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Republique Preview

Scheduled release date:
March 22, 2016
Publisher:
GungHo
Developer:
Camouflaj
Number Of Players:
1
Genre:
Action/Adventure
Release Date:
March 22, 2016


These days, there’s really no such thing as a big-budget pure stealth adventure. The likes of Metal Gear Solid and Hitman certainly encourage you to be stealthy and they continue to reward tact, strategy and patience, but you also have the freedom to be intensely aggressive. We’re even seeing scripted segments where you have to be aggressive. And while Camouflaj’s intriguing Republique does have some action, it’s more of a throwback to the days when stealth gameplay and central narratives were the key focus. The first episode for the game in question initially launched for the iOS platform in December 2013, and then subsequent episodes landed on Android and PC. Now, publisher GungHo is prepared to bring the entire series to PlayStation 4.

When Republique releases for PS4 in March, it will feature the entire story (five total episodes), and it will be available in either digital or physical format in North America and Europe. Now, I’m not the biggest fan of the episodic delivery style (even though I loved Life Is Strange ) and I’m generally going to wait until all episodes are available so I can play the entire game at once…you know, like the way games were always meant to be played. But what’s interesting about Camouflaj’s project is that I’m hearing the same thing from critics: The episodes actually progress; they expand and improve on previous efforts, and they even introduce fresh gameplay sequences. On top of which, the narrative is of a high enough quality that players actually want to find out what happens next.

See, that’s critical for an experience that’s spread out over the course of many months. If you’re really not interested in the protagonist or her activities, why bother returning? The good news is that Hope is apparently a very complex and interesting character, one who must go through a series of trials and tribulations if she wishes to succeed. It’s sort of a layered presentation as well, as we assume the role of Hope’s mysterious protector; we’re trying to help her escape from the oppressive society in which she struggles, but escape won’t be easy. Legions of patrolling guards stand between her and freedom and Hope doesn’t have the physical moxie to stand up to all of them in a big ol’ firefight. But she does have access to some very useful tools, and more tools become available in each episode.