Velvet Assassin
A stealth game about a WWII spy reliving missions in flashbacks.
Velvet Assassin is a stealth-based video game created by Replay Studios and released by SouthPeak Games. Before its launch, it carried the working title *Sabotage 1943* (later shortened to *Sabotage*). The game came out for Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360 in 2009, and for the Mac App Store in 2013. Players control Violette Summer, a British Secret Intelligence Service agent operating behind enemy lines during World War II, whose mission is to sabotage the Nazi war effort. Her character draws inspiration from real-life spy and saboteur Violette Szabo.
**Plot** Violette Summer, voiced by Melinda Y. Cohen, was born in Dorset into a happy family and had an active childhood. She initially worked at a beauty salon, but after war broke out, she moved to London and joined the weapons industry. Her beauty, athleticism, and keen attention to detail caught the attention of the Secret Service, and she was recruited into the Secret Intelligence Service during Britain's darkest days. Violette lost an aunt in one of the first Luftwaffe bombing raids, and later her Royal Air Force husband was killed in battle. Despite these losses, she channeled her grief into determination and succeeded as an SIS spy.
After completing several missions, Violette was gravely wounded by a sniper while trying to assassinate Kamm, a Nazi military intelligence officer. Now comatose in a French hospital, she relives key moments through flashbacks, which form the bulk of gameplay. Missions include blowing up a fuel depot on the Maginot Line, assassinating a colonel in a Paris cathedral, stealing documents and marking a submarine pen for bombers in Hamburg during Operation Gomorrah, and locating three secret agents in Warsaw. In Warsaw, she moves through the sewer system, finds one agent seriously wounded and another dead from cyanide, passes through the Warsaw Ghetto (where residents were either rounded up or executed), and reaches the Gestapo's Pawiak prison to deliver cyanide to the third agent.
Between these memories, hospital scenes show two men arguing over whether to keep Violette alive, hand her over to the Schutzstaffel, or kill her to prevent torture if captured. Her location is compromised, and she wakes from her coma to find enemy troops entering the hospital.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Replay Studios
- Publisher
- SouthPeak Games
- Director
- Sascha Jungnickel
- Writer
- Claus Wohlgemuth
- Artist
- Andreas Hackel
- Engine
- Replay Engine
- Platforms
- Xbox 360 / Microsoft Windows / Mac OS X
- Released
- NA · April 30, 2009 · UK · May 8, 2009 · AU · May 21, 2009 · GER · July 10, 2009OS X / WW · January 29, 2013
- Genre
- Stealth
- Modes
- Single-player
- Composer
- Mona Mur / Dynamedion
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Velvet Assassin was originally known by the tentative title Sabotage 1943, later shortened to Sabotage. The game's protagonist, Violette Summer, was born in Dorset and worked in a beauty salon before joining the weapon industry in London. Recruited by the Secret Intelligence Service, she lost an aunt in a Luftwaffe bombing and her Royal Air Force husband in battle. The bulk of gameplay takes place during flashbacks while Violette lies comatose in a hospital in France after being wounded by a sniper. Missions include blowing up a fuel depot on the Maginot Line, assassinating a colonel in a Paris cathedral, and finding agents in Warsaw. Between memories, scenes show two men arguing whether to keep Violette alive, give her up to the Schutzstaffel, or kill her. She eventually wakes to find enemy troops entering the hospital.
Reader's Guide
Velvet Assassin received mixed reviews according to Metacritic. IGN rated it 5/10, citing inconsistent stealth mechanics and a weak story. GameSpot called it 'a powerful, unnerving look at one of history's darkest periods' but criticized poor AI and lousy gunplay. GameZone praised the style and story but disliked enemy predictability. In Japan, Famitsu gave the Xbox 360 version a score of 28 out of 40. The game's stealth mechanics rely on lighting, with a HUD silhouette showing three states: purple (hidden), white (exposed but undetected), and red (spotted). A unique 'Morphine Mode' allows limited time to escape or execute alerted guards. Players can also use a female SS uniform for 'Blend Stealth' to avoid detection. Collectibles allow upgrading skills in Improved Stealth, Morphine, or Strength. Promotion included a limited edition digital graphic novel by animator Peter Chung, distributed exclusively to GameStop preorder customers, and an alternate reality game called Violette's Dream that sent participants on a real-life treasure hunt for gold bars stamped with Nazi insignia.
Did You Know?
- The game's working title was Sabotage 1943, later shortened to Sabotage.
- Violette Summer's story was inspired by real-life secret agent Violette Szabo.
- The game features a 'Morphine Mode' that lets players escape or execute alerted guards for a limited time.
- Promotion included an alternate reality game where participants searched for real gold bars stamped with Nazi insignia.
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