*=Video
^=Music
All Caps=Recommended
Hover mouse over screenshots for commentary.
 |  Good stories are often told on a single page. |  The 3 at the top is the DEFCON level. |
|---|---|---|
 To the left of the DEFCON level is my health, and to the right is a rudimentary map. |  Taking out a security camera. |  |
 |  The computer at the end of each level. |  Outside - about to enter a base. |
 Enemies can be blown quite high from explosives. |  If you beat a friend's high score then you can get bonus points and money. |  Unfortunately this base has a strict "No spies" policy! |
 You blow open safes to steal supplies. |  |  |
 I'm gonna grab this guy right when he get next to me. |  |  Apparently you ride this little chopper to each base. |
 If the DEFCON goes below 1, then you have 60 seconds to get to thee end of the level or it's Game Over. I made it with .34 seconds left!! |  Yeah, that sounds like propaganda, all right! |  |
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 These white guys are officers. If you get rid of everyone on the screen except for them, and then aim your gun at them, they'll surrender and raise the DEFCON level. |  |  |
 This is a spy-free zone. |  |  |
 |  Stealth take down. |  Stealth games tend to have huge vents. |
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 These particular security cameras are tough because you can't destroy them with bullets - you need explosives. |  |  |
 |  |  The silenced assault rifle is pretty bad-A. |
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May 2015
Counter Spy
Ah, Counter Spy. I have fond memories of playing this game but don't fully understand why. Perhaps it was the simple yet satisfying gameplay, the humor poking fun at the Cold War, or the feeling of actually being a spy. Whatever it is, all aspects of this game come together in a great way to make for a fun time.
You play as an agent of C.O.U.N.T.E.R., an agency trying to stop the US and USSR from blowing up the moon. I figured blowing up the moon was satire of the pointlessness of the Cold War, but I could be looking into things too much! You infiltrate either a US or Russian base to steal blueprints in order to thwart their plans. Though you can be aggressive, stealth will almost always be more advantageous.
The game itself takes a 2.5D style. This means that the play-field is 2D but the graphics are 3D. Though you operate on a 2D plane, the enemies will sometimes walk down halls away from you - that is, either towards the screen or away from it. In this case, you can put your back to the wall and the camera will change perspectives so you are looking down the hall, but you can't actually move down it. It's a style that works well in Counter Spy as it adds just the right amount of complexity to the game.
Both the US and USSR have a DEFCON level ranging from one to five - five meaning everything is peaceful and one meaning war is imminent. Each time an enemy sees you they will radio in to have the DEFCON level raised, and a gauge will rapidly fill until you neutralize all alerted enemies. Once the gauge gets filled then the DEFCON level will be lowered. The DEFCON level will also be lowered if you die. The DEFCON level stays put from level to level, and if it ever reaches zero then it's Game Over. You can raise the DEFCON level by getting certain enemies - officers - to surrender.
There are a variety of weapons in Counter Spy, from silenced pistols, to grenade launchers, to a dart filled with toxin that makes enemies fight each other. You find blueprints to these weapons throughout the game and can purchase them any time between stages. My preferred technique was to stay silent and occasionally get an enemy with a rocket launcher to turn on his enemies - let him do the dirty work!
Impressively, all of the levels in the game are randomly generated. This means that you will never have the same experience twice. Some games I've played with random generation have created some very strange and/or nearly unplayable levels, but this is not the case in Counter Spy - whatever algorithm they used works well.
The game has a fun sense of humor throughout, from satire on propaganda to work-type posters that clearly indicate you are in a "spy free zone." Counter Spy is an ambitious game for an independent studio and it fires on all cylinders!