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Spy vs. Spy (computer game)
Encyclopedia
Spy vs. Spy was a game first published by First Star Software
in 1984 for the Atari 8-bit family
, Commodore 64
and Apple II
computers. It was an innovative two-player, split-screen game, based on MAD Magazine's long running cartoon strip, Spy vs. Spy
, about the slapstick antics of two spies trying to kill each other with improbably complex and elaborate traps and weapons.
It was later ported to a much wider range of platforms including the ZX Spectrum
, Acorn Electron
, Atari ST
, BBC Micro
, Commodore 16
, MSX
, Amstrad CPC
, Amiga
, Master System, Game Boy
, Xbox
, Game Boy Color
and Nintendo Entertainment System
, which was emulated on the Game Boy Advance.
The arena is an embassy, constructed from a series of interconnected rooms laid out on a grid pattern. Higher levels have more rooms, and therefore a larger play area. As well as hand-to-hand combat (achieved by wiggling the joystick
or directional pad left and right or up and down when the spies are in proximity to each other) the spies can place traps on the furniture and doors which occupy the playing area. These traps are triggered when a spy searches a piece of furniture for an item, or opens a booby trapped door, resulting in a cartoon style animation showing the subject being blown up, zapped with electricity, etc. and floating up to heaven as an angel. The game is an example of the broad "trap-em-up" genre, which also includes games like Heiankyo Alien
(1979), Space Panic
(1980), and Lode Runner
(1983).
Strategy is introduced by limiting the quantity of each trap a spy can use, and by allowing the traps to be triggered by either spy. Some pieces of furniture also contain 'remedies' which match up to specific traps - these allow a trap to be defused, but can only be fetched one at a time.
.
These kept the basic gameplay, while tweaking some core features. The Island Caper introduced a side scrolling play area, which effectively allowed for a small number of very wide "rooms" (the action actually takes place outside, on a tropical island). It also introduced the idea of traps being built from the sticks and coconut
s on the island, meaning that each spy no longer started with a fixed number of traps, but must compete to acquire the raw materials necessary to build their traps. The spies must gather the three segments of a rocket and then dive into a sea where a submarine
awaits them. However, only connected segments can be carried at any one time. The second installment also included more complex scenery and continued the dual-screen interface present in the first. The game starts with the two players parachuting onto an island in search of a buried missile. As they search, players are able to build traps to slow their enemy's progress. Andy William Farrell
of The Australian Commodore Review said the game "has excellent graphics and sound, and not unlike the original version, is a lot of fun to play", giving the game a rating of 92 out of 100.
The third game switched the location from a tropical island to the frozen wastes of the Arctic
. The spies fought by means of throwing snowballs at each other and setting traps, which decreased their life bar. Tools the spies used included a saw which allowed a hole to be cut in the ice for the second player to fall into and lose health. Lost life could be restored by moving into an igloo with a heater inside.
First Star Software
First Star Software, Inc. is a computer game development, publishing and licensing company, founded by Richard Spitalny and Fernando Herrera in 1982. It is best known for its classic Boulder Dash franchise and Spy vs. Spy titles, originally written for 8-bit home computers like the Apple II, Atari...
in 1984 for the Atari 8-bit family
Atari 8-bit family
The Atari 8-bit family is a series of 8-bit home computers manufactured from 1979 to 1992. All are based on the MOS Technology 6502 CPU and were the first home computers designed with custom coprocessor chips...
, Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
and Apple II
Apple II
The Apple II is an 8-bit home computer, one of the first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products, designed primarily by Steve Wozniak, manufactured by Apple Computer and introduced in 1977...
computers. It was an innovative two-player, split-screen game, based on MAD Magazine's long running cartoon strip, Spy vs. Spy
Spy vs. Spy
Spy vs. Spy is a black and white comic strip that debuted in Mad magazine #60, dated January 1961, and was originally published by EC Comics. The strip was created by Antonio Prohías.The Spy vs...
, about the slapstick antics of two spies trying to kill each other with improbably complex and elaborate traps and weapons.
It was later ported to a much wider range of platforms including the ZX Spectrum
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
, Acorn Electron
Acorn Electron
The Acorn Electron is a budget version of the BBC Micro educational/home computer made by Acorn Computers Ltd. It has 32 kilobytes of RAM, and its ROM includes BBC BASIC along with its operating system....
, Atari ST
Atari ST
The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals...
, BBC Micro
BBC Micro
The BBC Microcomputer System, or BBC Micro, was a series of microcomputers and associated peripherals designed and built by Acorn Computers for the BBC Computer Literacy Project, operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation...
, Commodore 16
Commodore 16
The Commodore 16 was a home computer made by Commodore with a 6502-compatible 8501 CPU, released in 1984. It was intended to be an entry-level computer to replace the VIC-20 and it often sold for 99 USD...
, MSX
MSX
MSX was the name of a standardized home computer architecture in the 1980s conceived by Kazuhiko Nishi, then Vice-president at Microsoft Japan and Director at ASCII Corporation...
, Amstrad CPC
Amstrad CPC
The Amstrad CPC is a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad between 1984 and 1990. It was designed to compete in the mid-1980s home computer market dominated by the Commodore 64 and the Sinclair ZX Spectrum, where it successfully established itself primarily in the United Kingdom,...
, Amiga
Amiga
The Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...
, Master System, Game Boy
Game Boy line
The line is a line of battery-powered handheld game console sold by Nintendo. It is one of the world's best-selling game system lines with a combined 200+ million units sold worldwide....
, Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
, Game Boy Color
Game Boy Color
The is Nintendo's successor to the 8-bit Game Boy handheld game console, and was released on October 21, 1998 in Japan, November 19, 1998 in North America, November 23, 1998 in Europe and November 27, 1998 in the United Kingdom. It features a color screen and is slightly thicker and taller than...
and Nintendo Entertainment System
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
, which was emulated on the Game Boy Advance.
Gameplay
The object of the exercise is to take out one's opponent as many times as possible, while collecting all the items needed to exit the game before the timer expires. Each spy has a personal countdown timer. When a spy is defeated he drops all his items, and is forced to sit out of the game for a few moments while his timer is depleted at a faster rate. The timer depletes 30 seconds per death.The arena is an embassy, constructed from a series of interconnected rooms laid out on a grid pattern. Higher levels have more rooms, and therefore a larger play area. As well as hand-to-hand combat (achieved by wiggling the joystick
Joystick
A joystick is an input device consisting of a stick that pivots on a base and reports its angle or direction to the device it is controlling. Joysticks, also known as 'control columns', are the principal control in the cockpit of many civilian and military aircraft, either as a center stick or...
or directional pad left and right or up and down when the spies are in proximity to each other) the spies can place traps on the furniture and doors which occupy the playing area. These traps are triggered when a spy searches a piece of furniture for an item, or opens a booby trapped door, resulting in a cartoon style animation showing the subject being blown up, zapped with electricity, etc. and floating up to heaven as an angel. The game is an example of the broad "trap-em-up" genre, which also includes games like Heiankyo Alien
Heiankyo Alien
is a video game created by the University of Tokyo's Theoretical Science Group in 1979. The game was originally developed and released as a personal computer game in 1979, and was then published by Denki Onkyō Corporation as an arcade game in January 1980...
(1979), Space Panic
Space Panic
Space Panic is a 1980 arcade game designed by Universal, which Chris Crawford calls the first ever platform game, as it pre-dates Nintendo's Donkey Kong which is often cited as the original platform game. Space Panic lacks Donkey Kongs jump mechanic, disqualifying it as a platformer for some...
(1980), and Lode Runner
Lode Runner
Lode Runner is a 1983 platform game, first published by Brøderbund. It is one of the first games to include a level editor, a feature that allows players to create their own levels for the game. This feature bolstered the game's popularity, as magazines such as Computer Gaming World held contests...
(1983).
Strategy is introduced by limiting the quantity of each trap a spy can use, and by allowing the traps to be triggered by either spy. Some pieces of furniture also contain 'remedies' which match up to specific traps - these allow a trap to be defused, but can only be fetched one at a time.
Sequels
Sequels included Spy vs. Spy Vol. II - "The Island Caper" and SPY vs. SPY Vol. III - "Arctic Antics". The third game was also released for the IBM PCIBM PC
The IBM Personal Computer, commonly known as the IBM PC, is the original version and progenitor of the IBM PC compatible hardware platform. It is IBM model number 5150, and was introduced on August 12, 1981...
.
These kept the basic gameplay, while tweaking some core features. The Island Caper introduced a side scrolling play area, which effectively allowed for a small number of very wide "rooms" (the action actually takes place outside, on a tropical island). It also introduced the idea of traps being built from the sticks and coconut
Coconut
The coconut palm, Cocos nucifera, is a member of the family Arecaceae . It is the only accepted species in the genus Cocos. The term coconut can refer to the entire coconut palm, the seed, or the fruit, which is not a botanical nut. The spelling cocoanut is an old-fashioned form of the word...
s on the island, meaning that each spy no longer started with a fixed number of traps, but must compete to acquire the raw materials necessary to build their traps. The spies must gather the three segments of a rocket and then dive into a sea where a submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
awaits them. However, only connected segments can be carried at any one time. The second installment also included more complex scenery and continued the dual-screen interface present in the first. The game starts with the two players parachuting onto an island in search of a buried missile. As they search, players are able to build traps to slow their enemy's progress. Andy William Farrell
Andy William Farrell
Andy William Farrell is an Australian creative technologist and author, credited with devising the first content mark-up and tokenisation technology for ASCII terminals in 1984....
of The Australian Commodore Review said the game "has excellent graphics and sound, and not unlike the original version, is a lot of fun to play", giving the game a rating of 92 out of 100.
The third game switched the location from a tropical island to the frozen wastes of the Arctic
Arctic
The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...
. The spies fought by means of throwing snowballs at each other and setting traps, which decreased their life bar. Tools the spies used included a saw which allowed a hole to be cut in the ice for the second player to fall into and lose health. Lost life could be restored by moving into an igloo with a heater inside.
External links
- Video from the C64 version on archive.org