the ability to decrease time with different traits. One of the 8 traits being a camouflage suit that allows you few seconds to blend with the background and run along undetected by the security system in the light.
Verdict
Though the story isn't quite there, Curve hits hard with this platformer. As you enjoy addictive gameplay and fight to get on the leaderboards by finishing a level quicker than your friends, you quickly forgot about the lack of story. Visually, Stealth Inc. is not the most colorful and appealing, however, it sticks to the theme of the game. With added replay ability, this game turns out to be a solid purchase. For $9.99 I can say that I will enjoy the mileage that I get out of it!
Rating: 9.5
+Replay Value
+Hilarious in game comments
+Theme
-Story
