Velvet Assassin Trailer Has Two Appealing Things

Gamecock's upcoming Velvet Assassin, in development by Replay Studios, has an intriguing premise - the protagonist, Violette Summer, is based on the actual life of British secret agent Violette Szabo during World War II. In the game, Violette is a secret agent on her own behind enemy lines. It's slated for a Fall release on Xbox 360 and PC.

A war story influenced by real-world events that prioritizes stealth action? Sounds like a certain other title that I can't take my eyes and hands off of lately, so I was eager to get a look at Velvet Assassin today.

Velvet Assassin has been getting some facetime recently on various sites, but I hadn't checked it out till this morning, so forgive my surprise that the main character in a World War II shooter is a woman. How cool is that. And she doesn't have to use her moody powers to blow shit up, just old-fashioned bad-ass-atude. I see potential, but of course it's far too ambiguous to tell at this stage. Besides the whole woman as the lead character angle, the game features a nice mix of assassinations and sabotage, all set in "hyper-realistic, dreamlike settings that are modeled after actual WWII locations." WTF? I've never thought of World War II battlegrounds as "dreamlike."

The game includes a dozen levels and a variety of weapons and stealth gadgets.

No Ass Monsters In Velvet Assassin

"Rather than a trite, overused, and generic working title like 'Sabotage,' 'Velvet Assassin™' captures the heart of what we're trying to accomplish," said Sascha Jungnickel, Creative Director at Replay Studios. "From the start we've wanted a game with a strong female lead that stays true to the history of Violette Szabo while pulling players into a world of dark intrigue."