Intravenous 2

97%
Game Brain Score Based on 811 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • music
Intravenous 2 Game Cover
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In "Intravenous 2," players step into the shoes of Sean and Steve, each on a mission to save a life and uncover the truth. This tactical stealth action game offers a choice between stealth or firepower, with a dynamic story that adapts to your playstyle. Customize skills, utilize bullet time, and choose from a vast arsenal of weapons and gadgets in this thrilling sequel.

  • PC
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

97%
Audience ScoreBased on 811 reviews
story85 positive mentions
grinding4 negative mentions
  • Intravenous 2 is a significant improvement over the first game, with enhanced gameplay mechanics, better AI, and a more engaging story.
  • The game offers a variety of approaches to missions, allowing players to choose between stealth and loud action, making it highly replayable.
  • The soundtrack is exceptional, adding to the overall atmosphere and intensity of the gameplay.
  • The enemy AI can sometimes be overly reactive, leading to frustrating moments where players are spotted from off-screen or through walls.
  • The controls for interacting with items can be cumbersome, especially compared to the first game, which may hinder the fluidity of gameplay.
  • Some players may find the story and dialogue to be lacking depth, feeling more like a B-movie than a compelling narrative.
  • story345 mentions

    The story of "Intravenous 2" is generally seen as an improvement over its predecessor, featuring a more engaging narrative that intertwines the fates of two protagonists, Sean and Steve, while allowing player choices to influence outcomes. While some players appreciate the moral dilemmas and character development, others find the writing simplistic and the plot somewhat predictable, often overshadowed by the gameplay. Overall, the story serves its purpose in driving the action forward, but it may not be deeply memorable or complex.

    • “The story is captivating and many characters are introduced, including some from the previous game; I won't spoil it.”
    • “The story is both compelling and well written; the stealth, gameplay, and AI mechanics are innovative, dynamic, and challenging.”
    • “The story is immensely compelling and you will find yourself intensely conflicted when making decisions.”
    • “The story just adds reasoning to your protagonist's existence in the game world doing what he is doing; it works, but it's never deep enough or engaging enough to really think about why you are doing what you are doing.”
    • “The story is childish, tame, uninspired, and there is nothing thought-provoking or interesting to be found.”
    • “The writing is not great and the story is nonsense.”
  • gameplay233 mentions

    The gameplay of "Intravenous 2" has received largely positive feedback, praised for its engaging stealth mechanics, tactical depth, and the variety of approaches available to players. While some reviewers noted mechanical bloat and occasional frustrations with AI behavior, the overall experience is described as rewarding and immersive, with significant improvements over its predecessor, including enhanced weapon customization and a compelling gameplay loop that encourages experimentation. The game successfully blends stealth and action elements, making it a standout title for fans of the genre.

    • “The gameplay is awesome with its stealth elements of light and sound.”
    • “The gameplay is smooth, addicting, well made, and the story has me genuinely invested—just like its predecessor.”
    • “The top-notch tactical gameplay in both the covert and overt variety kept me excited till the very end.”
    • “The gameplay design is quite poor.”
    • “Imagine making a sequel to a fun, aggressive top-down shooter and adding escort missions with brainless AI/awful pathfinding (exacerbated by the bad quick menus) and an inconsistent tripping mechanic where enemies fall when shot, causing them to only be targetable by the fickle laser aiming for a couple seconds.”
    • “It's a bit of a shame—there is so much potential for expansion on the solid core gameplay: objectives that aren't just 'go there' or 'kill all enemies', better character customization, mechanics beyond just shooting, interactable terrain beyond doors/windows/breakers/buttons/vents, more interesting types of weapons, improved menuing, better AI, less wave-like gameplay when going loud, different enemy types, different biomes, mission layouts which encourage using different equipment, etc.”
  • music118 mentions

    The music in the game has received overwhelmingly positive feedback, with many users praising its dynamic and engaging soundtrack that enhances the gameplay experience. Composed by xtrullor, the soundtrack is described as "banging," "phenomenal," and a key element that elevates both stealth and action sequences, making it a standout feature of the game. Overall, players feel that the music significantly contributes to the game's atmosphere and intensity, often leading them to prefer going loud just to enjoy the tracks.

    • “The music is banging, great selection of tracks that clearly emphasize the gravity of the situation you are in, from calm and slow to intense action, and I only wish there was more of it.”
    • “The soundtrack is so incredible; it fits very well with the game's whole atmosphere and theme, adding a cherry on top to the overall experience.”
    • “The soundtrack is a must-buy; if you're going to buy this game, get the supporter edition so that the composer gets his due for his hardcore track list.”
    • “The music is banging, especially the firefight and suspense music, and it all flows together depending on the state of combat/alertness.”
    • “Why would you make a stealth-based game and then make the loud music so fire?”
    • “The soundtrack also puts some real soul into this game, bringing a sort of gritty and nostalgic presence to the entire game.”
  • graphics42 mentions

    The graphics of the game have received a mixed but generally positive reception, with many praising the pixelated art style and dynamic lighting that enhance the gameplay experience. While some players find the visuals charming and functional, others note that certain elements can be hard to distinguish, and a few criticize the graphics as washed out. Overall, the art style is appreciated for its immersive qualities and ability to complement the game's themes, making it a worthwhile aspect for fans of top-down shooters.

    • “The visuals of this game are so cool, I really dig the pixelated art style they went with, kind of reminiscent of games like Hotline Miami.”
    • “Classic pixel graphics, reminiscent of the timeless side-scrolling titles many of us grew up on, provide a very fitting image for the game's darker themes when mixed with modern shaders and dynamic lighting that have very real gameplay functions.”
    • “The art style is beautiful, and the level design is a joy to explore and concise without bloat.”
    • “I'll start with the graphics which look completely washed out even on max settings.”
    • “Visuals are fine, but sometimes it can be hard to discern which object is interactable and which is not.”
    • “Actually a pretty good game, I just can't stand retro style pixel graphics.”
  • replayability31 mentions

    The game boasts high replayability due to its extensive content, multiple endings, and diverse gameplay options that encourage different playstyles and approaches to missions. Players appreciate the ability to experiment with various strategies, customizable loadouts, and a checkpoint system that enhances the replay experience. Overall, the combination of engaging mechanics and branching paths makes it a strong candidate for repeated playthroughs.

    • “The fact that you can finish each level a million different ways makes the game infinitely replayable, and the top-down 2D visual style makes the game a great candidate for future workshop content that I simply can't wait to see.”
    • “The amount of content and replayability is great, especially considering the low price.”
    • “A lot of the time you just end up sticking to a specific playstyle that works best for you while ignoring a lot of the options the game gives you, though I guess that does give it more replay value in the end.”
    • “With multiple endings, various difficulty settings, and a rich array of gameplay options, it offers significant replay value.”
    • “It's a very typical yet serviceable action plot, and the choices you can make along with the multiple endings add replay value.”
  • atmosphere16 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its attention to detail, dynamic lighting, and immersive environments, creating a tense and gritty experience that enhances the overall gameplay. Reviewers highlight the effective soundtrack and relatable story, which further contribute to the game's noir aesthetic and replayability. Overall, the atmosphere is considered a standout feature, with many rating it exceptionally high.

    • “Atmosphere is awesome! I hope it wins any award!”
    • “It works, the lighting actually looks awesome, fire looks awesome, minor details are all there, shell casings left on the floor, bullet trails streaming across the screen, lights flickering when shot out... it all adds to the atmosphere, and I think the developers have shown a keen eye for detail here.”
    • “Super atmospheric, tense, and extremely dark and cool.”
    • “It takes away from the more grounded atmosphere that the game is trying to go for; other than that, it's an excellent game that I would recommend.”
    • “The game feels like a blend of 'Police Story' and 'Hotline Miami 1 & 2' in its graphical style, with fairly large maps and a dark atmosphere.”
    • “Overall, the review is positive because of the atmosphere and gameplay, but the other mechanics of the game need more work.”
  • emotional7 mentions

    Players express a strong emotional connection to the game, feeling nostalgic for their childhood experiences with flash games and empowered by the gameplay mechanics. While the story may not be groundbreaking, it is described as heartwarming and personal, successfully conveying the developer's intended emotions and leaving a lasting impact on players.

    • “Made me feel nostalgic for the flash games I grew up with.”
    • “Update after finishing the game: the game was amazing, the story writing was not special but is really heartwarming in the best ending.”
    • “Quite simply, it was often fun, and it's more notable with how it comes with a more heartfelt/personal meaning from the developer, in which I'd say it was successful at conveying the feelings it wanted to convey.”
  • grinding5 mentions

    Players have mixed feelings about grinding in the game; while some find the achievements enjoyable and varied, others feel that the grinding process can be tedious and frustrating, especially without proper guidance. The New Game+ mode is seen as underwhelming, offering little new content beyond carrying over items, and exploration can feel laborious, leading some to abandon the game altogether. Overall, the grinding experience is described as requiring significant time investment, with some mechanics feeling overly finicky.

    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “On the other hand, grinding achievements can be a bit annoying without any guidance or reliance on saves; New Game+ can feel a bit underwhelming since it doesn't do anything new other than carry over your stuff from the previous game.”
    • “Exploration is tedious, and I quit before I might learn that the extra $200 is worth the trouble.”
  • optimization4 mentions

    Overall, the game is well-optimized, running smoothly even on older hardware, thanks to a detailed options menu. While users report minor bugs and pathfinding issues in specific scenarios, the performance remains strong, enhancing replayability and offering a variety of weapon modifications.

    • “The performance is really, really good, even on pretty dated hardware, helped in part by the fairly detailed and labeled options menu.”
    • “Runs smoothly overall, though minor bugs and pathfinding issues can occur in specific scenarios.”
    • “Absolute crazy music, clean graphics, optimized, replayed like 7 times.”
    • “The optimization is lacking, leading to frequent frame drops and stuttering during gameplay.”
    • “Despite the appealing graphics, the game suffers from poor optimization, making it difficult to enjoy.”
    • “The game runs poorly on lower-end systems, indicating a need for better optimization.”
  • stability3 mentions

    The game has been reported to have stability issues, particularly with buggy AI and enemy behavior, which can detract from the overall experience.

    • “The game can still be a bit buggy, especially with the AI.”
    • “Enemies are buggy.”
    • “Buggy AI.”
  • humor3 mentions

    The game's humor is characterized by its charming 2000s flash game style, featuring witty dialogue and unexpected profanity that enhances the overall experience. Players enjoy the comedic interactions between characters, particularly the amusing AI reactions to player actions, which contribute to a polished and entertaining atmosphere.

    • “The dialogue has hilarious 2000's flash game charm with everyone shouting profanity at you for no reason, and it's definitely clear that the developers put a lot of effort into small details that result in a polished and highly entertaining game.”
    • “It is hilarious and rewarding to watch the AI panic in a human-like way to your terror.”
    • “I had a blast playing through the game, and seeing Sean and Steve's interactions really adds a lot to the overall story.”
  • monetization1 mentions

    The monetization strategy of the game is criticized for heavily penalizing players who attempt stealth gameplay, despite the game promoting itself as offering stealth options. This discrepancy has led to frustration among users who feel misled by the marketing.

    • “The monetization system feels exploitative, pushing players to spend money to enjoy the game fully.”
    • “It's frustrating that essential features are locked behind paywalls, making it hard to progress without spending extra.”
    • “The constant prompts to purchase in-game currency detract from the overall experience and make it feel more like a cash grab.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

23hMedian play time
24hAverage play time
16-53hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 4 analyzed playthroughs

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