Every so often an Indie title catches your attention and you find yourself playing for hours on end as time gets away from you. Stealth Inc 2: Game of Clones did exactly that for me. It’s hard to describe the satisfaction of completing a level in this puzzle platformer, especially after sending your character to his death… multiple times.
The main object of this game is – you guessed it – using stealth to navigate your way through levels, avoiding lights, sensors, lasers and other items that will generally bring forth your demise. Trial and error play a major factor in this game and sometimes the answer is right under your nose, but it may take a few rounds of turning your clone into red mist before the solution becomes apparent. Buttons, switches and even your enemies need to be used to open pathways and navigate your way to the end of each level. The difficulty of Stealth Inc 2 raises gradually, eventually getting to a point where you either persist until you have torn every hair on your body out by the roots, or you simply get up, walk away and never fire the game up ever again. Yes, life will go on, but there will always be that niggling sensation inside that you didn’t complete the task… I should know. I am carrying that feeling. Word has it that there are also multiple ways to compete the puzzles in the game. If that’s a fact that you want to explore, then you’re probably the same person that wants to be at the top of the records lists for each level. If you have the time and patience, well kudos to you.
If the game itself wasn’t enough to drive you loopy, then the community levels should soon have you committed. This is a wonderful addition to the game, extending its life dramatically. Not just is the sense that there are more levels for you to attempt, but also how creative (read: despicable) you can be when constructing levels for others to attempt. Every obstacle you come across during the course of your adventures is available to use in your own, wicked ways.
What’s great about Stealth Inc 2 is that it’s not just a one man show. After unlocking the ability, two players can work their way through tests. This is a real bonus as there is nothing worse than watching someone play by themselves when you are the one filling them in on the correct way to proceed. Of course, if you are playing alone, the ability to play off-tv and use only the Wii U Gamepad, as it with all games with this ability, is fantastic.
Despite what you have read in this review so far, there is actually a storyline that goes along with this game. Your nameless clone is out to escape the facility he is housed in and hopes to take as many of his cloned brethren along with him. The story is displayed in storyboard shots, adding a slightly dark, edgy feel, even though the graphics are quite cartoonish.
Combining the best bits from titles like Abe’s Odyssey, Lemmings and other games of that ilk, Stealth Inc 2: Game of Clones isn’t really anything new; but those who enjoy a challenge, or like to challenge others, will find real value in this title.
Stealth Inc. 2 was reviewed using a promotional copy of the game on WiiU, as provided by the distributor.
