Sumerian Six review

Neither stealth games nor pulpy, alternative-history World War II plots are exactly in short supply. And given gaming’s infatuation with silent takedowns and third-Reich occultists, it’s understandable that you might approach a game that combines these timeworn concepts with an indifferent sigh. Yet, Sumerian Six manages something quite remarkable with its furtive mechanics and familiar settings,

Developer Artificer Games (Showgunners) injects enough wit, creativity, and full-blown comic book energy into the proceedings that any feelings of follow formula quickly becomes irrelevant. This is a game that understands the enjoyment of power fantasy, allowing an enraged werebear to take down an armored Panzerwolf with a standard strike.

And while that might sound like a specific highlight, stages are filled with high-spirited actions that range from swap teleportation, turning enemies into flesh-bombs, to using environmental objects to inflict casualties. Sure, Mimimi Games might be missed, but Artificer has picked up the reigns, intensifying the impishness of real-time, stealth-based strategy.

Goons, Guns, and Geiststoff

Yes, Sumerian Six’s plot is unabashedly pulpy. A secret Nazi program has unearthed and began weaponizing a mysterious technology called Geiststoff which threatens to turn the tide of war. Poised to put a stop to this supernatural meddling is a ragtag squad of Allied specialists. Each member relies less on standard military weaponry and more on abilities rooted in science fiction, which turns out to be a very good thing.

Wisely, the storyline never takes things too seriously, infusing humor and even a bit of camaraderie into the conversations and cutscenes. And while Artificer could have delivered a succession of predictable quips, there are occasional moments where you’ll be reminded of the consequences at hand. Best of all, it’s the kind of storytelling that’s concise and engaging enough that you’ll want to read the dialogue boxes rather than skipping them. Forgive me industry writers, but I’m drawn to the genre for the creative kills more than the conversation.

Death from Six Different Directions

As interesting as the plot is, it’s the six eponymous operatives that truly carry the title, with each member of the Enigma Squad delivering a stimulating blend of abilities and personality. Wojtek Galica, the werebear, was subjected to Geiststoff experiments by his captors. A massive mountain of Slavic fury, he can lift bodies two at a time or plow through patrols effortlessly in his quest for vengeance. Then there’s Rosa Reznick, a former researcher who harnesses both chemistry and Geiststoff as she dissolves corpses or turns them into walking explosives that can take out any adjacent adversaries. Meanwhile, Isabella Sterling feels like a quintessential video game spy, as she slips past vision cones, distracts, and displaces enemies. As the only character to slip into crawl spaces, she’s an invaluable member when accessibility is needed.

The adoptive sister of Isabella, Sid Sterling is the game’s most balanced character and it’s not surprising that he’s available through much of the game’s ten mission campaign. With swift mobility, a speedy melee attack, and a pistol for ranged warfare, he’s a reliable solution set. Patriarch Alistair Sterling is the team’s engineer‑sorcerer, chaining lightning between adjacent targets or catapulting foes into gorges or other enemies. Finally, Siegfried von Adelsberg brings some psychoanalytic menace, spooking guards into panicked states and launching long‑range soul bolts across the map that can be retrieved and reused like some kind of spectral ammunition. Together, the Enigma Squad feel less like a special forces unit and more like a team of weirdos with overlapping toolkits designed for overkill.

Where Riddles and Raw Explosions Intersect

Pleasing, each of Sumerian Six’s maps feel like an intricate puzzle, supplied with patrol routes, sightlines, hazards, and hidden passages that will have you rotating the camera to search for opportunities. Artificer clearly understands that an engaging stealth level isn’t just an environment to move through but a problem that needs to be vigilantly read with threats properly prioritized. Each map offers multiple approaches that boost the potential for replay. Likewise, there’s a respectable amount of environmental variety. From a castle fortress nestled in the snowy mountains, a small town under siege, to outposts in desert cities, there’s not much asset recycling.

Typically, games are in need of smarter enemies who can respond to adversity in different ways. For better or worse, there’s not much of that in Sumerian Six. Foes behave methodically, obeying patrol routes until there’s an obvious threat. Occasionally, they don’t even do that; some soldiers don’t seem to notice the deaths of allies directly in front of them.

But as someone who is mediocre at stealth games, I appreciated the predictability and leniency. Six felt more like I was orchestrating an action movie and less like I was undergoing a study to see how people deal with gaming frustration. Don’t worry, it’s not a no-brainer. The Action Planner had me periodically pausing to queue up simultaneous actions, giving a proper cerebral workout.

Solid Performance for the Six

While I would have preferred to play with a mouse-and-keyboard, the PlayStation’s DualSense was up to the task. With the right stick devoted to camera control and the left analog steering my team, navigation was a breeze. What took a bit longer was getting used to using the controller’s triggers to select abilities and using directional pad directions for observational commands. But thanks to on-screen messaging, there was never any uncertainty. Best of all, the game runs flawlessly on the base PlayStation 5, outputting a solid 60 frames-per-second and looking detailed while doing it.

Enjoyably, Sumerian Six embraces the sheer absurdity of its premise while providing some satisfying stealth-driven action. Here, Artificer Games combines several familiar components, from occult-dabbling Nazis, well-trodden patrol lines, and a varied team of talents. But there’s enough personality and creative chaos to make the formula feel fun, and maybe even fresh.

Sumerian Six was played on PlayStation 5 with review code provided by the publisher.