Recommended by @DeltaWDunn
This is my first ever stealth game. Never been that interested in them as I've never liked all those forced stealth sections in non-sneaky games. At most I used stealth a lot in the Elder Scrolls and Fallout series, so I at least had some OK experience with the pacing of sneaks and stabs.
Sooooo, are stealth games really just puzzle games?
I mean, the puzzle can require strict timing, or the solution can change if you make a mistake; but this game gave me "I R SMART" feeling of a good puzzle game, which I was not expecting. It's all about watching enemy patterns, taking note where light is and if you can disable them, sources of sound, the kind of guards that are in the way and their positions, what ninja tools you have at your disposal, the location of grapple points and vents, and so forth. You process this information and then create a plan of action.
Lure a guard with broken light, kill them while stuffing their body in a closet, but do it fast before his buddy sees you. Not fast enough? Kill the guard and quickly hang their body from a grappling spot which will cause terror to all who see the corpse. And as you'd expect from a stealth game, going through every level without killing or being spotted is a valid tactic, though it often requires more effort then being "Sir Stabs-A-Lot". Maybe it's symbolic, "It's easier to destroy then it is to save."
I don't know how I feel about the generous checkpoint system. I think its necessary as it's very easy to die (never attempt to fight anyone head-on) but I sometimes feel like I'm cheating when I'm constantly rewinding time for every mistake I make. It's like quicksaving in any game, less stressful but very exploitable and tempting at that. I mean, if you have the tool to fix any mistake, what's stopping you from doing that? Maybe checkpoints placed further apart would make it more of a interesting decision on whether you want to re-do a portion of a level for a better score or to live with your mistakes, but again this would make failure pretty frustrating for more casual players. Despite my grievances, I think they made the better decision in being forgiving to the player.
Even with that said, the game still isn't too challenging despite the deadly enemies and insta-death traps. Going back to the analogy, a puzzle game with more then one solution is inherently easier then a puzzle with a single correct solution. You have a lot of tools and methods to tackle each problem, and till the last three or four levels enemies are fairly easy to exploit and abuse. Terrifying enemies to panic shoot all their allies is maybe a bit too strong, and there's several methods of making them go insane that aren't too much of a nuisance to pull off. When you have a rock solid plan, all you need to is execute it and your pretty much set... bearing a guard you missed that caught you red-handed (as in you're now red in blood :] ) but as mentioned restarting is a non-issue. A short term hurdle.
This game does have a fantastic presentation that always shows all the information a player needs. Sound plays a critical role in being a ninja, and you will always know how much sound something produces at any point while playing. You'll know when a guard hears something, you'll know where a guard is going to investigate, you'll know whose in shadow or not, you'll know a guard's line of sight; almost nothing is hidden from the player. Maybe the only big U.I. problem I've had is some annoying context sensitivity issues. Sometimes I press X to kill a guard but they move slightly too far and I end up smacking his head instead. Other times I'm trying to pick-up a body in order to hide it, but Mr. Ninja thought I wanted to hide behind the vase and now somebody that just spotted the body triggered the alarm. Got a few unfair deaths, but nothing to ruin the game for me.
Despite some faults I have with the game, one thing I can't deny is just how smooth the ride was. I was going through the motions at points sure, but there's something to be said about a game that you play for a few minutes and your just like "Yeah I get it!" You quickly download the rules and can then execute with precision like a real ninja... till you run right into your fifth spike trap like a dumbass
(Also, happy 250th game).
This is my first ever stealth game. Never been that interested in them as I've never liked all those forced stealth sections in non-sneaky games. At most I used stealth a lot in the Elder Scrolls and Fallout series, so I at least had some OK experience with the pacing of sneaks and stabs.
Sooooo, are stealth games really just puzzle games?
I mean, the puzzle can require strict timing, or the solution can change if you make a mistake; but this game gave me "I R SMART" feeling of a good puzzle game, which I was not expecting. It's all about watching enemy patterns, taking note where light is and if you can disable them, sources of sound, the kind of guards that are in the way and their positions, what ninja tools you have at your disposal, the location of grapple points and vents, and so forth. You process this information and then create a plan of action.
Lure a guard with broken light, kill them while stuffing their body in a closet, but do it fast before his buddy sees you. Not fast enough? Kill the guard and quickly hang their body from a grappling spot which will cause terror to all who see the corpse. And as you'd expect from a stealth game, going through every level without killing or being spotted is a valid tactic, though it often requires more effort then being "Sir Stabs-A-Lot". Maybe it's symbolic, "It's easier to destroy then it is to save."
I don't know how I feel about the generous checkpoint system. I think its necessary as it's very easy to die (never attempt to fight anyone head-on) but I sometimes feel like I'm cheating when I'm constantly rewinding time for every mistake I make. It's like quicksaving in any game, less stressful but very exploitable and tempting at that. I mean, if you have the tool to fix any mistake, what's stopping you from doing that? Maybe checkpoints placed further apart would make it more of a interesting decision on whether you want to re-do a portion of a level for a better score or to live with your mistakes, but again this would make failure pretty frustrating for more casual players. Despite my grievances, I think they made the better decision in being forgiving to the player.
Even with that said, the game still isn't too challenging despite the deadly enemies and insta-death traps. Going back to the analogy, a puzzle game with more then one solution is inherently easier then a puzzle with a single correct solution. You have a lot of tools and methods to tackle each problem, and till the last three or four levels enemies are fairly easy to exploit and abuse. Terrifying enemies to panic shoot all their allies is maybe a bit too strong, and there's several methods of making them go insane that aren't too much of a nuisance to pull off. When you have a rock solid plan, all you need to is execute it and your pretty much set... bearing a guard you missed that caught you red-handed (as in you're now red in blood :] ) but as mentioned restarting is a non-issue. A short term hurdle.
This game does have a fantastic presentation that always shows all the information a player needs. Sound plays a critical role in being a ninja, and you will always know how much sound something produces at any point while playing. You'll know when a guard hears something, you'll know where a guard is going to investigate, you'll know whose in shadow or not, you'll know a guard's line of sight; almost nothing is hidden from the player. Maybe the only big U.I. problem I've had is some annoying context sensitivity issues. Sometimes I press X to kill a guard but they move slightly too far and I end up smacking his head instead. Other times I'm trying to pick-up a body in order to hide it, but Mr. Ninja thought I wanted to hide behind the vase and now somebody that just spotted the body triggered the alarm. Got a few unfair deaths, but nothing to ruin the game for me.
Despite some faults I have with the game, one thing I can't deny is just how smooth the ride was. I was going through the motions at points sure, but there's something to be said about a game that you play for a few minutes and your just like "Yeah I get it!" You quickly download the rules and can then execute with precision like a real ninja... till you run right into your fifth spike trap like a dumbass
(Also, happy 250th game).
DeltaWDunn
8 months ago
Honestly, I haven't really played that many stealth games either, but I don't think your assessment of many of them being akin to puzzles is too far off. Although I definitely enjoy how the game allows multiple solutions to a problem, even if it does make the game a little easier.