|| REVIEW || Stealth Bastard Deluxe (PC)

Developed By : Curve Studios                                       Published By : Curve Digital
Category : Stealth, Platformer, Indie                   Release Date : November 28, 2012

Stealth and platforming are two genres that seem to go hand-in-hand when it comes to video gaming. When the two meet, the result is essentially a puzzle game in a very natural form. Stealth Bastard is a game that does just this, bringing things to a 2D perspective, and I won't make you wait until the end of the review to tell you that it does a great job of it. However, stick with me for a little bit and I'll tell you why.

Things start off with you realizing you're in a test facility, being pushed into these puzzling, contraption rooms as the facilities newest subject. There are a number of different compounds, each with it's own series of eight rooms that will get progressively more difficult, and introduce to you new concepts just to see if you're worthy. Your guide through all of this is an unseen thing that communicates with you via lit up text on the walls. Sometimes to assist, other times to taunt.

To solve each room, all you simply need to do is reach the exit. Scattered around the rooms are a number of terminals which you must hack in order to unlock the exit. The number of terminals required will vary, sometimes only a single one will be required, other times you might need a few more. It's a number that will always be represented by a series of red lights over top of the exit door, once these are green the door opens and you just need to make it into the light.

Naturally, getting to these terminals won't be easy. In your way will be lasers, turrets, drones, and pits that you'll have to safely get around. Video cameras can be found around in some areas, and if they detect you it will trigger a trap almost immediately. One thing you do have on your side, though, are the shadows. This is a stealth game after all. Everything that can see you has a field of vision cone. If you are spotted at the more outside-edge of this cone the drone/camera will become curious and investigate, but get caught in the center and whatever response it has to an intruder will be activated.

Your safety lies completely within the shadows, and outside the field of vision of anything that can detect you. When it comes to being detected, Stealth Bastard can be very unforgiving. Some things can be run away from, and even some traps can be tricked to trigger in one spot after you've already moved away. But you'll find it very evident almost immediately that if you don't adhere to being stealthy, you won't get many second chances.

In each compound, there are eight rooms. The first seven of these serve to introduce a new mechanic to you, and teach you the complexities of it. This is how you'll meet the drones that fly patrol routes that you need to work around, or portals that can teleport you all over the place. Get familiar with them, and learn their behaviors, because it all boils down to that eighth and final level.

This last level is a boss stage. In the direct center there is a giant automated eye, rotating around and patrolling a great majority of the room. Keep out of it's gaze, because if it catches you there won't be a chance to hide. Find your way around the room, using everything you've learned up to that point, and get yourself safely to the exit.

Stealth Bastard is a really fun game. It gets tough at many points in the game, but at no point does the game ever feel unbeatable. Tough and infuriating, yes. But every solution was always easily achievable, and sometimes it was less about what you were doing, and more about the order you were doing it.

This is a game that goes far beyond its base levels. There is a wide selection of community created levels. Just like any game that offers community created content, some of it's good and some of it's....not so good. Furthermore, what's good and bad will be entirely be up to the opinion of each person. Unfortunately this means you'll most likely need to wade through some of the bad levels in order to get to the good ones, but in a game like this it's worth it.

Normally you can find this game for $9.99 on Steam and it's various platforms, but it tends to go on sale for much cheaper, and quite frequently at that. Whether it's on discount or full price, this is a game that is worth every penny you'll spend on it. The base game will be hard to put down and walk away from, and after you reach the end you can dive into the countless levels made by other community members. Whenever the opportunity arises, make sure you add this game to your library.

Game Rating : 9/10

Pick the game up HERE (PC) or search for it 
in any of the shops for the platforms below

Game Played on PC (Steam) 
Also Available on : Playstation 4, Playstation 3, Playstation Vita, Android and iOS