However, one of the most powerful tools is psychology, knowing how your opponent is thinking, and knowing what they’re looking for in your movements. SpyParty can feel like a game of Poker where all players know the mechanics, and a lot of skill can come from knowing the odds. The same is just as true for the Spy, if you are discovered and shot, your abilities at psychological warfare are questioned and your ability to blend in with your AI peers is disputed. Killing an innocent bystander means your whole judicial system is off, and your ability to read people needs to improve. Over the course of the match, the Sniper plays as the judge, jury, and executioner. For the Sniper, killing the wrong player is more than just a loss. The tension will build up until the last second when the bullet finally leaves the Sniper’s gun and either eliminates the Spy or an innocent partygoer.
You know the potential tasks the Spy has to complete so you keep a tab on the Ambassador and the Statues, but your attention will eventually be stretched further as you try to remember who has been where, touched what, and talked to whom. For both players, the most troubling moments are the final thirty seconds of the game, where the Spy might have one final task to complete before the timer runs out, or the Sniper (with only one bullet), who has to determine whether or not they've got the right person. At first, the amount of information can be overwhelming. You’re outside the room, watching like a voyeur, analyzing each character as you wait to spot someone moving with too much purpose as you try to catch a “tell” of a fumbled task.
You’ve just fooled the Sniper (unless you’ve been “highlighted” as suspicious).įor the Sniper the job is just as difficult. You begin to feel the laser burning into your Spy’s head, and pause for a few heartbeats praying the Sniper moves on. This may happen when you try to secretly contact the Double Agent, or you could in the middle of completing a task when the laser-pointer from the Sniper washes over your character! All of a sudden, you don’t know if you’ve been caught, even if you feel confident that you blended in perfectly. The first time the laser from the Sniper stops on your Spy, the game's complexity will make perfect sense. In addition, you can quickly lose your cool as you question whether your movements look more like a human’s or a computer’s. However, remaining undetected can be somewhat complicated, as it requires moving around like an AI-controlled character and blending in with the other partygoers. Completing these tasks without being detected earns you a victory. In SpyParty, you enter the party as a Spy with a list of tasks that range from following an AI-controlled character and flirting with them, to swapping out some of the priceless statues. At first glance the idea seems simple, but after playing through your first game, you will quickly discover a deeper psychological battle raging on just beneath the surface. SpyParty, an indie game designed by Chris Hecker, has a simple premise - one player takes the role of the Spy in the middle of a cocktail party with a set of tasks to complete the other player is the Sniper whose only goal is to identify the Spy, and take them out.