Clandestine

Clandestine is a stealth and hacking game for one or two players, set in 1996. In two-player co-op, one player controls the spy while the other provides support as the hacker; in single-player, you take on the missions alone. As field operative Katya Kozlova or hacker Martin Symborski, you investigate an espionage conspiracy across Europe and North America.

The conspiracy

Five years after the Soviet Union dissolved, a series of accidents and murders—largely unnoticed by the public—puts international espionage on high alert. Veteran Cold War operatives from both sides of the former Iron Curtain are being assassinated around the world. High-ranking CIA and FSB officials secretly form a joint task force, the Kingbridge Executive, using money skimmed from official projects and personnel spared from official operations to investigate the leaks.

Your actions affect how the story responds: the game takes account of how much evidence you leave behind in each mission and how many bodies you leave in your wake. Enemies are lethal, and combat is unforgiving. You can also use social engineering in cooperative dialogue sequences to get past security checkpoints and enter restricted areas.

Playing as the spy

As Katya, you play in third person, controlling her movements and actions in the mission area. She uses weapons and gadgets to survive and evade opponents, and can perform lethal or non-lethal stealth takedowns with the aim of leaving as little evidence as possible. You also search for dossiers and intelligence that unlock equipment and software for later missions.

Playing as the hacker

As Martin, you support the spy through a different interface and set of mechanics. Four windows and a toolbar give you tools to observe the mission, access its electronic systems and assist your partner:

• Camera Feed: Watch through the Operative Camera worn by Katya or access surveillance cameras shown on the Tactical Map to scout for enemies and other threats. The feed also shows the spy’s health.
• Console: View mission objectives and messages such as cracked keypad codes, and communicate with the spy through in-game text chat.
• Network View: Access the mission area’s electronic infrastructure, including door keypads, PCs, servers, firewalls and hazards such as steam pipes and electrical boxes that can be triggered to cause accidents. The Network Admin searches for changes, can kick you off the network and can reset firewalls and passcodes. Unlockable viruses and DDOS attacks can keep the Admin busy while you escape or complete objectives.
• Tactical Map: Access cameras, tag enemies so the spy can track them without maintaining line of sight, and use Local Assets to drop ammunition or health, clean up bodies, cancel alarms before they sound or bribe enemies.