Review: Republique sneaks onto the PS4

Republique is a stealth-based video game that came out on Steam just a couple of months ago. Now the game has sneaked its way to the PS4.  When people talk about stealth games, two franchises always come to mind. This is the Metal Gear Solid and Splinter Cell series. Republique is different than those two games as violence is not the key to survival. This is because you are a little girl and she has to rely on other tactics to get by.  In Republique, you play the role of Hope who has been born and raised in a facility called "Metamorphosis". Her goal is to escape this facility. She is not alone because the player acts as a hacker and can aid her in escaping.  The hacking parts of the game is what makes this game more unique than other stealth-based titles. The player can hack security cameras to scout for enemy guards lurking nearby. They can also hack security doors or distract guards by locking them inside rooms and more.  Hope herself has a few abilities of her own. She can pickpocket guards in order to obtain important items such as security clearances and other interesting things. Another thing she can do is look inside lockers for some pepper spray. The pepper spray comes in handy if you get caught because you can squirt it into the eyes of guards to run away.  As fun as this game is, it isn't without some flaws. First of all, the game can be pretty hard to play as the viewpoint is only via security camera feeds. The fixed camera viewpoints make it pretty hard to control the girl on the ground as they are not always in the best positions.  If you are not used to playing stealth games, you might not like playing Republique. The game can get repetitive as you cannot really run away if you get caught. Once you get caught, Hope is escorted back to a nearby jail cell and you have to play through whole sections all over again. You have to be really skillful and patient in order to be successful in this game.  Graphically, Republique looks great on the PS4. It's very atmospheric and the level design allows you to hide in many positions. The only disappointing thing about the presentation is that the animation looks jerky and stiff. It would have been better if Hope's movements were more graceful.  Republique on PS4 is a very fun indie title that fans of stealth-based titles are sure to enjoy. The game is not for everyone as a few flaws prevent is from being perfect, but it's still fun to play. It's worth checking out if you are getting sick of just shooting to victory all of the time.  Verdict: 8.0/10