Crash the 'SpyParty'

Ever since I picked up my Xbox 360 controller and played Braid for the first time, I was a sucker for independent games. Like most industries, there's a lot of crap out there, but if you can find the gems, you'll be glad you did.

These gems include Twisted Pixel's Splosion Man, Cipher Prime's Auditorium, The Behemoth's Castle Crashers, the one-button masterpiece Canabalt, and the aforementioned Braid. These games have at least two common threads: they're cheap, and they're amazing.

I recently found another one to watch for. It's called SpyParty, and it's worth a look.

No, it's not a virtual version of those real-life party role-playing games. Developed by former Maxis (SimCity, The Sims, Spore) employee Chris Hecker, SpyParty allows one player to take control of a spy. The player chooses a character and proceeds to intermingle with computer-controlled characters at a party while attempting to complete a series of espionage-oriented objectives (bug an ambassador, signal a double agent, transfer a book from one shelf to another, steal a statue).

The catch is, another player gets to take control of a sniper, who watches the party through the limited view of a scope. The sniper must distinguish the spy from the computer--controlled characters and pick him off with a single bullet. The spy can see the sniper's laser as it moves across the room.

I haven't played the game yet, but many game journalists and bloggers have reported that it's an extremely innovative, suspenseful and fun experience.

Imagine wandering through the party, trying your best to act like like a robotic computer player. The sniper's laser moves across the room, stopping at your head. You continue intermingling, trying to act casually robotic. The laser moves away, you breathe a sigh of relief and continue trying to complete your objectives.

It sounds beautiful in its simplicity and its intended style, which is supposed to be reminiscent of 1960s-era spy films when the game is done. Keep in mind, the visuals depicted in the screenshots featured here are from an extremely early prototype build of the game. Hecker has said he intends to expand SpyParty to include more objectives and whatnot, too.

Most developers don't have the foresight to take their limitations and build on them, but Hecker apparently does. He takes the infamously robotic nature of game AI and tells players to imitate it to their advantage. I'd love the opportunity to imitate the guards in the N64 classic GoldenEye. It just sounds like too much fun, and I wouldn't miss it.

Now all we need is a release date.

I originally discovered this game in an article on Wired Magazine's official site. Check out the article by clicking here.
The first and second screenshots in this post are from the Wired article mentioned above. The third is from Chris Hecker's official development blog for SpyParty.