Stealth Inc. 2: A Game of Clones

Genre: Puzzle-Platformer

Players: 1-2 Co-Op (Local)

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Review:

Stealth Inc. 2 is a Puzzle-Platformer released on Wii U in 2014 and ported to PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, and Xbox One in 2015. In this game, players take the role of a clone in a science lab (or, if we’re realistic about how often you’ll likely die, multiple clones), who is trying to escape, with many of the game’s puzzles revolving around the central theme of stealth.

The presentation here is good, but nothing extraordinary, making use of a combination of simple 3D visuals and cartoony 2D graphics. It’s a pretty clean aesthetic, but it can be a tad repetitive. These visuals are backed by a pretty catchy synthesized soundtrack.

The controls here are fairly simple, with players only able to move, jump, crawl, and interact with buttons and computer terminals. Yet despite this simplicity, Stealth Inc. 2 manages to keep things interesting with some really clever level design that frequently takes an inventive approach to this game’s mechanics, with a fiendish “the creator of these puzzles is trying to kill you” theme that’s somewhat reminiscent of the Portal games.

The one thing I’m a little more iffy about is the world that connects the self-contained puzzle stages, which is presented in a way that’s a lot like a Metroidvania… but this game isn’t a Metroidvania, it’s quite linear, meaning this connected world seems somewhat like padding.

There is one other element I should mention here, and that is the game’s level creator, which is a great addition, and the ability to share levels online and see the levels created by others greatly expands the possibilities of this game. Or… at least, I suspect it did so. I don’t really know, since the online features of this game no longer function.

Still, despite these issues, Stealth Inc. 2 is still an excellent Puzzle-Platformer that’s held up by some excellent level design and great theming. If you’re a fan of the genre and for some reason you don’t want to get this game on another platform, this game is well worth adding to your Wii U game library.

tl;dr – Stealth Inc. 2 is a Puzzle-Platformer where players try to guide a clone to escape a scientific facility. The gameplay here is simple, yet it’s made very fun thanks to some really excellent level design. Unfortunately, the online level sharing no longer works, but otherwise this is a solid addition to the Wii U game library.

Grade: B

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