Velvet Assassin

March 12, 2008 - Velvet Assassin
was first shown two and a half years ago as Sabotage. Since then the
stealth game has lived up to its genre, lurking in the shadows,
remaining hidden. With Gamecock set to unleash this Assassin later this
year, it gave us an update on the game at its recent EIEIO event. The
easiest way to describe Velvet Assassin is as a very pretty Splinter
Cell starring a lady.

Set during World War II, players control Violette Summer, an MI6 agent
inspired by a real woman named Violette Szabo who was an allied secret
agent during the war. The real Violette was captured by the Germans and
executed in 1945 at the age of 23. The game appears to take place in
Violette's mind after her capture as the lays in a hospital bed. Each
level is a dream sequence leading up to her eventual abduction.


The developers are apparently big fans of the V mini-series.

In
the level we were shown, Violette had to infiltrate a German base,
reach a captured British agent, and deliver a cyanide pill to him. The
mission is apparently based on real cirumstances. Each stage will offer
optional second objectives. Developer Replay explained the game
controls very much like Splinter Cell. Violette must remain in the
shadows to avoid being seen. The developers have worked some very nice
lighting effects into the game. Players will have to manipulate the
light to keep the Germans off their track.

We did see a couple instances where the AI was questionable. As long as
Violette is in a shadow, she can crawl right up in front of a German
soldier without being noticed. We have to wonder why this soldier would
be standing in a pitch black room in the first place.

Velvet Assassin features a Morphine Mode that is basically a
bullet-time ability. When Violette needs an extra boost she can pump up
her morphine in her hospital bed to fuel the dream version of herself.
When this happens, she will switch from whatever outfit she is wearing
in the level to her hospital gown, giant red blood cells will float
around the room, and everything will go into slow motion. Violette's
Morphine Mode and stealth abilities can be upgraded along the way.

There are 50-60 "kill moves" the player can use when they sneak up on
the enemy. Which maneuver Violette performs appears to be random and
will change as we play through the game. The player will also be able
to pull the pin from enemy grenades. Let them walk away and enjoy the
fireworks.


Both the game's protagonist and lighting effects are lookers.

Like
the real life events it is based on, Velvet Assassin is not going to
have a happy ending. While the gameplay is very much like other stealth
games we've played, the mood is considerably darker than other
offerings. Stealth fans will want to keep a look out for this one.