To preface this review, I will pose a simple pair of questions...

---

Do you like Hotline Miami? Do you like Metal Gear Solid?

If the answer to both of those questions is yes, you should try the demo for this game, and if it scratches that itch, buy it.

---

Intravenous is a top down stealth action game, it's plot is about taking revenge upon a drug addict whom killed your brother in a mugging gone wrong- in the process of this you meet a shadowy figure who gives access to black market tools and you head down a rabbit hole to target the source of the drugs.

The plot, however, for me, is unimportant. The real place where the game shines, is the gameplay.

Intravenous features many aspects of modern stealth games within it's retro-esque style. From shooting out lights, hiding bodies, to competent AI.

The AI ingame is not stupid, they don't fall into the hilarity most stealth game AI does. They search relentlessly once alerted. They notice blood or a body, they get help. They hear a gunshot, and instantly search the area, often forming small groups to search together with for safety.

Luckily, you have many tools to dispatch of them or avoid them, from sound distractions, to setting traps with explosives or silent non-lethal takedowns.

Overall, I highly recommend Intravenous as a stealth game. Trying fun strategies is recommended. Personally, I like running around with only a pistol and the throwing knife, roleplaying as a British mugger who ambushes his prey with an unlicensed knife.