Stealth Inc. – A Clone in the Dark Review

A devious, intelligent puzzler with a sadistic streak that would shame GLaDOS, everything that made the PC original of Stealth Inc. so appealing has been faithfully ported. In fact, it’s probably more enjoyable here, as its one-more-go qualities are perfect for handheld gaming. Similar in ways to Super Meat Boy – gruesome deaths and unrelenting traps – its dark, industrial vibe, and air of corporate malfeasance, also recalls Abe’s Odyssey.

Playing as a night vision goggles-sporting clone (or many, to tell the truth – you’ll die a lot), you’re tasked with escaping a series of test chambers stacked with killer robots and deadly environments. To make it out alive you’ll have to hug the shadows as your goggles change between red, amber and green, depending on your exposure.

One hit from anything (including closing doors) tends to explode you into tiny nuggets of blood and gore, so timing is important, but planning is key. Levels are heavy on changing light conditions, switches, and terminals, each opening (and closing of course) various doors around the stages. If that wasn’t enough, you’ll also be tasked with using your enemies as assets. Positioning them on switches, for example.

It’s the intricacy of how these elements combine that make Stealth Inc. so fun. It will occasionally enrage, especially when you’re getting vapourised all over the shop, unsure of the way out – deliberately condescending messages that pop up hardly help, but that’s the point – and when you’re done, there are special suits to unlock (which give you buffs such as temporary invisibility) for each stage and global, time-trial leaderboards to try and scale.

But you’ll always be back for more – like the best puzzle games, it has a compulsive quality that makes you feel like a genius whenever you work it out.

Version Tested: PS Vita

Played for 6 hours.Click here to read about VideoGamer.com’s new review policy.