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At the age of 19, Violet Bushell - the child of French and English parents - married 31-old Etienne Szabo after a whirlwind 42 day romance. Shortly after, he is posted to the North African front and she hears nothing of him for a year. While home on leave for 7 days, they conceive a child - Tania - but Etienne dies never knowing his daughter. Violet, already involved in the war effort and perhaps in response to the death of her husband, joins the FANY Agents and becomes one of the most famous French and English resistance fighter of World War II. Velvet Assassin is a dedication to her memory.

Replay Studios, located in Hamburg, Germany, have made hyper-accuracy of details a priority. All of the weapons and items used in the game are authentic; buildings are modeled after on-scene locations; and Front Letters (letters written home from soldiers during the war) were obtained from their own families to use in the game. The game is in a very early stage of development but what is obvious now is the devotion to the subject matter of the team.

After completing two missions you will find that you, Violet Summer, are near death in a hospital bed in an unnamed village and what you've been experiencing are flashbacks of your previous missions. The village is at risk for keeping you hidden, but you can do nothing. Your fevered dreams are all that you have; and it is through these that the player experiences the dangers and horrors of the missions before.

Though the game could easily be billed as a tactical shooter, the stealth element is what defines Velvet Assassin and will make it stand out from the crowd. Dynamic shadows created by search lights through slatted windows, guards walking with flashlights, swinging lamps during bombardments and any number of unique illuminations that create choices ranging from brute force, subtle tactics or a unique puzzle-like element of how to remain hidden.

Because the missions are experienced as a series of flashbacks, you (as Violet) have the opportunity to correct minor mistakes through the use of your morphine drip. Did you sneak up on that guard from behind and at the crucial moment he turn? A morphine push will slow time for an instant allowing you a moment to reposition and correct the error. But, the morphine is limited, for it will kill Violet.

As you become more adept at managing the dreams, items that have been found along your journey will help increase your skill. The amount of morphine Violet can tolerate, her strength, skill with weapons, stealth - these are choices you will have to make.

Each weapon has a specific type of stealth kill. The default for the pistol is to use a silencer but getting the attention of the guards may be just what is needed to move forward. Each situation is unique calling for a whistle, moving a crate to block light, a loud diversion or simply the quiet killing of a guard.

What caught my attention - next to the near obsession with historical accuracy - was the art style. The colors are surreal, almost washed out yet not. In some ways, it felt as if I were seeing them through a solar filter except the bloom wasn't that pronounced. The designers have stated that they want it to be styled in such a way to feel both like a dream state but also to communicate the horrific situations the player finds themselves in.

Stealth games are usually a hit or miss - done well or poorly. A mediocre stealth game is by definition, poor. It is far too soon to make any pronouncement on Velvet Assassin. However, the attention to historical detail, the decision to stylize the look of the game, and the open manner in which the missions can be solved give me hope that this game will stand out when completed.