Intravenous (2021)

Review pretty much says it all. A quick glance at this game shows you what to expect. The game is fun and kinda good but it has some flaws. I am curious to see what the second version will offer.

the Good:
-Fun to shoot the bad people in this adult setting and (somewhat basic) story of revenge
-Multiple weapons to pick from, many to unlock
-custom load outs of gear and equipment, armor, etc
-Maps are big and offer multiple angles of approach

The Bad:
-Pure stealth is time consuming, taxing, and difficult. Silencers not truly silent. Things go wrong really easy resulting in save scumming
-AI is pretty bad in direct confrontations. Easy to exploit. No deviation from patrols
-Every level can be beaten simply by hiding in a dark corner and letting enemies run to the sound of your gunfire. You can see in the dark, they can't. BLAM
-UI clunky when trying to grab weapons on the ground or ammo when things go hot. (Looting will basically just get you killed almost every time)
-Too many (Most) guns serve no purpose and are easily outmogged by other options. (I only found myself using like 2-4 the whole game)

tldr; second rate hotline miami 2. goes for something different. swaps the arcade action for tactical stealth, with mixed results. I enjoyed it for about 12 hours, but probably would never play it again.