Isn't it appalling when you find, try and thoroughly enjoy a refreshing title that hits it out of the park in every aspect but you realize how little acknowledgement it receives for it.
This whole game is engineered around player comfort perfectly. It shows that the devs invested/had others invest endless hours in playtesting and adjusting the game according to the resulting feedback.
Every mechanic, feature and item is polished so hard you could figuratively see your reflection on it.
Which is exceptionally impressive if we remember we're talking about an indie game from a relatively inexperienced studio.

But enough unsubstantiated praise. I'll go into the specifics.

---

Easily the best part.
Could be described as a tactical stealth-oriented bird-view shooter. Might feel a bit clunky at first, specially when compared to other 2D shooters, but since the game has a fair focus on realistic stealth mechanics, it only makes sense that your speed and strength are limited.
The gunplay rules are dead simple. Keep your aim steady, control your recoil, stay away from corners and don't run and gun (unless you're undetected or you're using a shotgun)
But it's the stealth-exclusive mechanics that really take the cake.
Realistic player visibility affected by lighting, speed slider for controlling movement noise, realistic noise flow (range decreased by walls and doors), switchable/destructible light sources, fuse boxes, keycards and keychains, surveillance cameras, silent takedowns and much more.
All of these elements are ideally balanced and implemented strategically for engagement and proper difficulty progression.

Speaking of, the difficulty selection isn't intricately detailed or full of hidden changes. I could fit it right here, actually:
Easy - High damage resistance, infinite saves always.
Normal - Standard damage resistance, 5 saves per level
True - Halved damage resistance (applies to enemies too), 3 saves per level
Masochist - 1-HP player and enemies, armor always breaks in one shot, 1 save per level.

Really easy to pick too. I'll do it for you - True for first playthrough, try Masochist for later playthroughs, if you can't keep up stay at True.
You can "trust" me on that.

The arsenal available to the player is permanent and always available in almost all standard missions. It's quite sizeable, but it can be expanded by confiscating unique weapons from enemy bases.
Might seem like an arbitrary limitation, but all unlockable weapons are practically useless for stealth, hence having them is hardly benefitial unless you're playing the game loud, which isn't quite the intended way.

Other than that, the arsenal in the game is equally-split between strong guns or explosives and suppressed guns or additional stealth items like throwing knives and tasers.
It should be noted that certain unsuppressed guns can still be helpful to bait enemies away from your destination in a level, or also to mix gunfighting and sneaking to reach your target unscathed.
Or you could always just ditch the fancy equipment and punch your way through the game. Never gets old.

To be clear, this section covers sound effects, ambiance and music.

The weapon sound effects are not plain and realistic, instead opting for unique and logical sounds (for a videogame)
All guns feel powerful, and especially in higher difficulties, they live up to that.

Ambiance and music are really brooding in stealth, opting less for tension and more for simple seriousness, to keep the player in his toes and more focused on keeping his volume low, or paying attention to sounds from enemies.
That is until the player is detected.
That feeling of suspense and mild dread when you're spotted by someone you're hiding from is perfectly captured by the tense notes and instruments.
And then it explodes into a high-BPM EDM beat when you cause an irreversible mess of gun-slinging thugs switching between cover and running straight to where they could possibly find you and end your intrusion.

Not exactly worth a section.

---

Overall, refreshing and high-replayability gameplay, enjoyable difficulties, great music, fun achievements, badass gunplay?

Buy in or out of sale if it's your type of game.
Buy on sale if just feeling like trying it out.

(p.s love doorbash kills and the an-94 and my personal theory for the meaning of the title is that being "intravenous" could be a cool euphemism for being stealthy)

Isn't it appalling when you find, try and thoroughly enjoy a refreshing title that hits it out of the park in every aspect but you realize how little acknowledgement it receives for it. This whole game is engineered around player comfort perfectly. It shows that the devs invested/had others invest endless hours in playtesting and adjusting the game according to the resulting feedback. Every mechanic, feature and item is polished so hard you could figuratively see your reflection on it. Which is exceptionally impressive if we remember we're talking about an indie game from a relatively inexperienced studio. [b]But enough unsubstantiated praise. I'll go into the specifics.[/b] [hr][/hr] [h1]GAMEPLAY/DIFFICULTY[/h1] Easily the best part. Could be described as a tactical stealth-oriented bird-view shooter. Might feel a bit clunky at first, specially when compared to other 2D shooters, but since the game has a fair focus on realistic stealth mechanics, it only makes sense that your speed and strength are limited. The gunplay rules are dead simple. Keep your aim steady, control your recoil, stay away from corners and don't run and gun (unless you're undetected or you're using a shotgun) But it's the stealth-exclusive mechanics that really take the cake. Realistic player visibility affected by lighting, speed slider for controlling movement noise, realistic noise flow (range decreased by walls and doors), switchable/destructible light sources, fuse boxes, keycards and keychains, surveillance cameras, silent takedowns and much more. All of these elements are ideally balanced and implemented strategically for engagement and proper difficulty progression. Speaking of, the difficulty selection isn't intricately detailed or full of hidden changes. I could fit it right here, actually: Easy - High damage resistance, infinite saves always. Normal - Standard damage resistance, 5 saves per level True - Halved damage resistance (applies to enemies too), 3 saves per level Masochist - 1-HP player and enemies, armor always breaks in one shot, 1 save per level. Really easy to pick too. I'll do it for you - True for first playthrough, try Masochist for later playthroughs, if you can't keep up stay at True. You can [b]"trust"[/b] me on that. [h1]ITEMS AND WEAPONS[/h1] The arsenal available to the player is permanent and always available in almost all standard missions. It's quite sizeable, but it can be expanded by confiscating unique weapons from enemy bases. Might seem like an arbitrary limitation, but all unlockable weapons are practically useless for stealth, hence having them is hardly benefitial unless you're playing the game loud, which isn't quite the intended way. Other than that, the arsenal in the game is equally-split between strong guns or explosives and suppressed guns or additional stealth items like throwing knives and tasers. It should be noted that certain unsuppressed guns can still be helpful to bait enemies away from your destination in a level, or also to mix gunfighting and sneaking to reach your target unscathed. Or you could always just ditch the fancy equipment and punch your way through the game. Never gets old. [h1]SOUND DESIGN[/h1] [b]To be clear, this section covers sound effects, ambiance and music.[/b] The weapon sound effects are not plain and realistic, instead opting for unique and logical sounds (for a videogame) All guns feel powerful, and especially in higher difficulties, they live up to that. Ambiance and music are really brooding in stealth, opting less for tension and more for simple seriousness, to keep the player in his toes and more focused on keeping his volume low, or paying attention to sounds from enemies. That is until the player is detected. That feeling of suspense and mild dread when you're spotted by someone you're hiding from is perfectly captured by the tense notes and instruments. And then it explodes into a high-BPM EDM beat when you cause an irreversible mess of gun-slinging thugs switching between cover and running straight to where they could possibly find you and end your intrusion. [h1]STORY[/h1] [u]Not exactly worth a section.[/u] [hr][/hr] Overall, refreshing and high-replayability gameplay, enjoyable difficulties, great music, fun achievements, badass gunplay? [h1]10/10[/h1] Buy in or out of sale if it's your type of game. Buy on sale if just feeling like trying it out. (p.s love doorbash kills and the an-94 and my personal theory for the meaning of the title is that being "intravenous" could be a cool euphemism for being stealthy)