*wipes sweat off face* Gee, that game can be tough at times. What game am I talking about? Spyleaks, an old-school stealth-puzzle game by HeartBit Interactive using the XNA engine (it is available on XBLIG and on the PC). On the PC, a demo is available but you can also buy it for $0.99 (about 50% off) as of the time of writing. The game is broken up between 25 puzzle levels, 5 shooting levels and 5 timed-escape levels (more on these later).
The game’s clichéd but charming story has you playing as the mysterious Spy, as you help Jules (the agent of Spy) as he tracks down a international weapons smuggling ring after casually coming across it while investigating a masterpiece (a great artistic work or an artist’s best work) robbery. The catchy retro chiptune music (which, I might add, gives a lot of variety, from electronic to jazz) and the simple retro-style sound effects fit the art style, which happens to be simple tile-based 2D graphics which are good but not quite amazing. Not that that would matter anyway. By the way, if you like the soundtrack, it is available to download on Desura for free.
Most of the time you will be doing stealth-puzzle missions which involve traversing various rooms, moving crates, activating switches and other gadgetry, finding stun-gun ammo (which happens to just be lying conveniently on the floor), dodging and stunning guards and robots, and just generally avoiding getting hurt while you solve simple puzzles to continue exploring. It can be a bit complicated to beginners, and thankfully there is a tutorial and a good clear HUD (which fits the spy theme) in the game. The controls, however, can take time getting used to.
The solutions to the puzzles generally differ from one another and can take some trial-and-error and time to solve but the levels are cleverly constructed and the deaths are usually fair (you have one heart, or “life”, and if you get hurt you are thrown back to the beginning of the level). I died so many times in one room but I kept going for some reason. Sometimes you can get stuck, but thankfully you can restart levels from the pause menu.
The other part of your time with the game will either be timed-escape levels or shooting levels. The shooting levels consist of vertical-scrolling shooter gameplay which is fun and challenging even if it feels a bit out of place in such a game. The timed-escape levels are often long and tense and can be frustrating, but the more failures you have the farther you get in the next try.
The value and quality of this game is very high and the game is recommended if you figure you would like this sort of game. Just prepare to be challenged a bit. And hooked.
XBL Page: http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/Product/Spyleaks/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d80258550bb2
Desura Page: http://www.desura.com/games/spyleaks
Greenlight Page: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=93781967
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Nathan prefers his last name not to be known. He’s probably a high-class superspy, but we don’t mind. Point man for interviews, and occasionally he takes a blowtorch to a game to see whether it measures up to his standards. Visit his game development blog: http://wonderlandgamesblog.wordpress.com/
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