It's been 13 years since the last mainline Splinter Cell game, 2013's Blacklist, and although Ubisoft insists the Splinter Cell remake is still happening despite its ongoing "major reset" and downsizings, one indie developer isn't holding his breath.
Lizard State is a new stealth action game from solo developer Benjamin Rose "inspired by the classics." Nothing in any of the game's official press materials mentions Splinter Cell by name, but one look at the game's reveal trailer is all you need to see to know Lizard State is a spiritual successor. See for yourself:
Even the game's Steam description makes it very clear which games Rose was inspired by making Lizard State.
The game has a "short, focused stealth campaign," "visuals inspired by classic PS2-era games," "levels that open up with interconnected paths, different routes and shortcuts," an "advanced light/shadow system" that forces you to stay in the shadows to avoid being seen, and an "advanced hearing system" where you have to be mindful of your footsteps so you don't trigger enemy AI. There's also a hacking system, "reactive AI," and multiple difficulty levels and optional objectives. Yup, sounds like Splinter Cell.
Story-wise, the whole thing takes place over the course of a single night, in which you're tasked with saving a hostage held up by a renegade-occupied island. I'm not sure what that has to do with lizards, but it sounds cool.
Right now, Lizard State is slated to release "soon," and in the meantime, you can add it to your Steam wishlist if you like what you see.
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