CounterSpy is, sort of, side-scrolling spy game created by ten people over at Dynamight. The general plot of the game is that you work for an agency called C.O.U.N.T.E.R whose job is to thwart the Imperialists and the Socialist, which are merely stand in names for the USA and Russia, in an alternative history cold war setting. Both parties are trying to bring the world into a nuclear apocalypse by blowing up the moon and your job is to find their plans before it is too late.
This story element is not the game’s biggest strength. The developers went for a slapstick approach which seems more half assed than anything substantial as the material only comes from text conversation between you and your agency in between difficulty spikes. Though the story never really takes centre stage. It is only used to give a reason for your actions and as a means to produce an end goal. This actually suits the game quite well as it makes you focus on what makes the game fun and not get bogged down in heavy dialogue.
What makes this game fun is you get to decide which mission to take. Before deploying you get a choice between two missions; one at an Imperialist base and the other at a Socialist base. Each mission has a reward that you can find; ranging from launch plans to weapon blueprints and money. Combine this choice with a DEFCON level means there is a level of risk to each choice. If the DEFCON level gets to high the game will end but with a higher DEFCON comes bigger rewards. It is an interesting gameplay mechanic that works really well as if an enemy raises the alarm on a mission the DEFCON level goes up which, in turn, makes missions a risky business.
However the level design/mission structure isn’t that varied. After a while you notice you're playing the same levels but with different enemy types in different locations. Also each mission is based upon the principle of moving from the start on the length to the finish somewhere to the right. Granted I was still having fun (even towards the end on my second play through) but it would have been good to shake things up a little bit.
Being a spy means you need a lot in your repertoire and CounterSpy delivers on this. One of the rewards is formulas which if you get enough gives you the ability to buy perks for a level. These perks are quite useful although not completely necessary. For me I found the weapons a more useful purchase which can be acquired in a similar way to the perks. There is a good selection of weapons from the loud to the quite though the quiet are far more suited to the job at hand. I did find it a bit cheeky the game gives you a loud handgun to start with which also cannot be removed (you can carry up to four different weapons). For this type of game the starting weapon should have been the silenced pistol. For a game where cash is usually tight spending money necessarily can be your downfall.
The gun play mechanics are quite solid as well as the cover and climbing mechanics. One feature that sets this game apart from other 2D side-scrollers is that everything is built with the 3D space in mind. The design choice creates an interesting game both visually and conceptually. At certain points you can take cover which then shifts the perspective into 3D. This makes the levels feel less flat despite playing the majority of the game in a 2D view. I feel this transition is helped by an excellent art direction. The stylization fits well with the, all be it limited, story by making the game seem goofy and light hearted. There is not one part of the visual direction that feels out of place. Shadows, character models, everything felt like it belonged; especially the music which had a Peter Gunn theme song style to it.
It is just a shame the AI is iffy at best. Sometimes they see you and sometimes they don’t. It was also a bit random when the enemies sounded the alarm. Sometimes I would be up against six or seven enemies but not one would raise the alarm. The enemy AI hits a new low a certain points in the game. At some points in the game you can lure enemies to investigate dead bodies. You would imagine that after three dead bodies lying on top of each other the enemies would have caught onto the fact that someone is round the corner waiting to kill them. A big problem I found with this game is not being able to see who is in the next room until you open the door. In some circumstances I found myself being spotted by the enemy just by entering the room. For a game built on the idea of stealth this can be very annoying.
Oddly enough none of this really ruined my experience. The game is short, really short, but as soon as I had finished I found myself wanting to play it again. I am not usually that type of person but the game was really enjoyable to play. On a second play through the weapons and perks you have unlocked are still unlocked, which was glad to see, but the strain on how much money you have keeps giving you a reason to choice one level over another.
Overall I thoroughly enjoy this game. It has issues with the lack of level variety and the AI is fairly dumb and inconsistent but, I felt, this didn't dampen my experience as I found myself wanting to go back to the game. The fact that this game comes as a cross buy deal (PS Vita, PS3 and PS4 versions all for one price) and that it also has cross save makes the price you pay worth it to any PLaystation owner. It may be short but it’s a short experience worth taking.
CounterSpy from Dynamighty was an outstanding PlayStation stealth action game with a silly alt-history Cold War. It has been completely forgotten. Why?
I loved this game! Played on PS4 and Vita (for the platinum), art style and gameplay were incredible. I think it was also part of PS+. A cool proc generated stealth game!
In french, we have an expression where "platinum" means obtaining all trophies.
I still play this game, mostly on the Vita but also on the PS4. Was sad when the servers were turned off to play against other player's progress. It still is a great game.
Wow, i never heard of this game but it looks fantastic. Going to have to put this on the list of games to get.
On this week's episode of The 1099 Podcast, popular YouTuber and podcaster in the world of MMA, Tommy Toe Hold, joins host Josiah Renaudin to list the top 10 hidden gems/underappreciated video games. From Full Metal Furies to 20XX, the duo details a medley of different games you missed out on—all available for download on modern consoles.
The Nerds Discuss: The Latest in Gaming News, The Wrath of Ashardalon, Counter Spy and
D&D’s influence on the Video Game Industry
HOSTS: Brian “Bubba” Acebedo, Salvador Madrigal, Emory D. Williams & Samson Lancaster
Music: n8bit
Shout Outs: Off The Rails Podcast
