République

The more you put into République, the more you’ll get out of it. Retracing steps can be tedious, but the story payoff and gameplay rewards make it worth the trouble. Leaping from one camera to the next is a fulfilling, oddly voyeuristic way to explore this superb, deep world, too. Its sense of omniscience felt empowering, while the remaining mystery of who I am, and where I’m taking Hope, adds convincing intrigue. République is off to a great start, and I hope it can keep this refreshing momentum going for the rest of its episodes.

With a team comprising former Metal Gear Solid developers, it's perhaps no surprise that République is a stealth game. In fact, it's evident right from the outset that Metal Gear Solid was an influence on proceedings, although the narrative and characters of République stand alone, unique within the often homogeneous backdrop of modern action games. Featuring clever metafictional elements, République incorporates you into its world. The protagonist may be Hope, but you don't play as her; you merely guide her throughout the labyrinth of Metamorphosis – a totalitarian big brother state ever unde...

It's a tentative "yes", then, to this fascinating and flawed stealth game with an impressive sense of place; some will bounce off it harder than our Switch bounced off the wall when we got caught by yet another guard, but many will find it atmospheric, challenging and compelling. Definitely worth your attention, even if it's just to find out you don't like it.

It’s not all bad though. Republique tries to do something different, and although the story doesn’t feel fleshed out enough to be completely engrossing, it’s still got a few hooks to keep you playing; eager to find out more about Hope and her strange surroundings. Fans of stealth will likely forgive the repetitiveness and relish the constant challenge to keep out of sight, and completionists will enjoy the mass of collectibles that will likely offer a more fulfilling experience should you take the time to find them all. Unfortunately, for the rest of us, the annoying technical details and bori...

I didn’t know anything at all about République before I agreed to review it. Someone just said the word “stealth” and my hand automatically jumped into the air, volunteering me for an experience I wasn’t really ready for. This lead me to have zero expectations, something that I think really lets a game prove itself on its own merits and not feel the pressure to live up to hype.