Counterspy Review

The Cold War has never been a setting that has been touched upon that much in video games lately, mainly, because there wasn’t much action going on at all during this conflict. Fortunately, indie developer Dynamighty’s first game, Counterspy, tries to change that with an alternate take on the Post-World War II conflict. Though it would’ve been interesting to see the game emphasize more on its elaborate setting, Counterspy still remains a great side-scrolling stealth game with clever game mechanics, a great art style and an amazing soundtrack.

Playing as a shadowy spy named Agent, you are tasked with infiltrating both Imperialist (The Americans) and the Socialists (The Soviets) bases to collect nuclear plans for the C.O.U.N.T.E.R organization, hence the name Counterspy. You see, The Cold War in Counterspy isn’t about which superpower will attack the other first. Instead, it’s race about which one can launch a nuclear strike on the Moon first. This idea sounds really interesting, but, unfortunately, it is barely touched on within the entire game. As a matter of fact, the only real narrative you’ll get out of Counterspy is from the dialogue between Agent and C.O.U.N.T.E.R, which only gives you a briefing on your next objective. Despite the fact, Counterspy succeeds in delivering a solid enough game experience that you can overlook its mishaps with the story-telling.

As the game title hints at, Counterspy is mainly a stealth game. Yet, it takes a different approach to the genre by making it a side-scroller, which is really the game’s hook. It is heavily inspired by games like Metroid, Castlevania, Shadow Complex and Mark of the Ninja since it borrows a lot from those excellent titles, but it does a lot of different things that make it stand on its own. Probably its most engaging feature is when the perspective is changed to a 3D point of view whenever you are in cover. This mechanic, which is mostly used to eliminate enemies, changes the game from a 2D exploration experience into a Third-Person Shooter that is all about precision. This mechanic does take some time to master, but it is both exciting and satisfying whenever you use it efficiently.

The Defcon alert mechanic is another one of the strong new game mechanic present in Counterspy, which adds a sense of urgency and caution whenever it is triggered, especially on harder difficulty settings. The way it works is, whenever an enemy is alerted, whenever you die and whenever you get spotted by a camera, the Defcon alert meter, located at the top of your HUD, will gradually decrease until it reaches zero. Once it is fully diminished, a countdown will start and you will have to complete the level before it ends. Or else, you’ll have to start the level all over again. Additionally, since you revisit the same locations multiple times, the Defcon alert level carries over from mission to mission. Meaning that, if you finished a mission in The Imperialists’ base with a level two Defcon alert,  you will start up with a level two Defcon alert whenever you take on another mission in this same area. This encourages the players to use the stealth approach more often because you’ll less likely get detected that way.

All while introducing great new twists to the gameplay, it doesn’t affect Counterspy’s ability to fully embrace the 2D side-scrolling exploration elements we have come to love from those classic games. Though, you do revisit the same areas over and over again, they are procedurally generated, so you never quite know what is going to be hiding at the end of each corner. Plus, with that stunning colorful art style and espionage-type music, you won’t mind that much of seeing the same areas with the same propaganda posters on the walls multiple times.

Collectibles also play a strong role within Counterspy. When you are not scrutinizing the levels for their nuclear launch plans, you’ll loot some cabinets for money, ammo and health while also blowing up some safes containing weapon blueprints and formulas which can be purchased before each mission. Formulas act like sort of perks that enhance your spy abilities when you are taking on a mission. For example, they can allow you to start with a lower Defcon alert level, make movement completely silent or give you additional health. Once again, the game encourages you to try out new tactics since only three formulas can be selected per mission and you have to re-purchase them every time you want to use them again. I found myself using my money a little more wisely by prioritizing formulas instead of new weapons to give me a bigger chance at succeeding.

As much as I enjoyed my experience with Dynamighty’s side-scrolling stealth game, I was left wanting more out of the overall experience. The game lasts about two to three hours depending on the levels you choose with missions lasting about 15 minutes at most. Plus, it is also extremely easy; you’ll most likely die less than five times during your initial playthrough. Though you do unlock additional difficulty levels once you have successfully completed the final mission, a bigger early challenge you’ve been appreciated. Besides, if you cannot get enough of Counterspy, you can always replay the levels to improve your overall score and climb your way up the leaderboards.

VERDICT

For its first game, Dynamighty has successfully delivered an enjoyable experience with Counterspy even though it isn’t the longest or most challenging game ever created. If you are of fan of 2D retro side-scrolling games, you’ll probably get a kick out of Counterspy as it strongly blends in the classic exploration feeling as well as different and interesting gameplay mechanics that makes it quite unique.