CounterSpy
- August 19, 2014
- Dynamighty
Save the Moon in Counterspy, a title created by a team of incredibly talented developers and creators from many different mediums. Experience Bond-esque style in a brand new way.
CounterSpy is a video game set in the Cold War era, featuring a rogue third spy agency, C.O.U.N.T.E.R. The agency works to prevent world superpowers from unleashing earth-shattering plans, maintaining world peace through stealth and sabotage. The game embraces the spy mythology and bold aesthetics of the 1950s and 1960s, offering a unique blend of espionage and action.
Reviews
- CounterSpy features impressive visuals and a stylish 1960s spy aesthetic that enhances the overall experience.
- The innovative DEFCON system and cover mechanics add meaningful depth to the gameplay, making it a fresh take on the stealth genre.
- The console versions offer smooth controls and a memorable adventure, with randomized levels keeping the gameplay unpredictable.
- The game is relatively short, leaving players wanting more and feeling like it could have been expanded.
- The touch screen controls on iOS are poorly implemented, making the game nearly unplayable on that platform.
- Enemy AI can be inconsistent, leading to frustration, especially with the scaling difficulty towards the end of the game.
- gameplay5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- -20 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by innovative mechanics like the defcon system and cover mechanics, which enhance the stealth genre and are complemented by stylish animations and a witty atmosphere. However, some players find the controls clunky, the AI unpredictable, and the repetitive environments detract from the overall experience, leading to a mix of engaging and tiresome moments.
“The implementation of the defcon system and cover mechanics freshens up an increasingly bland genre, with the spot-on atmosphere and witty writing, feeling like icing on a delicious cake.”
“Impressive visuals and gameplay innovations for the stealth genre, Counter Spy is an impressive first offering from this new studio.”
“Smooth, fluid controls, unique 2D to 3D shift, distinct defcon system gives weight to gameplay choices, stylish animation, and subtle humor about war.”
“While its presentation is dapper and divine, its gameplay is clunky, and the whole experience gets tiresome very quickly.”
“The way in which difficulty scales up does not fit with the stealthy method of gameplay. The AI can be fickle, and repetitive rooms can be a bore.”
“The gameplay feels unbalanced and lacks the depth needed to keep players engaged for long periods.”
- graphics2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The graphics of "Counter Spy" are praised for their impressive visuals and a captivating 1960s spy aesthetic, enhancing the gameplay experience. The randomized levels contribute to an unpredictable and engaging atmosphere, making it a standout debut for the new studio in the stealth genre.
“Impressive visuals and gameplay innovations for the stealth genre; Counter Spy is an impressive first offering from this new studio.”
“Solid, satisfying stealth action early on; randomized levels keep the playthroughs unpredictable, with an awesome 1960s spy aesthetic.”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is enhanced by the effective implementation of the defcon system and cover mechanics, which invigorate the genre, while the witty writing adds a delightful touch to the overall experience.
“The implementation of the defcon system and cover mechanics freshens up an increasingly bland genre, with the spot-on atmosphere and witty writing, feeling like icing on a delicious cake.”
- story1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 100 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The story is set in a stylish 1960s spy action theme, enhanced by an innovative cover system that adds depth to the gameplay. While the narrative may be standard for a 2D side-scroller, the integration of leaderboards and mission curation encourages competitive play among users.
- humor1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by its subtlety, often reflecting on the absurdities of war, complemented by stylish animations and a unique blend of 2D and 3D visuals. Players appreciate how the distinct defcon system adds depth to gameplay choices while maintaining a light-hearted tone. Overall, the humor enhances the experience without overshadowing the gameplay mechanics.
“Subtle humor about war adds a clever twist to the gameplay.”
“The stylish animation complements the unique 2D to 3D shift, enhancing the comedic elements.”
“The distinct DEFCON system gives weight to gameplay choices while maintaining a lighthearted tone.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
While "Counterspy" impresses with its stylish presentation, reviewers note that its replayability suffers due to the lack of depth in gameplay, particularly in its shooting mechanics, which feel more like shallow galleries than engaging experiences.
“CounterSpy goes heavy on style, but Dynamighty's bid for replayability fizzles around shallow shooting galleries.”
“The game lacks meaningful choices, making multiple playthroughs feel repetitive and uninspired.”
“Once you've experienced the story, there's little incentive to return, as the gameplay doesn't evolve.”
Critic Reviews
Espionage has never been more joyful -- CounterSpy review
CounterSpy does not last long enough, but the time you have with it is an absolute blast. The implementation of the DEFCON system and cover mechanics freshens up an increasingly bland genre, with the spot-on atmosphere and witty writing, feeling like icing on a delicious cake. Throughout CounterSpy’s lifespan, you will die a whole lot, and with that comes frustration. But on the other end of that frustration is an immense feeling of satisfaction as you get one step closer to saving our precious little moon.
90%Pure disappointment -- CounterSpy Review
CounterSpy’s console versions are a blast to play. The controls work effortlessly to guide you through a quick, but memorable adventure. Those controls do not translate well to a touch screen device, something that should have been easily predictable for the developers. For a game built around not raising the DEFCON, the awful controls make that task near impossible. While CounterSpy on consoles is a delight, the iOS version is a near unplayable mess that should be avoided at all costs.
35%Counter Spy Review
Impressive visuals and gameplay innovations for the stealth genre, Counter Spy is an impressive first offering from this new studio. While it's not perfect, and near broken in some cases, stealth fans who buy on PS4 or PS3 won't likely leave disappointed.
80%