Reviews

You'd be forgiven if you considered all WWII games to be first person shooters. It's true that the Second World War is the perfect setting for your trigger happy thumbs, but there's no denying it'd be nice to see it from a different game play perspective at times. Well what can be more different than a female-led, stealth espionage adventure?

WWII history nuts may be aware of the real-life war heroine Violette Szabo, but for those who aren't familiar, she parachuted deep into war torn France to sabotage Nazi communications and vital roads and rail bridges. Velvet Assassin is loosely based on the heroine's dangerous missions, but in this thriller you take the role of British spy Violette Summer. Captured and hospitalised, Violette reminisces on all of her dangerous missions while she awaits her fate. Although Szabo only took part in two missions before her execution, Velvet Assassin asks you to do a lot more and infiltrate Nazi strongholds for information, sabotage and assassinations.

Like a sitting duck...

The game plays like a standard stealth adventure. Much like the original Splinter Cells and Manhunt, you hide in the shadows, watching the enemy's routine movement, and then strike when the timing's right, repeating the process until you reach the next section to start all over again. If you're spotted, you then run for your life until you find a safe shadow to hide in. Most of the time you'll be found and if this happens you can say hello to 'Game Over', because the hand to hand combat skills are nonexistent here.

You can dispose of the enemy in several interesting ways, such as shooting petrol puddles as they walk over them, frying them in electrified pools and pulling the pins from their grenades. Although it's nice to have the killing options, most of the time you'll sneak up behind them and kill them with a knife move or shoot them in the head when they're close enough. Unfortunately, the enemy AI suffers from severe inconsistency.

She's behind you!

Each enemy follows a pre-set path, which usually involves walking up a path, stopping with their back exposed, walking back down the path and stopping again, once more with their back exposed. If they have to leave their routine (to hunt you down for instance), they'll soon go back to it, unless they spot you of course. Fleeing an alert can be a chore, as more often than not they'll find you if you hide in a dark area. Hide in a toilet or a cupboard, however, and they'll stand outside confused out of their minds and they won't even consider opening the door. Afterwards, they'll go back to their set path and forget they ever saw you in the first place, stepping over many of their recently deceased comrades as they go.

Anyhow, if caught, most of the time you'll accept defeat as it only takes two or three shots before you're dead and you'll rarely have the arsenal to fight back. If you're not good at stealth games, Velvet Assassin will be a challenge for you. There's no doubt you'll frequently replay areas time and again until you can complete the section and progress. On the other hand, each section you replay is a chance for trial and error and after the immense frustration (if you haven't quit the game yet) you may eventually be a pro and find satisfaction in creeping along the dark corridors, stealth killing the Nazis. Sadly, stealth masters probably won't find much of a challenge in the linear structure and robotic enemies.