Stealth Inc 2: A Game of Clones

New to PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Xbox One and Windows

IF you took the platform-jumping 2D world of Super Mario and combined it with Splinter Cell's gritty black ops you might have something that looks a little like this.

For fans of retro games, Stealth Inc 2: A Game of Clones is adorable.

Playing a stumpy night-vision goggle wearing clone, the game's cartoonish visuals draw you in. There are great little touches like the colour of your goggles changing depending on how well hidden you are.

But it lulls you into a false sense of security because Curve Digital's title actually has a wicked sense of humour.

Taking its cue from the Portal games, the game will mock and mislead you with sarcastic messages while occasionally throwing in an occasional hint in between.

The humour is pitched just right and fits the tone of the experience.

Again, like Portal, Stealth Inc 2 sees you take on test chambers in a bid to free your fellow clones from a kind of dystopian science experiment.

One of the best things about the test chambers is the difficulty curve as things get steadily trickier as your skills and familiarity with the game increase.

It could be described as 'harsh but fair' as learning from your mistakes often requires a lot of death.

Because the experience is all about stealth you mainly use shadows and smoke to mask your approach and get around lasers and sentry guns or outwit a range of robotic foes

You have to go it alone with no weapons but as you progress there are tools like the 'inflate-a-mate' which is basically a blow up doll to activate out-of-reach switches and reach higher places.

The levels are all dynamic and feature a range of interesting game mechanics and you are always in a race against the clock to find out how you ranked in the global leaderboards.

This is a compelling and slightly addictive part of the game as you always think you can do a little better.

The only disappointing part is the overworld connecting all the test chambers – it is maze-like and little fun to navigate.

But Stealth In 2 is a great example of a new wave of retro-inspired games that are simple to play but tricky to master.

RATING 7/10

DAVID MORGAN