Sneaking around

Noise and light

Similar to what you had in games like Thief and Soldier of Fortune, there are sound and light meters on your interface. The sound meter shows how much noise you are making relative to the level that would cause an alarm. The amount of sound you make is a factor of the manner in which you’re moving (running, jumping, walking, or creeping) and the surface on which you are moving. Obviously metal gratings are going to be more difficult to cross silently than a heavily carpeted room. The game seems to do a good job at conveying these distinct sounds to you audibly as well as visually on the meter. The dynamic music in the game speeds up to a more fevered pitch when you’ve alerted a guard to your presence, helping the player know he’s got to hide or get ready for combat. When things calm down, the music dies down as well.

Hang on

We noticed two different weapons in the game, a silenced pistol, and a large silenced rifle that can be used to snipe or shot fully auto like an assault rifle. Civilians can be struck with a punch or forearm that knocks them unconscious.

Since this is a stealthy game, there are a number of options for you in terms of movement. You can pick up and move bodies of characters you’ve killed in order to hide them in a more inconspicuous place. You can jump and hang from ceiling fixtures in order to hide from guards who may enter a room searching for you. As you move along the wall, you can cling to the corner and peek around it, and also stick one arm around the corner to shoot with your pistol, minimizing your target profile to potential enemies around the corner. The environment is very interactive as well. Shooting a fire extinguisher releases a smoky haze into the area, making it easier to skulk about. Shooting up papers sends little flecks and shards up floating into the air. You can also use items in the environment as weapons, including bottles and chairs to break over people’s heads, WWF-style.

Psst - over here

Break yo’self!

Sam can sneak up on unsuspecting enemies, get them into a headlock and hold a gun to their head. From this position, there are a number of options. If they are an important character, he can interrogate them for information. You can walk around with them, using them as a human shield while still firing with your pistol. The importance of the character will determine whether or not enemies will choose to try and shoot you anyway. A lowly foot soldier? They’re going to shoot. If you grab yourself a general, then enemies will be a lot more reluctant to shoot at you. Tired of lugging the guy around? Pistol whip him on the back of the head and knock him out. Execution via neck snap or single shot to the temple may not be in the cards, unless Ubi Soft doesn’t mind an M rating.

Friendly neighborhood spiderman