Stealth Bastard

Stealth Bastard Deluxe is a puzzle-platforming game. You play as a clone, and must navigate through the level, activating numerous switches before heading to the exit door. To do so involves jumping over platforms, activating pressure switches, hiding in the shadows to avoid guard robots and turrets, and thoughtful timing of these elements.

It's not primarily a stealth game, but more of a stealth theme. Your character is like a stumpy Sam Fisher. His night-vision goggles change colour to show your visibility; green when invisible, amber when partially visible, and red when fully visible. You are not necessarily in danger if you are out in the open. Robots and cameras have a cone of visibility. Linger on their periphery and they will actively investigate. If you are clearly visible by them, then they will fire a laser which results in instant death. There's frequent check-points throughout the level, and you will respawn quickly to get straight back into the action.

The controls are simple. You can move, crouch, jump, or activate switches. Walking into pushable objects will automatically push them. Clipping the side of a platform will automatically make your character cling to the edge allowing you to essentially wall jump up certain areas, or carefully drop below. You can take the levels on at your own pace, but your times are recorded for leader-board purposes.

When new elements are introduced, there are comments written on the wall which act as a tutorial. When you fail, the comments change to mock you in a humorous way.

The downside to Stealth Bastard is that a lot of people (including me) have to play a slowed-down version of the game due to some mysterious bug. It doesn't ruin the game, but it's a slower pace than what was intended by the developer.

There's also a level editor, with plenty of community made levels. As usual, this results in some really basic levels, many silly levels and some that are actually well-designed.

The mechanics of Stealth Bastard are simple, but it is well executed. There's plenty of well designed levels that will have you smiling when you complete them. Some of the levels can be quite tricky, but the frequent check-points alleviate frustration. If you do find the levels easy, you can try to speed-run to get on the leader-board.