False Alarm

False Alarm casts the player as a professional thief hired to steal valuable items for clients. Levels are set in ordinary but heavily guarded locations such as offices, hotels and museums. The aim in each one is to get in, take the target and escape.

The game is built around stealth and manipulating security staff. Detection is governed by light and shadow, line of sight and sound, and the player can hide in the environment, for example behind furniture. Distractions are the main tool for moving guards out of the way. Examples include switching off lights to limit their vision, making noise with a photocopier, knocking on doors to draw guards into another room and brewing coffee. These can be chained together to steer security to a chosen location. Guards are described as defenceless when they do not know where the player is, but the player must flee quickly if spotted.

Force is also available, and some encounters may result in casualties. The environment can be used to the player’s advantage, including icy surfaces that make running enemies slide, a microwave that causes problems if the wrong item is placed inside, and a pink gas that is harmful to breathe. Each level has its own items, hiding places and interactive equipment, with multiple routes through each area. Enemy AI reacts to unconscious allies, loud noises and alert levels.