For the spy it’s a list of typical sneaky shenanigans, from bugging ambassadors to contacting double agents, while the sniper has a single objective: kill the spy. Though you're operating on a knife edge, it demands that both players - the eponymous spy and their nemesis, the sniper - shrug off the tension and commit themselves to completing their tasks with a laser focus.
SpyParty is a game of life-shortening paranoia and tension. I’m not a machine I’m a startled person who has to briefly recalculate, and that’s all it takes for the laser sight to swing over to me. For a split second my brain fires up again. I’m almost at my destination when a spanner is flung into the works in the form of a booze-swigging ambassador, sauntering over to the shiny eagle I intend to make away with. I’m following a script with the single-mindedness of a machine. I empty my brain and follow the path I’ve settled on in my head. This plush apartment houses more than a few pieces of art I can pinch, but this one is out of the way, somewhere I’m pretty sure nobody will be looking. Nerves already shot, I extract myself from the conversation I’m using as cover and head towards the golden statue, my prize. This week, Fraser's pretending to be an NPC, badly, in the asymmetric game of spies and snipers, SpyParty. I recommend anyone who wants their video games to elevate beyond simple button mashing to give this great title a shot.Premature Evaluation is the weekly column in which we explore the wilds of early access. The game is currently in beta, although anyone can pay for access to the beta at For $15, players will receive instant beta instant access as well the final version of the game when it is released. This delicious tension is only ratcheted up higher by the ever present timer, showing how much time I had left to complete my missions.Īlthough only one scenario was playable at PAX, I’m sure that the developers will be hard at work adding new missions and scenarios to add to replayability. The match with my opponent ended up being a tense showdown where I hoped to avoid detection, knowing all the while that I could be taken out by a sniper bullet at any moment. Each scenario is like a delicate dance, where the slightest misstep can give away the spy’s identity, yet the sniper is forced to take in so much information watching over all the potential guests, that they may miss a crucial mistake that the spy makes. This is a game that rewards careful observation subtlety over brute force.
But if they choose incorrectly, or if the spy completes all of their objectives, the sniper loses. Once the sniper feels like they have identified the spy, they can take him or her out with their rifle.
Or maybe they lingered a bit too long at the bookcase. Maybe they spent a little too much time talking to the ambassador. Meanwhile, the sniper, perched on a rooftop across the street, needs to locate the spy by carefully watching for subtle clues the spy gives as they attempt to complete their missions. It is his job to complete a certain number of missions, such as planting a bug on the ambassador, or moving a piece of microfilm from one book to another, all while under the guise of a normal party guest. But from this seemingly familiar premise, Hecker and company have designed something truly unique.Įssentially, the spy is a guest at a high society party, filled with a variety of different characters. And in this quest for hidden gems, I happened to come across the delightfully novel indie game, Spy Party.ĭeveloped by Chris Hecker and his team of…two other guys (John Cimino and Keith Millot), Spy Party is a 1v1 competitive game that puts each player in the role of sniper or spy. So I took it upon myself to spend my first day at PAX away from the giant LED screens and sounds of gunfire emanating from the latest “CoD-killer” FPS, and instead, skirted the edges of the convention floor hoping to find games from developers that are just starting out. PAX Prime serves as the featured showcase for so many AAA studios – it’s easy to miss out on some of the indie developers that are working with limited staff and budgets.
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