Splinter Cell meets Hotline Miami in Intravenous and it’s free to keep on Steam but you have to act fast

Splinter Cell is a game that has a huge amount of influence on gaming and one whose absence is felt keenly. It’s been 11 years since the last game came out and even then the series was slowly becoming a shadow of itself. Thankfully some games are keeping the stealthy torch quietly lit, with Intravenous and its upcoming sequel being two titles that are doing their best to continue in Splinter Cell’s fine tradition. With the second game coming soon the first is now free – but you’ll have to act very fast if you want to grab it.

Intravenous is built around things going wrong. It’s a top-down stealth game where every movement can spell disaster, with light, sound, and more all being your constant enemies. It’s tense stuff and if this were like most stealth titles getting caught would cause a game over situation. In Intravenous, however, discovery simply moves the action up a gear into something much more akin to a grittier Hotline Miami.

Developer Explosive Squat Games is keen to make sure that players know that the stealth is only one aspect of the game, there are tons of action-filled shootouts you can indulge yourself in – if you so choose. Similar to games like the rebooted Wolfenstein series, stealth is only one weapon in your arsenal and when you step out of the shadows, the blasting begins.

So we’ve got Splinter Cell’s approach to stealth, Hotline Miami-like combat, interactive options straight out of an immersive sim like Dishonored, and a story that recalls games like Max Payne – which all makes Intravenous a hefty meal that should keep you full for a long time to come.

Intravenous is free to keep on Steam until Tuesday July 16 at 10am PDT / 1pm EDT / 6pm BST / 7pm CEST, head over here to add it to your library. You can also add the sequel, Intravenous 2, to your wishlist ahead of its launch on Thursday August 15.

In addition you can take a look at our picks to the best action-adventure games out there right now, as well as our guide to the best indie games on PC.

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