Here is what gamespot had to say about it:
The GoodTense atmosphere and moody music Satisfying stealth combat Believable characters. The BadLousy gunplay Stupid enemies. Velvet Assassin makes heavy use of darkness to bring to light the events of World War II. As an espionage agent fighting behind enemy lines, you slip in and out of shadows, silently stalking through dimly lit streets and grimy prisons as you attempt to sabotage the Nazi war effort. But the darkness in Velvet Assassin is more than just a cover for satisfying stealth play. The grim realities of war are also present, giving added weight to your objectives and a moral backbone to your killings. As you slink through burning Parisian villages and witness innocent civilians being executed for no reason, the chilling brutality of war becomes clear. The unsettling atmosphere drives you ever deeper into this ravaged land, but a few gameplay problems hinder the suspension of disbelief. Sluggish gunplay and nonexistent enemy intelligence make your actions feel artificial at times, lessening the impact of these atrocities. However, Velvet Assassin is largely able to rise above these issues and present a powerful, unnerving look at one of history's darkest periods.
Here is what The Seattle Examiner had to say:
Story, game play elements/game mechanics, and all other important elements of a game are established in the first hour of play... so that's all we play! From our disc trays to your brains, it's a review in an hour.
'Velvet Assassin' is a stealth action game by SouthPeak games and Replay Studios. You play as spy/saboteur heroin Violette Summer, based on the real life Violette Szabo.
The story behind 'Velvet Assassin' is a fairly familiar one: you are one person against the Nazis in World War II. Where this game differs, oddly, is where it is the same. You're one person against the Nazis, yes, but instead of a super person you're just a person. A point made, painfully, in it's unforgiving encounters. Trying to stealth kill an enemy and they see you... you're dead! Another twist on the old standby is that you're reliving your missions from a hospital bed where you lay seriously wounded.
The stealth elements work well in 'Velvet Assassin', stick to the shadows and/or bushes to remain invisible, creep around as quietly as possible, and try not to get caught. The only draw back in the game play is that it feels like it's been done before. 'Velvet Assassin' plays like 'Tenchu Z' rather than the more popular and arguably better 'MGS' or 'Splinter Cell' series. The basic goal of every encounter is to sneak up close enough to your foe and execute the oh so satisfying one button kill. Sound repetitive? It is, but the variety of kill animations and the dialog between the Nazi soldiers that your privy to as you sneak around is enough to keep you moving forward. The action (i.e the guns) in 'Velvet Assassin' also works well. It was a concern that the gun play would feel like a tacked on after though but thankfully it's pretty good. Aiming is imprecise with a large reticle, something to be expected given your character's chosen profession; moving that reticle is fast and feels real, another thing expected given your spy career. Fast movement when aiming coupled with being a poor shoot adds to the feel of the game deepening the experience, you are built for stealth... act like it. The story and game play get a little muddled together when it comes to "morphine mode" (essentially your power move). Being in a hospital in WWII your going to be administered morphine and that morphine effects your remembered mission. Now you find morphine in your missions and take it yourself, so don't worry about this being an out of the player's control chaos element. Morphine mode stops time allowing you to reposition yourself for maximum advantage. The morphine mechanic works but it's good for a limited time or a single kill, so don't go into a room thinking you can clear it with morphine mode; you will instead get one kill and be quickly gunned down.
Once again a SouthPeak published game delivers in the art department. The character models are passable while not stellar. The environments and lighting however are really nice. From the warm red shifted outdoor environments seeming to be in perpetual dawn or dusk, to the cold glaring blue shifted tunnels, to some sepia tone indoor areas; the game just looks good.
Bottom line: 'Velvet Assassin' is a fun game. Did you enjoy 'Tenchu Z'? Buy this game. A fan of stealth games? Check this one out. Like video games? Try 'Velvet Assassin'. You know those year end wrap ups writers do every year; look for this one to be on the "Top 10 games you didn't play '09". 'Velvet Assassin' has sleeper hit written all over it.
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