Intravenous is a game about improvisation, playing your way and making the most of what you've got - that was the design philosophy of the first game, and it's still the case in the second.
But it is also, above all, a stealth game.
Now you see me, now you don't
Stealth in Intravenous 2 is multifaceted. Your HUD shows your light level and the amount of noise you're making. When you're in a dark area, you don't suddenly become invisible, no, your level of illumination determines how far away enemies will see you and how quickly they'll spot you. Of course, hiding in very dark places is a fantastic way to stay undetected, and guarantees that you won't be spotted unless you're within centimeters of the enemy.
Enemies can hear you move, interact with objects and perform various actions. Unlike in the first game, however, they no longer react instantly to sound. The amount of time it takes for an enemy to react now depends on how loud the noise is, the type of noise, and how far away they are from you.
You can now hide in cupboards to avoid detection. As long as no one sees you go in, it is safe to come out. However, if you are seen entering a cupboard, you'll be given a moment's notice to get out before you're peppered with lead - not that you'll have much of a choice.
If sneaking into closets isn't your thing, you can always go prone and crawl near objects taller than you to avoid detection. In Intravenous 2, the faster you move, the faster you can go prone, but you will also make more noise. If you go prone while standing still, you will not make any noise. This gives you the choice of lying down quickly as a last ditch effort to avoid detection at the expense of making noise, or lying down carefully to avoid making noise - the choice is yours.
Going prone also greatly reduces the distance at which enemies can always detect you in very dark areas - if you're in a very dark area, enemies will only be able to detect you if they bump into you.
...and last but not least, enemies will now trip and fall when you're prone, in their path, and barely visible to them.
Stealth tools
You'll find new stealth gadgets in Intravenous 2.
These include the Noisemaker - a remote-controlled device that can be used to lure enemies in and sneak past them, or to stalk them and take them out. Be aware, however, that a noisemaker is also a novelty to them, and they will pocket it if you give it to them.
The Tazer Mine is an opportunistic, remotely detonated device designed to incapacitate multiple enemies at once. You can either throw it and activate it immediately, or you can let an enemy pick it up, go back to their duties, and while it's in their pocket, trigger it at an opportune moment to incapacitate many enemies at once.
Then we have the Gas grenade - something I wanted to have in the first game but couldn't due to time and budget constraints. This is the first non-lethal, non-combat grenade designed to incapacitate enemies non-lethally - just be careful not to inhale the gas until you pass out!
The Multi-Launcher, a pneumatic rifle that occupies the primary weapon slot, is another stealth-oriented addition to Intravenous 2. As the name suggests, it can be loaded with a variety of different types of ammunition to achieve different objectives.
These include rubber slugs to incapacitate individual enemies, EMP charges to disrupt electrical objects, and gas pellets to incapacitate enemies at a distance. However, this versatility comes at a price - it is a heavy tool that has a noticeable movement speed and noise penalty.
Phew! That's just a brief overview of stealth in Intravenous 2. There's a lot more to show, but I'll stop here - otherwise the devlog would get too big.
Thanks for reading, see you next time!