Retool Demo

Stealth games can be very addictive, mainly because they allow you to tackle each level in a variety of ways, depending on whether you use force or not. Not only that, but you usually have a lot of interesting devices at your disposal as well, such is the case with the Hitman series, or Metal Gear Solid. On the other hand, it’s quite difficult to make the mechanics work well together.

Retool is not as complex as MGS or Hitman in regards to lore or the characters involved in the action, but it’s a lot simpler to get into. There are some interesting ideas at work here, and even though they may not be original, they are nicely combined into a pretty exciting package. Hence, if you are a fan of stealth, Retool should provide you with quite a bit of fun.

To begin with, the game is played from a forced isometric perspective, given the fact that the game is actually rendered in 3D. However, you cannot freely zoom in to see better, although you are free to rotate the camera and get a better look at the environment. Given the fact that you have to avoid enemies and find the exit from each level, the camera POV comes in handy quite often.

Gameplay-wise, the most important thing is to stay out of the enemy’s vision cone, because you can pretty much waltz around like crazy behind them, or even side-by-side as long as you are not touching the cone. This can be pretty anti-climatic, but it’s still a pretty engaging adventure nonetheless, especially since you can also knock them out if you move quickly enough.

The other great thing about the game is that you have to hack computers in order to rewire switches and various other electronics. Thanks to this, you should be able to open doors by activating light switches in a different room, which is quite exciting. Naturally, this isn’t a new idea, but it’s used pretty nicely in the game at hand.

In the end, Retool can be quite the challenge and a nice distraction for stealth fans, even if it has some annoyances every now and again. On top of that, the mechanics are very refined and nicely polished, which is always nice to see in an indie production.