I recently finished Intravenous 2, and it was a pretty fun experience. Although I might’ve missed a few references to the first game, Intravenous 2 still stands strong on its own and you don’t need to play the first one to get what is going on in this entry. Developed by Roman Glebenkov, the game is a top-down tactical shooter packed with stealth mechanics, something I didn’t expect to see done so well with its top-down pixel art design.
I Might be the World’s Greatest Assassin (but not really)
My experience with Intravenous 2 involved spending two hours on a single level, trying to complete it without shooting or knocking out anyone, avoiding detection, and collecting all loot—or alternatively, eliminating everyone before completing the objective. One feature that surprised me was the ability to make choices on some targets, deciding whether they live or die. During the time that I am writing and posting this, I haven’t chosen any target to get killed. So, my information is limited but sparing the targets provides you with side missions that let you play as Steve, the protagonist of the first game.
Sean and Steve
The story follows Sean, a man who became a hitman to earn money for his dad’s surgery. At some point in his career, he’s asked to kill a politician but refuses. This incident is the first mission of the game.
Things quickly spiral out of control as Sean’s boss isn’t happy with his “altruism,” leading to his dad’s kidnapping. Sean is then forced to do more hits to get back in his boss’ good graces.
However, Sean has other plans. He decides to go after his now-former boss and eventually meets Steve by coincidence.
This is the main plot of the game and serves as Sean’s motivation. Steve becomes a mentor figure for Sean, helping him train and improve his skills. You’ll be able to play as Steve in some main missions, but you’re guaranteed to play as him during the side missions, which, as mentioned before, are unlocked by sparing certain targets.
2 Brains, 1 Braincell (Shared Skills and Weapons)
Sean and Steve share the same moveset and skills, so leveling and training Sean in certain areas will also make Steve just as good. Story-wise, this doesn’t really make sense since Steve’s skills should already be maxed out if he’s capable of fully training Sean, but it’s probably just one of those game development things. I’m totally fine with that. Additionally, weapons, gadgets, and mods you unlock are shared between the two characters.
Preparation Phase and Weapon Customization
At the start of the game, you’re introduced to a gunsmith who provides Sean with basic weapons and mods. After a few missions, the story takes a turn, and you’re forced to part ways with the gunsmith. From there, you’ll need to find schematics or bring back weapons you pick up during missions to unlock them and freely use them during the preparation phase.
What’s the preparation phase? It’s exactly what it sounds like—a phase before every mission where you can choose your character’s loadout, from weapons and armor to modifications and ammo type.
You can customize both your primary and secondary weapons with mods that you’ve unlocked and purchased. Each modification impacts various aspects of your weapon and character abilities, like movement speed, noise, accuracy, bullet spread, and more.
You can also bring three gadgets with you, each serving different purposes—like exploding when triggered, creating an alarm sound for distraction, or even blinding enemies.
Some weapons and gadgets can be concealed while others can’t. Concealed weapons or gadgets allow you to hide them, letting you go unarmed without alarming enemies who see you. There are only a few missions that fully take advantage of this concealed weapon mechanic, but it’s a nice feature to have. Intravenous refers to this kind of stealth as “social stealth,” which is pretty much the same concept as what you see in Assassin’s Creed.
Enemies, Civilians, and Stealth
Enemies aren’t the only ones you have to watch out for—civilians are also present. Civilians will react to unconcealed weapons and alert nearby NPCs, so dealing with them can be helpful in avoiding interruptions in your stealth attempts. You can kill them, but Steve will lose trust in Sean, which affects whether he continues training Sean between missions. I forgot to mention that earlier, but it’s definitely something to keep in mind if you’re a careless assassin. If you’re like me and prefer being mindful of who gets killed and who doesn’t, knocking out or avoiding civilians is the best approach. That way, you don’t have to worry about losing Steve’s trust.
That’s pretty much it, as the story progresses naturally as you play the game. If you’ve read my first impressions post, you already know that my only initial gripe with Intravenous 2 was the enemy AI, which honestly isn’t a huge issue. Now, I have two new gripes.
First, Intravenous 2 lacks a sandbox mode, which I think would be super fun and add even more replayability to the game. While there is a New Game+ mode that lets you challenge yourself further, a sandbox mode would make me go crazy over this game.
Second, the game lacks a fog-of-war mechanic. I’ve played Doorkickers and Doorkickers 2, which have similar gameplay to Intravenous 2.
The main difference is the fog-of-war, which adds an extra layer of difficulty when navigating unexplored areas or places where you lack visibility. Fortunately, the developer is considering adding this feature, as mentioned in the August 16 “What’s Next?” post.
One mechanic I didn’t really dive into is the slo-mo ability both Sean and Steve have. I rarely used it because, while it’s a cool option, it ruins the appeal of stealth for me. I don’t hate it, but it’s just not my thing, so I apologize for not covering it earlier.
Is Intravenous 2 A Good Game? Is Intravenous 2 Worth it?
Yes, and yes. Intravenous 2 is an exceptionally fun game for those who enjoy top-down shooters like Hotline Miami, Doorkickers, and SAS: Zombie Assault. Fans of the stealth espionage genre who want something a little bit different from Assassin’s Creed, Metal Gear Solid, or Splinter Cell will also enjoy this as long as they get the hang of the top-down style of the game. I absolutely recommend Intravenous 2, and I hope more games like this get made.
More Intravenous II Screenshots
Intravenous II FAQs
When is the Intravenous 2 release date?
Intravenous 2 releases on August 15, 2024.
How big is the game Intravenous 2?
Intravenous 2 is 955.46 MB big.
How long does it take to beat Intravenous 2?
Intravenous 2 took me a whole day to complete because I was aiming to perfect some missions. If you play at a relaxed pace, you can finish it in around 10 hours. Trying to finish it quickly might take about 5 hours, and if you’re very skilled at stealth games and can quickly master the enemy AI and stealth mechanics, you could even complete it in less than that amount.
Is the Intravenous game worth it?
If you are a fan of stealth games, then yes. It is surprisingly complex and creative with the amount of features you can use for stealth in a 2D top-down pixel game.
How long is Intravenous 2: Mercenarism?
Intravenous 2: Mercenarism is the prologue of Intravenous 2 and it is roughly 2 hours worth of playtime.
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