CounterSpy is a two dimensional side-scrolling platformer which contains elements of stealth gameplay that blends into the storyline's 1950s/1960s Cold War espionage theme.
You work for an organisation called C.O.U.N.T.E.R. Whilst the Cold War arms race intensifies, your missions revolve around sabotaging both sides' plans, which means you'll explore both Soviet levels and Western levels.
Doomsday Clock
Your overarching goal is to prevent the USA and USSR from committing mutually assured destruction. To this end, a Doomsday Clock provides you with a constant reminder of how close they are to nuclear armageddon.
Fortunately you can 'roll back' this clock by successfully completing missions, but it remains an ever-present reminder that you're against the clock.
Metroidvania Influences
CounterSpy borrows heavily from the so-called Metroidvania genre (in particular Shadow Complex), which consists of 2-2.5D side-scrolling platformers where exploration is key and the unlocking of new areas is achieved through progressive unlocks and upgrades.
While CounterSpy contains many of these elements, it also adds a stealth twist to the formula and uses procedurally generated levels, featuring different routes, items, and enemy configurations each time.
Secret areas will also feature, and are accessed by acquiring unique access codes that you get by gathering dossiers and then putting the squeeze on contacts.
Arsenal
To help you infiltrate the two super powers' military bases and research facilities you'll be given access to a wide arsenal of weapons and tools, including prototype weapons that you will unlock as you steal blueprints.
CounterSpy isn't just a stealth game; you can assassinate enemies with melee attacks from behind, or pick them off with judicious use of your weaponry.
Multiplayer Elements
Although CounterSpy is a single player game, the team at Dynamighty are set to include a number of multiplayer elements, including ways to let you compete with friends that go a little beyond traditional high scores. There is, for example, an asynchronous multiplayer mode, which allows you to compete against friends on a level; if your friends are killed in a level, their loss is your gain, as you can steal their items.
Cross-Platform Functionality
There are also cross-platform plans for the game, including how the PS3 and PS Vita versions can be extended gameplay by also downloading and playing the game on a mobile device. On mobile, you play as a field operative that has more limited access to the resources of the Agency, experiencing a subset of the same levels that you play in the PlayStation versions.
You will be able to combine your progress across all platforms. If you, for example, sync your mobile game with the Vita or PlayStation 3 version of the game, you’ll be able to share some of the exclusive PlayStation content, such as unique spy weapons, with your mobile field operative.
