This is Gaming Cypher’s PC review of Clandestine by developer Logic Artists.
Clandestine brings a well done asymmetric gameplay system, something that many game companies have failed to do well in the past. You play as a spy who walks around the map while avoiding guards, gathering intel and completing the missions. You can also play as the hacker who can hack cameras and unlock doors. As the hacker you have to avoid system admins, while simultaneously hacking passwords. The hacker plays a fun game of cat and mouse with the AI system admins.
Clandestine’s graphics are decent. The game looks nice. While the game has some awkward animations, the few I noticed were very minor. The cut scenes, however, are abysmal. The voice-acting is pretty bad and the cut scenes look like they were made last minute. This game is not held up by its graphics, but the gameplay is fun and engaging. Some of the plot points seemed a bit too loosely connected. For example, in the first mission, Katya ( the spy ) is actually a technician, who after finding out her rescue target will not live long enough for a proper raid, goes in to save him. The command does not question her decisions, but simply says “go for it.“ While this is not the worst way video games have strung together plot points, it is a bit noticeable. This game is held up mostly by its gameplay, which is decent while playing solo and fantastic playing with a friend.
Clandestine can be played single player and that is what I played for the most part. You control both the hacker and the spy. The game can be pretty challenging, but it is a good challenge. The Co-op is one of the best co-op I have ever played. Unlike a lot of Co-ops, this game has two separate roles for the two players, instead of just porting another player into the single player. The spy, Katya plays a Splinter Cell like game of avoiding detection and completing objectives. While you can go in guns blazing, stealth gameplay seems to be easier and more thematically correct. The few times I tried to go in guns blazing, I was shot full of holes until I looked like Swiss cheese. I am sure it is doable, but it is pretty difficult. Martin, the hacker has extremely unique gameplay. He can move from terminal to terminal hacking passwords, doors and cameras. The strong point of this game lies in the Co-op multiplayer. Playing this game solo is an inferior experience. This game has extremely good asymmetric gameplay, but falls flat if not played Co-op.
Overall this game is decent. It falls at the cheaper end of modern games at $24.99. This game may be slightly overpriced if played solo, but should it go on sale or if you have a friend to play it with, definitely pick it up. Logic Artists is a relatively new company ( founded in 2011 ), and is a small independent game developer. Bearing this in mind, the game is great, it would look unready from a bigger studio, but its play style elements and premise are good overall. Logic Artists are definitely worth supporting, as they grow and expand, their product can only go up. I am extremely excited for their future releases as they get more experience under their belts.
The premise is interesting, the gameplay fun, and overall a decent game. It lacks some polish and some of the good graphics often seen from the bigger developers. Bearing in mind the inexperience of the developer, this game shows a lot of promise in the future, while still remaining fun for the price tag. Definitely worth it if playing with a friend. I give it a 3.5/5, promising, but lacking polish. Developer shows potential, but inexperience shows.
Here is the Clandestine official launch trailer:
You can can download Clandestine for PC on Steam.
Related: INTERVIEW and Music Clip from Clandestine Composer Leonardo Badinella
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