Whether it’s the idea of sneaking into secret bases or finding out hushed up secrets, taking on the roll of a spy is as fun as it is mysterious. In Master Spy, you’ll take on the role of the best spy in the world! Your initial assignment is to find out a few secrets but soon you will find out that the mission is a lot more than you initially agreed to in the beginning. Guard dogs, humans, and even sharks are out to stop the greatest spy, but it’s nothing a gamer can’t handle, right? Although some of the stages are a bit too challenging to play through, the game itself offers the pixel charm and feeling of being a spy on the run which is always fun!
As the player, you must use a special invisibility coat so you won’t be detected in the high security building you’ll be infiltrating. There are more than fifty levels to play though, and you can replay the game to unlock secret levels and cutscenes. All of this is well and good for a player who’s looking for some espionage, but what really makes Master Spy is the epic original soundtrack. The first time you open up the game, you will be greeted with intensifying music that creates the mindset of being a spy in an undercover operation. After hearing the music that makes you feel as if the high stakes are real, you’ll probably notice the retro pixelated graphics.
Players who played SNES games in the ’90s will fall in love Master Spy because of its pixels and platforms. In this platforming game, the player must jump and use the cloaking device that makes the spy invisible to cameras and guards. The controls are only the arrow keys, the space bar or up keys to jump, and the C or down keys to put on the high-tech invisible cloak. The spy walks much faster without the cloak but he will be seen by the guards or cameras. It sounds simple, right? Well the reality of Master Spy is that it’s not for the faint of heart. Players will eventually reach stages that require several retries to pass through because of the guard dogs.
These guard dogs are highly sensitive to humans and have no issue attacking spies. You will have a mere two or three seconds when jumping to the platform with a dog before you’re attacked by man’s best friend. These canines also jump and won’t allow their enemy, the spy, have any time to jump over the dog. Instead, the only hope the spy has is to jump up to another platform. This is where the game is capable of becoming infuriating. The deeper you progress into Master Spy, the more difficult the stages become for the player. Those who become frustrated and struggle through the advanced stages would do best to take a break from a stage if they can’t pass it the first few times.
It’s not impossible to outwit the dogs but since they don’t give anytime beyond two seconds to react, the levels start to feel discouraging. It may have been the developers’ plan to invoke the feeling of frustration and even hopelessness to make the spy’s situation dire. However, it becomes a bit tiresome after the fourteenth try on a single stage. At least once the player becomes accustomed to the game’s quick dogs and finishes the main levels, there are secret levels and bonus cutscenes to enjoy when replaying Master Spy. The cutscenes have that SNES feeling to them and gives the platformer a real story. Master Spy may be more for those who don’t mind struggling through a challenging platform game. Still, it’s definitely worth playing just to pretend to be a spy.