I can only expect it to improve between now and its release in the future. The great thing is there are a lot of different directions this game can. The game has a solid starting foundation and I would even go so far as to say the game, as it is right now, is well worth the $15 admittance fee despite the limited graphics and game options. The concept is unique and provides a much different style of gameplay than what is currently out there. Overall I’m really enjoying my time with SpyParty. It’s hard for a beginner to go against an expert player with 100+ games under their belt but the more you play/learn, the better you become. And despite its simple premise, it takes a lot of time and practice to “master” each class making it clear the game is very skill based. While each match only lasts around 3-5 minutes, it was very easy to get sucked into playing for 2-3 hours at a time. Strategies and style had to change with each person I played. SpyParty truly is a game of psychological warfare. Just like with the Spy, there is always that suspenseful moment you have right before pulling the trigger where you’re not 100% sure you have the right target and hold your breath to see if you were right or just shot an innocent bystander. But these 100% certainties get harder and harder to catch as you begin to play with more experienced players. There are tells that are dead giveaways for the Spy and when I caught them, I felt a rush of joy and relief while thinking to myself “checkmate”. Often times I would spot something and monitor a character for minutes at a time believing them to be the Spy when they were really just an NPC. NPCs will occasionally make movement mistakes, change directions suddenly, behave odd for just a short enough to make you question if they are the Spy. Hecker does such a great job of making the NPCs more human that it makes it a real challenge to determine whether something you just saw was Spy or intentional programming. Instead of focusing on blending, the greatest tool you must rely on is your observational skills. The smallest action easily becomes a tense, hold-your-breath-moment as you cross your fingers and just hope your advisory didn’t just see that statue swap. This in turn makes every mission as a Spy extremely tense and suspenseful. This created an intense paranoia feeling for me where I felt I was under a microscope and was always being watched at all times. Plenty of the classic spy characters are present at the party and anyone of them can be the spy.Īs the Spy, you always are able to see where the Sniper is pointing their gun…but this doesn’t necessarily mean that is where they are looking. The game does a great job reminding you how human it is to err. Little things like not making a mistake when you are walking, mistiming a certain action, or simply leaving a conversation too early can give you away. At first I thought playing the Spy would be easy, I mean how hard could it be to act like a NPC, right? Apparently very hard I came to realize after playing my first couple of matches. Both roles play very differently and focus on different things, but what is shared between the two is a crucial attention to detail. While the concept seems very simple, the game is far from it. The graphics may seem a bit retro but the meat of this game is the interaction you share as spy and sniper. Impressions:įirst and foremost, do NOT judge this game by the graphics. One wrong move can give the spy away while the sniper only gets one shot and needs to make it count.
The one thing both players share is that there is little room for error. Naturally, as the sniper, you are trying to find and shoot the spy before they are able to do all of their missions.
The Spy is placed in a room full of party goers and must accomplish a set number of tasks before time runs out but must do so by drawing as little attention to themselves as possible. It is currently a 2-player game where one player controls the Spy and the other plays as the Sniper. On the surface, SpyParty is rather simple.
Those martinis better be shaken! The Game: