The Spy Who Shot Me
Release Date: January, 2019
Developer & Publisher : Retro Army Limited
Platform: PC (Steam)
As graphics progress in the video game world, sometimes something special is left behind. While it is an involved process to make sweat bead on a character's porous face, sometimes what's needed is a little abstraction. Players can supply the imagination which video game companies are so quick to gratuitously give, and even if the polygon count is only in the hundreds, somehow that doesn't stop a gamer for being hungry for more.
The Spy Who Shot Me is a wonderful take on an old type of game - the classic FPS. Borrowing atmosphere from Bond thrillers, the game offers a humorous spin on the suave English agent. In doing so, it also brings some of the best in FPS back to the screens.
Players control Agent 7, tasked with recovering stolen nuclear devices and avoiding atomic annihilation. From the government hub in London, Agent 7 is issued various missions by Mother, the pipe-smoking leader of the secret agents. These missions take him to seedy Jamaican docks and snow-covered Alpine mountains, all to track down the nefarious leader of S.C.U.M. Agent 7, with quick quips, great brawn, and little brain, completes the tasks assigned, but not necessarily in the manner expected.
The gameplay is smooth and not at all burdensome - cycling through weapons is a breeze, and the game has a good balance for difficulty without being too easy or too hard. Agent 7 uses a variety of standard weapons, including fists, a shotgun, pistols, and a bolt action rifle, among others. The default weapon, while weak, is surprisingly suitable to most tasks. Level design is itself enjoyable without being overtly repetitious or headache-inducing (for levels where you have to hunt down keys - which appear often - one is never left feeling frustrated, as is the case with many FPS). There doesn't appear to be a map for the levels, but there's very little chance of getting lost. While playing, this writer was reminded of the excellent Deus Ex (though that game was much longer and more involved, in its essence The Spy Who Shot Me seemed to harness some of that creative energy which was present in the 2000 classic). In addition to the standard corridor-blasting battles one can expect from any FPS, the developers spiced up the action with special stages (such as boating or skiing). You must complete each stage of a level before exiting, however, otherwise you'll be taken back to the beginning of the level when rebooting. The music is good and suited, if not very memorable.
Graphically, many might sneer at The Spy Who Shot Me, because it purposefully imitates the old graphics of Goldeneye and Tomb Raider, if with a clearer picture. But this is part of the charm of the game - it gives the players a chance to think without thinking being done for them. In this way it imitates the older games in spirit as well as graphics. It doesn't overburden the eyes or ears, but creates a comfortable combination of homage and humour.
And the real worth of the game comes in with its humour - the whole work is a knowing smile at the often-ludicrous undertakings of James Bond and other secret agent archetypes. From Agent 7 travelling back to London with his nuke seated beside him on a commercial airliner, to messages left by henchman lamenting their certain dire fates, the game gives a good laugh. The humour is remembered long after the bullets stop blasting. It's fairly short, however, easily finished in under 4 hours.
Moral warnings include blood splatter from enemies (which is never gratuitous, and likely couldn't be, given the graphics) and women in polygon bikinis (which they seemed to purposefully exaggerate). There is some slight bathroom humour as well, as Agent 7 can walk into people using it (nothing gratuitous) . This writer doesn't remember any profanity being used in the game.
Overall, at a current $10.00 (watch for discounts) the game is worth getting.
Release Date: January, 2019
Developer & Publisher : Retro Army Limited
Platform: PC (Steam)
As graphics progress in the video game world, sometimes something special is left behind. While it is an involved process to make sweat bead on a character's porous face, sometimes what's needed is a little abstraction. Players can supply the imagination which video game companies are so quick to gratuitously give, and even if the polygon count is only in the hundreds, somehow that doesn't stop a gamer for being hungry for more.
The Spy Who Shot Me is a wonderful take on an old type of game - the classic FPS. Borrowing atmosphere from Bond thrillers, the game offers a humorous spin on the suave English agent. In doing so, it also brings some of the best in FPS back to the screens.
Players control Agent 7, tasked with recovering stolen nuclear devices and avoiding atomic annihilation. From the government hub in London, Agent 7 is issued various missions by Mother, the pipe-smoking leader of the secret agents. These missions take him to seedy Jamaican docks and snow-covered Alpine mountains, all to track down the nefarious leader of S.C.U.M. Agent 7, with quick quips, great brawn, and little brain, completes the tasks assigned, but not necessarily in the manner expected.
The gameplay is smooth and not at all burdensome - cycling through weapons is a breeze, and the game has a good balance for difficulty without being too easy or too hard. Agent 7 uses a variety of standard weapons, including fists, a shotgun, pistols, and a bolt action rifle, among others. The default weapon, while weak, is surprisingly suitable to most tasks. Level design is itself enjoyable without being overtly repetitious or headache-inducing (for levels where you have to hunt down keys - which appear often - one is never left feeling frustrated, as is the case with many FPS). There doesn't appear to be a map for the levels, but there's very little chance of getting lost. While playing, this writer was reminded of the excellent Deus Ex (though that game was much longer and more involved, in its essence The Spy Who Shot Me seemed to harness some of that creative energy which was present in the 2000 classic). In addition to the standard corridor-blasting battles one can expect from any FPS, the developers spiced up the action with special stages (such as boating or skiing). You must complete each stage of a level before exiting, however, otherwise you'll be taken back to the beginning of the level when rebooting. The music is good and suited, if not very memorable.
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Graphically, many might sneer at The Spy Who Shot Me, because it purposefully imitates the old graphics of Goldeneye and Tomb Raider, if with a clearer picture. But this is part of the charm of the game - it gives the players a chance to think without thinking being done for them. In this way it imitates the older games in spirit as well as graphics. It doesn't overburden the eyes or ears, but creates a comfortable combination of homage and humour.
And the real worth of the game comes in with its humour - the whole work is a knowing smile at the often-ludicrous undertakings of James Bond and other secret agent archetypes. From Agent 7 travelling back to London with his nuke seated beside him on a commercial airliner, to messages left by henchman lamenting their certain dire fates, the game gives a good laugh. The humour is remembered long after the bullets stop blasting. It's fairly short, however, easily finished in under 4 hours.
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Overall, at a current $10.00 (watch for discounts) the game is worth getting.
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