Game Review: Death to Spies

Released in 2007, Death to Spies is a Russian-spy action game for PCs set in World War II.  Chewbacca reviews the game.

Story 60 out of 100
To be honest, the reviewer didn’t really connect with the story or the more or less anonymous main character because his only characteristic trait was dedicated to duty.. 

I looked at Death to spies as a World War II documentary because many of the missions are real life operations. And, like documentaries and movies, I would very much like to have subtitles on - for some reason, the developers choose not to include these. 

Gameplay 86 out of 100
The player steps into the shoes of a captain in the Soviet counterintelligence service -- SMERSH. You are given various mission to completed to halt the German war machine. The missions, which are based on historical real life operations, require the player to travel to various places in Nazi-occupied Europe. The tasks do not stray too far from each other. The player must kill a high-ranking Nazi-officer; steal some documents or other spy related things in each mission. Even though it can sound boring to do the same stuff on each level, I was really challenged to complete them. This because the AI can be very … lets us say unusual. …  

Even though it is possible to engage in firefights with the enemy, it is not recommended. The player isn’t very durable and only takes a few hits before he is declared “killed in action” and disavowed by his superiors. Like the Hitman-games, the player is more successful with completing his objectives in a stealthy manner. To do this, the player has several spy tools at his disposal, borrowed from both the Hitman and Splinter Cell-games: The player can throw objects to create a improvised distraction, subdue enemies from behind with lethal/nonlethal means, look through keyholes, hide bodies and so on. Sneaking can be done in two ways: in a less silent way to get fast to an opponent and take him down. The other way is a completed, noiseless way. The latter is preferable, but is horribly slow in use when you are in a risky situation.

Similar to Hitman, the player has a map, which, besides his spy skills, will be his best friend. It is possible to view enemy positions with the map. Red enemies will turn directly hostile if spotted, yellow will be observant of their surroundings and green enemies won’t bother the player if he doesn’t come too close. The color will change if the player changes into a uniform. After that, higher ranked enemies will still look right through the disguise, but it is easier to move around fooled grunts. It will require precise timing and close study of the map to successfully evade the enemy presence.

At the start of every mission, the player is presented some equipment to bring along on the operation. This includes weaponry in the form of pistols, machine guns, sniper rifles and so on. You can only carry one main weapon (machinegun or rifle) and a sidearm (pistols). Anything the player takes with him will have weight, so  think about what you bring with you. 

Every level allows the player to complete the mission in his/her own way. Though, at some times, the game can be really difficult. Enemies are in large numbers and they constantly patrol the perimeters for anything out of the ordinary. While they do a good job in trying to find you and make staying in one spot very difficult, they don’t represent a challenge in intelligence. It is possible to sneak up on an enemy and take him out, even if a guard is standing right beside him!  

To let the player know, that he is being watched, a bar of tension is filled. Longer the player stays in view of the enemy, the bar fills up, which can cause the player is to get caught.

Graphic 70 out of 100
The graphics in Death to Spies is average, but besides that, they do a great job in pull the player into the atmosphere of World War II. The player will visit various locations in Europe. While exploring the surroundings for benefits, you can’t help but to take notice of the refined details, including Nazi-uniforms or the convincing indoor architecture of the ‘40s. But mostly it was the outdoor environments, which took the most notice from the reviewer.

Voice acting 40 out of 100
The main character only speaks during cut scenes between missions, but during field operations he does not say a thing.

Sound 60-100
Like the graphics, the sound and atmosphere in the game is great. In many cases you will hear gramophones playing German music. Most enemies  never talk. They only talk when they hear the main character opening a door near them. The typical response to this was: “Was war das?” 

When the reviewer screwed up horribly and attracted their much unwanted attention and machine guns, the response was mostly “Schiesse!”  

Conclusion
Death to Spies has its flaws: like not putting up a more interesting story or having a very dumb AI. If you liked the Splinter Cell or Hitman games, and wanted to be a spy during World War II, Death to Spies should appeal to you. Just bear in mind it can be a little challenging. Inpatient gamers, who want an excuse to blow a Nazis head off, should find something else. It will require a lot of patience to live through the end of this game.