When I think of stealth games Metal Gear Solid automatically pops into my mind. Little did I know that an ID@Xbox game would change all that.
Level 22: Gary’s Misadventure is a game that's all about stealth and surprisingly for a game of this genre it's set in your workplace which is an office block. Via a short storyboard sequence we see our run of the mill hero sleep through his morning alarm after a night out celebrating a birthday. From here on its you against the entire workforce in your office block.
You do receive hints and tips from your best friend who is constantly on the phone to you and it's here that the game reveals it's sense of humour with little snippets being revealed about last night's party. You will need all the help you can get because the retro graphics belie what is a very well thought out puzzler.
You can disguise yourself and hide in various locations so your not spotted, you can lure people away by setting up traps using doughnuts or sweets and in some circumstances even knocking them out.
The A.I. can be deceptively simple at times with very simple patterns to memorise. But I've had a lot of instances where seemed to be erratic and would just break their usual pattern and spot you for no particular reason or worse still being spotted through a wall which happened on numerous levels. Luckily the game automatically checkpoints the game very often so what could have quickly turned into a game breaking glitch became just an annoyance. There are times when you just have to blindly walk into a room and take your chances due to you being unable to see beyond a certain point.
There are collectibles on each level for you to find. There are toys left behind by your phone friend when he was sacked and your now tasked with getting them all back for him. These highly prized collectibles are cheap knockoffs of your favourite Videogame and movie characters. You will find these hidden around each level along with safes that you can crack. The codes for each safe are also hidden throughout each level. But the codes are really tough to find. But if you search hard enough they are all there.
If your thinking that this sounds like a dumb down version of your favourite stealth game you should think again. Some of the puzzles are fiendishly challenging and they will have you pulling your hair out in frustration at times. There is a level later on in the game that is played in total darkness. This level is only here to drag the game out longer because of its ridiculous difficulty level.
If you fancy trying something a little different from ID@Xbox then Level 22 is worth a punt. Frustratingly difficulty at times but so rewarding when those levels are cleared. There is enough of a challenge and plenty of gameplay to keep you going for a long time.
Level 22 is available now for £5.59.