Tossing its hat into the stealth-action genre later this year is the GameCock published title, Velvet Assassin. Available only in eyes-on form at PAX 2008, Velvet Assassin is a story set in World War II and inspired in part by real life French secret agent Violette Szabo. Our short demo took us through a mission midway through the game where the lead character, Violette Summer, was tasked with destroying a gas line. Jump in for our impressions of Velvet Assassin.


The mission structure in Velvet Assassin follows the memory of main character Violette Summer. In the main menu a group of Nazi soldiers are inching toward a bed-ridden Violette and each mission corresponds to a memory replaying in her mind. The idea behind this mission structure allows the developer to utilize mechanics that would, in other games, be considered special powers.

An example is the use of morphine. As a health recovery item the morphine increases Violette's health but in the context of the story it is as if the player controls her dosage in the present from her hospital bed. Using the item changes the environment from her memory; in the example we were shown the environment of corridors leading to a gasline which Violette was tasked with destroying the environment shifted to a flash of her in the crowded hospital when morphine was used. These in-game environmental changes act as a constant reminder to the player that they are in the middle of a memory.


As a power item the morphine works differently. During an instance that saw Violet facing an enemy at the end of a well-lit corridor, the use of the power-up shifted her reality to the hospital environment while keeping the enemy in her sights. This allowed Violette to stop the world around her, run up to the enemy and kill him with a lethal fury of knife thrusts. As it was described to us, the use of the morphine in these situations acts as a cue to the player that the memory is being altered thus shaping the world around her to tell her story, not being detected in the process.

Detection is a key element of the game. As explained to us during the demo, Violette is a normal woman with no unique abilities. It is easier for her to hide and sneak through each encounter rather than fight to survive. As a soft purple aura wraps around Violette, players are given a visual cue they are invisible to the enemies crowding each area. Violette's mission is to disrupt the natural order of things without ever revealing her existence, a welcome change from the pseudo-stealth encounters in Splinter Cell and even Metal Gear (although both franchises can often be played without detection, as well).


From what was shown Velvet Assassin has enough unique ideas to separate itself from the other big stealth players in the industry. The setting and story may be from an era we've all played through in the past but the gameplay difference is a welcome addition to the World War II scenario. Stealth is paramount in Velvet Assassin and, from what we saw of our short 10-minute demo, it works well.

That isn't to say firefights have been removed from the game. Violette can still equip weapons of the era and forcefully remove enemies from the equation but from what was shown the combat could use some tweaking.


One of the biggest issues we had was Violette's onscreen position. Much like Resident Evil 4 and Gears of War, Velvet Assassin uses an over the shoulder aiming system except the game positions Violette in the middle of the screen instead of to the side. Gun play required balancing as seen during the end of the demo.

After Violette completes her objective she is forced to evacuate the area as enemies pour in after her. Wielding a shotgun, Violette was able to kill an enemy from across the half-way point of a long corridor. However, based on the distance an instant kill seemed impossible. As the rep navigated out of the area a wrong turn was taken and Violette began clipping through the environment, specifically through a steel door. Of course these instances were quick and a part of an early build of the game but warrant a mention.

Velvet Assassin may not be on your radar but the title includes enough unique ideas to warrant your attention when it ships.