Depending on who you ask, indie games are the bread-and-butter of modern gaming, and there’s certainly merit in that statement, as they serve niches that AAAs simply do not. Take stealth gaming, for example, which received something truly exciting just a few days back: Intravenous 2: Mercenarism.
Those of us who have been eagerly anticipating when on earth might Ubisoft finally announce a new Splinter Cell game may have missed the memo about Intravenous and its upcoming sequel, Intravenous 2. The mostly unknown stealth shooter from the developer HypeTrain Digital enjoys solid reviews, but it’s the 2024 sequel that’s really interesting here, mainly because it’s got a top-tier demo you could start playing right this instant.
What is Intravenous 2: Mercenarism?
Intravenous 2: Mercenarism is, in essence, a fairly comprehensive demo for the full-fledged sequel. More importantly, however, it is a more-or-less standalone experience that ties the two narratives together. Players get to interact with Intravenous 2‘s gameplay systems throughout four separate missions, each of which is surprisingly interactive.
The core gameplay loop is, as the screenshots may betray, all-in on stealth. All Intravenous games allow players to fine-tune their characters’ movement as they could in the old Splinter Cell games, and the bird’s eye perspective is reminiscent of the classic Metal Gear and Metal Gear Solid titles. All the other stealth game tropes are present and accounted for, too. You can:
- Destroy lights and manage your sound profile
- Move bodies around and hide them in crates/closets
- Play non-lethally
- Pick locks
- Throw bottles and other assorted garbage to distract enemies
- Navigate levels and complete objectives in a free-form, open-ended fashion
It’s a very impressive piece of kit, truly. Intravenous games can also be played as regular tactical shooters, though fairly hardcore ones, at that. They give you access to a whole arsenal of weapons both suppressed and not, each with their own respective statistics to keep track of. For example, there’s a huge difference in the sound profile of a .22 LR veterinary pistol going off, and a 10MM Glock punching through the glass.
Intravenous 2, specifically, introduces remarkably in-depth gear and weapon modifications and the whole thing is present and accounted for in the Mercenarism demo. The demo which, in case I haven’t been clear enough yet, any stealth game fan ought to try out.
Intravenous 2 proper is coming in 2024, but check out Intravenous, too
The full version of Intravenous 2 is due to launch sometime in 2024, with the full release window announcement still pending. Those who fall in love with the Mercenarism demo should make use of the first game’s current discount, however, as it is now available at a whopping 60% off. The deal is available until February 2, so there’s still some time to make the call.
Granted, it’s not like Intravenous is an AAA game with an AAA price-point: at full price, it’ll only set you back $20.00 or your regional equivalent. For stealth game fans, it’s a lovely deal indeed.
