Spy_Watch Review Spy_Watch Review
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Spy_Watch Review

Our Review by Rob Rich on May 1st, 2015
Rating: starstarstarhalfstarblankstar :: ABSENTEE ESPIONAGE
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Spy_Watch is an intriguing game of, well, intrigue. But is it too hands-off?

Developer: Bossa Studios
Price: $1.99
Version Reviewed: 1.1
App Reviewed on: iPhone 5

Graphics / Sound Rating: starstarstarstarblankstar
User Interface Rating: starstarstarstarhalfstar
Gameplay Rating: starstarstarblankstarblankstar
Re-use / Replay Value Rating: starstarstarblankstarblankstar

Overall Rating: starstarstarhalfstarblankstar

[Editor’s Note: Spy_Watch is designed first and foremost for the Apple Watch. Unfortunately at the time of this writing we didn’t have access to one, but the game does still run on the iPhone.]

Don’t you hate it when you’re off doing your own thing, minding your own business, then you get a message out of the blue from someone claiming to have known your father and that he used to run a spy agency? And don’t you hate it when you suddenly have to take over this randomly inherited spy agency? Stupid random obligations.

That’s the general idea behind Spy_Watch. An agency your father used to run has been torn apart from the inside, and the only person left is a lone analyst with aspirations of becoming a field agent. You’ll have to train them in the arts of stealth, combat, and charm, while also sending them on missions to earn more money for more training. All in the name of completing missions that help you figure out who destroyed the agency and why.

It’s an interesting idea, and one that works pretty well in a low-impact, hands-off sort of way. As a player/spymaster, all you have to do is send your lone agent off to training or on missions. Once they’re undertaking a task, you simply close the app and wait. Missions take a certain amount of real time to complete but occasionally you’ll receive messages when your agent comes across a situation they aren’t sure how to handle. Stuff like whether to go around a hallway full of guards (the less risky option) or to bluff through them (more likely to fail but a bigger payoff).

The idea of not having much to do gameplay-wise was a concern when I first started up Spy_Watch, but I honestly don’t mind it now. It took all of a day before I started to imagine what my agent was going through while out on a mission, and not having to constantly check in has been rather nice. Being able to answer the agent’s questions by swiping the notifications to the left and tapping my choice is also great since it saves me the time of having to open the app.

All that being said, Spy_Watch is very, very hands-off. There isn’t even any sound or music to go with it - not a huge problem when you consider that it’s meant for the Apple Watch, but it makes things feel a bit barren at times. I’ve also come across an issue where opening the app after receiving a notification won’t actually pull up my choices. Instead I have to pull down the Notifications window on my phone and make my choice there.

Those looking for lots of action or something with more (or any) player interaction should look elsewhere. On the other hand, those who want to feel like they’re secretly running their own spy agency will probably enjoy it quite a bit.

iPhone Screenshots

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Spy_Watch screenshot 1 Spy_Watch screenshot 2 Spy_Watch screenshot 3 Spy_Watch screenshot 4

Apple Watch Screenshots

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Spy_Watch screenshot 5 Spy_Watch screenshot 6 Spy_Watch screenshot 7 Spy_Watch screenshot 8
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