[h3][i]Stealth Action Redefined and Perfected[/i][/h3]
Playing previous entries in series didn't make me a fan, but I have enjoyed the time spent: all that sneaking around, hiding in shadows, using gadgets, the need to be patient and thoughtful about next move was exciting, provided a great change of pace compared to many other games. At the same time, Splinter Cell felt a bit shallow, dated, simple, leading to me liking games but not considering them to be something great.
I've expected the same from this part of the series: enjoyable experience for couple of evenings without much depth. Chaos Theory, however, surprised me immensely and turned out to be one of the best games I've ever played. New tools have been introduced, old - improved; enemies became smarter; levels gained in size and number of available paths and even objectives; plot started to make sense; number of dialogues increased.
[h3][i]Equipped for any situation[/i][/h3]
Like any respectable spy, Sam Fisher, the main character of the game, carries with himself all the necessary tools for the work in the field:
- Special goggles allow him to zoom on targets, see in dark, identify thermal signatures and electromagnetic fields;
- OPSAT, portable wrist-mounted computer, allows to read goals, collected data or study the 3D map;
- Lockpick, can be used to bypass physical locks;
- Hacking tool, for digital locks and locked computers;
- Suppressed pistol that comes equipped with super-gadget that allows to temporarily disable any electronics without destroying them;
- SC-20K, suppressed assault rifle, has great customizability: barrel can be switched to turn it into a sniper rifle, under barrel a shotgun or launcher can be attached. Launcher makes it possible to shoot different specialized projectiles, like shockers, gas grenades and simple yet effective airfoils (they hit enemies hard, knocking them down without killing);
- Grenades, lethal and not;
- Knife, used to break locks, cut wires, fabric and force enemies to cooperate.
This equipment creates a huge arsenal of tools for each and any situation, giving great amounts of freedom to the player and an ability to deal with any present threat in numerous ways, rewarding creativity, experimentation and allowing for almost any desired play style. You can be discreet or loud; thorough or superficial; a nightmare or a ghost; or a mix of all of that depending on your preferences.
[h3][i]Must have been the wind... But it doesn't hurt to check[/i][/h3]
Sam Fisher encounters many enemies. Patrols of guerrillas, guards, regular troops, mercenaries, elite forces, auxiliary personnel and civilians - these are who Fisher faces.
Simple goons, they are humans, and that means they possess an ability to see, hear and suddenly - rationalize. Even in previous installments of the series enemies could hear loud sounds, notice movement in the well-lit environments or get alarmed upon finding bodies. Chaos Theory expands their abilities, making them considerably smarter. Sound in the darkness? It's time to bring out the flashlight. A door left open? That's unusual and needs to be checked. Light is turned off? Well, turning it back on is not a problem. A lock was broken, a lamp - destroyed? Thorough search is on the way.
Of course, any of that is a valid reason to notify all nearby guys, so that they would also start searching - all the while covering each other's backs, making sure that nothing happens to their buddies. And if something does happen while they turn their attention away - they react, freaking out and conducting a search to see if they can find their friends.
If player is careless and leaves a big trace of destruction - guards might notice and follow the trail, in the end bumping into Fisher. Then they won't hesitate to shoot and raise alarm. But if player utilizes every tool in the arsenal to its fullest, disabling lamps instead of breaking them, lockpicking locks instead of bashing doors - then enemies won't have a clue that someone went through the area.
Enemies also communicate constantly, voice out everything, so it's always known what and why they are going to do. But if you don't want to know that, perhaps so that you'd have more challenge - there is an option to make foes speak in their native languages.
All of that makes enemies in Chaos Theory challenging and extremely satisfying to deal with, more so than in any other stealth games I've played so far.
[h3][i]Dark alleyways all around the world[/i][/h3]
Like before, Sam Fisher finds himself in different parts of the world. Jungles, industrial complexes, luxurious penthouses, military bases or ships in the sea - variety of locations is astounding, and each level brings new views and emotions. What is new in Chaos Theory is size: locations are big, layered and present many ways for the player to choose from.
Every mission has several stories worth of rooms and open spaces, many of them have several doors, vents, hatches or pipes that player can use to circle around the enemies, ambush them or completely avoid. What stops player from doing exactly that, thus completing main objective as fast as possible? Nothing, really. You can become a ghost, sneak past every enemy, use most efficient routes only - and end the level in half an hour. But then you'll miss additional stuff: secondary and opportunity objectives. They are simple, something like interrogate that guy, collect delivery logs, hack local network in different places. It's the main incentive to explore the level and stray away from the most straightforward path and completing them usually requires visiting each corner of the map. Missing these objectives changes the next mission: if you've missed some secondary tasks previously - you'll have to complete similar later, gaining pretty much the same information through different means, which I think is really cool.
If objectives are not enough of an incentive for exploration - you can find different curious information around, like personal emails or newsletters, as well as hear banter between guards (they can contain passwords, information about security measures, pinpoint location of main targets and etc.), or find ammunition.
Considering all that, I confidently state that Chaos Theory is one of the games with most interesting levels out there, they are like big playgrounds for the spies.
[h3][i]The Theory of Chaos[/i][/h3]
Each event, action and counter-action has clear logical reasoning; all of what happens makes sense and is realistic.
The story is pretty long and told through cutscenes, in-level dialogues, random emails on computers and even banter of enemies. It's deep, intriguing, surprising. If previous installments had the story of a spy-action fanfic, this here is like a proper, thought-out novel with several over-arching little stories, believable, complex characters and lots of interconnecting details. It left me extremely satisfied.
[h3][i]The news from other provinces[/i][/h3]
Dialogues in Chaos Theory are worthy of special mentioning.
First, voice acting is top-notch, of every character, especially of interrogated enemies (they sound terrified, struggling and on the edge).
Second, dialogues build and expand relations between characters, both main and random enemies, introducing different themes and referencing them here and there, leading to short but interesting conversations: personal goals and wishes, situation on site and in the world, doubts or confidence, rivalry - all of that can be found in them, adding depth to the characters and making them, and the world in which they live, more believable.
[h3][i]Conclusion[/i][/h3]
Chaos Theory is a great game and a must-play. I could talk about many more great details of it, but symbol limit is already angry at me, lol. So in short, it’s more than worth any gamer’s time!
