Review - Stealth Inc. 2: A Game of Clones

By Jon Evans
Developers; Curve Digital
Formats; Xbox One, WiiU, PS4 (format reviewed), PS Vita
Release date: Xbox One - 3/4/15
Release date: PC (Humble Store) -  7/4/15
Release date: PS4, PS3, Vita (Cross-buy) (US) - 7/4/15
(EU) - 8/4/15
Stealth Inc. 2: A Game of Clones is the follow up to the Stealth Inc: A Clone in the Dark, and  those that played the first game, will know what to expect. A wonderfully challenging and quirky stealth puzzle platformer with a dark sense of humour. What Curve Digital have done with the sequel is take the already satisfying formula, and improved on it. They have given the player more of the meaty and difficult puzzles but thrown in a more developed story and an given a more open-ended exploratory mechanic too. Because of this it is a much better game, without changing too much for fans of the franchise.

Initially Stealth Inc. 2 is an instantly recognisable game. Our friendly chubby clone is once more thrust into the dark with the eponymous colourful goggles and sent out to find his way out of the test chambers. This time, however, you get to see the reason for the clone’s existence. Curve's new narrative is shown via some interesting comic strip style animations to show you the powers that be that run the facility, and why the whole facility is built as it is. 
Needless to say, it becomes clear why our poor old Clone lives his life like a video game, as it seems the chaps running the place are competing on how many clones they can mutilate. I had some reservations about this inclusion, as it seemed more foreboding when the people behind the machines were unseen, but the story starts to gel, especially later on in the game, and makes for a fresh viewpoint on the clone’s world. The visuals have had an upgrade too, while still maintaining the gritty retro look, the colours are brighter, the graphics are sharper and the clone and enemy sprites are more three dimensional in their animations. It is definitely a better looking game with more interesting explosions, lasers and gristly lumps of meat spattered on the screen. The background designs are more distinct in their resolution too, showing a nice evolution of design since the last game.
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New to the game, too, is your method of Navigation. Stealth Inc. 1 moved you linearly through the various levels, almost like a list to tick off as you pass, and you had a beginning, middle and an end. In Game of Clones, this linearity is swapped for a map you must explore and uncover as you progress, Metroidvania style. It caused me some confusion as I started playing, expecting a structure like the previous game, but this confusion was soon replaced with excitement as I realised what a more interesting experience it was. Your world map is your guide and you navigate through it trying to find doors into test chambers. Getting to the test chambers is a level in itself with the usual trademark lasers, drones, and patrolling robots ready to slice and dice you up, and each area in the world map has themes in terms of the actual gameplay.

Each area introduces you to a new method of solving puzzles. Stealth Inc 1 had a throwable teleporter which helped you get past doors and traps. Here each area unlocks a similar device that lets you use and experience in the test chambers. Complete enough levels in the test chambers and you get to keep the gadget permanently for the world map. The first gadget I used was the ‘Inflate-a-mate’ which inflates and lets you stand on it to reach higher platforms as well as throw it and activate it remotely in hard to reach areas. It also has a weight and heft, allowing you to trip switches, explode mines and block laser beams. There is enough variety of use with this gadget to make for some really interesting and head scratching problems to solve, and was great fun to use. The other areas (colour coded on the map for convenience) give you other gadgets to play with and to help solve further puzzles. The test chambers themselves only allow one gadget at a time to be used, however come out of the test chambers and into the world map and you can swap between all the gadgets to help you navigate. Also included for each level, are online leaderboards allowing you to compare times to solve levels. It is a nice inclusion and allows friends to compete on finishing the level the quickest and adds to the replayability. 
This works really well and it soon becomes clear how powerful this repertoire of gadgets becomes as you explore the world map. It also lets you appreciate how carefully thought out and well designed this game is. The more gadgets you have to hand, the more you can explore. Unreachable and locked off areas suddenly become accessible and secrets can be found. The more you play, the more empowered you feel, which is also reflected in the narrative. Great, too, is the variety of gadgets you use, with a clear and different style of gameplay each time, making the challenges refreshing and varied. The secret themselves are glowing suitcases that contain unlockable outfits for your Clones. You can mix and match the way your clone looks as you play. They do not affect the nature of your player in any way, unlike the outfits in Guacamelee for example, but they are silly and fun and add to the overall experience.
As mentioned before, the main draw to the Stealth Inc games are the puzzles. They are as, ever, excellent in their implementation, with a dazzling array of variety and challenge. While playing the game my respect for the level designers was elevated as I encountered and worked them out. Better still the trademark sarcastic comments that appear on the walls as you get maimed continued in their black humour and sarcasm. Several times, the puzzles cleverly set you up with a sense of expectation, get you used to a particular mechanic, lull you into a false sense of security and then drastically change things round to catch you out, again with a perfectly pitched comment that is almost psychic in nature. You do feel The QA guys have had fun with this, working out the most common reactions to puzzles. I did feel that having played the previous game, I was quicker to solve the puzzles, having a familiarity with the way they are set up, so the extra aspect of exploration was very welcome to add value to the game. Newcomers to the Stealth Inc games may find the whole experience daunting and may want to start with the previous game as a warm up. This is worth noting; if you do not like challenging puzzles, Stealth Inc may not be your cup of tea. 
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Again included too is the powerful level editor with the controls you are familiar from the previous games, with plenty of objects and designs from the game to create your own puzzles. All the visuals are included and once you have created your level you can upload it to the community and share your creations. It’s a nice addition to the package, and is one of the better level creator packages in terms of ease of use and intuition. Personally I’m not one for creating levels, however budding game designers may be interested in it, especially when it comes to understanding logic, collisions and layering. It is a generous inclusion which also gives you newfound respect for the designers when you create.
Overall, Stealth Inc 2: A Game of Clones, is a great step up from the previous iteration. The choice to build it with Metroidvania style exploration is a good one, adding an extra element of challenge and fun, and the core puzzle solving is as brilliant as ever. With shiny new visuals and expanded depth to the story, for platform puzzler fans, this is an essential purchase.
Preview copy of the game provided by Curve Studios
Images provided by curve Studios and captured from reviewer's PS4