Gotcha! Oh, I know that the person in front of me looks like a lowly staff member going about his daily routine, but that doesn’t fool me. For one thing, he’s walking with way too much purpose. While failing to stop and smell the roses admittedly isn’t conclusive, his walk is. Rather than the smooth, relatively straight lines one would expect of an NPC, this character’s walk is describing a wiggly path. Without hesitation, I line up my sights and open fire. At the first shot, my target’s appearance dissolves as his holographic cover fails, revealing a rival spy. While he reacts admirably quickly, dropping a hi-tech laser shield to hide behind, it isn’t enough, and a few more shots later he lies dead on the ground. Scooping up his equipment, I resume my own holographic cover (mine having been blown when I opened fire), and continue on my mission.
If you ever wanted to take on the role of a 1960s style spy – more Austin Powers than James Bond – this is probably the game you’ve been looking for. Each match sees players dropped into an excessively stylish map (even the most basic maps look like something out of a luxury resort or an evil villain’s lair), and tasks them with retrieving a guarded package and getting the extraction zone. This package is in turn guarded by several terminals that need to be deactivated, and the terminals themselves are behind locked doors which can only be opened by acquiring enough intel (gotten by hacking the various phones and laptops found throughout the level), locating a keycard, or simply waiting for someone to walk through and dash in behind them.
Complicating this is that every other player (or team, if you’re playing that way) will be looking to do exactly the same thing, and kill you in the process. As such, your success and survival depends upon how well you can use your holographic camouflage to blend in with the hundreds of NPCs roaming the map. While changing your disguise is as simple as walking up to an NPC and hitting the right button, you still have to choose who, when and where. Changing out in public is rarely a good idea. So too disguising yourself as a guard then doing a staff-members job of watering pot-plants, or trying to enter a high-security
room as a civilian (which will not only alert any enemies, but also aggro nearby guards).
As a result, most of the game takes place in the player’s head. And while it may outwardly look like you’re simply walking slowly around the environment, every second you’re scanning your surrounds, trying to spot any incongruous behaviour, whilst simultaneously trying to minimize your own. Dashing behind that guard to get through the door before it closes may save time, but will be instantly punished if any of your rival spies spot you. Ditto for running, jumping, walking in wiggly lines, or making a beeline for an objective. Even something as simple as turning your back on a civilian in order to pick a safe will have you thinking twice.
Also, there’s enough variability in NPC behaviour to force you to look really, really closely. Making a wrong call and gunning down an NPC simply because they were running not only feels bad, but makes you obvious to your opponents, fills up a ‘heat’ meter (which produces increasingly negative effects) as well as causing any nearby NPC guards to attack. It’s an engaging mix of slow, tense anticipation, contrasted with the manic moments when you spot an enemy agent, get spotted yourself, or make a mad dash to try and intercept your rival before they get to the extraction point.
Also, I really loved the cartoon-like, 1960s vibe of the game, which extends not only to the environment, but the hi-tech gadgets (including a rather fun inflatable bounce pad), and the roster of stereotypical spy types the player can pick. Whether you want to play as a chipper young recruit, able to (literally) sniff out the location of intel and keycards with ease, a sassy sniper who can mark and track enemy players, a gentleman thief, or a femme fatale who can cause all nearby guards to fight for her, this game’s got you covered. (Though you will have to unlock the majority of these via the in-game credit system.)
Smooth, slick and stylish, Deceive Inc is sure to appeal to those who love the tense thrill of anticipation, and the less serious fictional spies of yesteryear. ■