The Classic PC Gaming Era (1977-1989) - Spy vs. Spy Trilogy (Spy vs. Spy, Spy vs. Spy: The Island Caper, Spy vs. Spy III: Arctic Antics)
Three of the best head-to-head competitive games for the 1980s PC platforms aren't fighting games in the conventional sense, but they sure do involve a lot of entertaining violence!
RELEASE DATE: 1984, 1985, 1988
DEVELOPER / PUBLISHER: First Star Software
PLAYABILITY TODAY: Highly playable
BEST VERSIONS: Atari ST, Amiga
I will presume that many readers of this book are already familiar with MAD Magazine and its long-running wordless comic Spy vs. Spy (created by Antonio Prohías and drawn since by several different artists); if you are not, let me first recommend that you stop reading and go find yourself a MAD collection immediately. I’m also going to presume that if you have not already played Spy vs. Spy it’s because you either weren’t aware it existed or assumed that, being licensed, it was probably not that great of a game. You might have even played it, found it confusing and given up on it without realizing what a brilliant experience it can offer when it’s in the hands of two players sitting side by side.
Whatever the case may be, if you’ve somehow missed out on Spy vs. Spy, you owe it to yourself to try it out with a friend. The premise is simple: as the white spy on the top half of the screen, the first player has to search an embassy office for some top-secret documents in a briefcase, retrieve them along with four other items (a bag of money, a key, a passport and a plane ticket) and then escape via airplane within a set time limit. The black spy on the bottom half can either be controlled by the computer or, ideally, by a second player, and is on the same mission. If the spies meet, they can duel with clubs; seven hits are needed to knock the other spy out. But it’s more on brand for the characters to do what they do best: set traps for one another on the doors or in the various searchable areas in each room, such as inside drawers, within couches or behind paintings.
Traps add a fun dimension to the game because they can create a lot of unexpected havoc for either spy; once they’re set, they impact the next player who triggers them. Spies can plant bombs or springs in objects, but they can also put pails of water or spring-loaded guns on doors. The other spy can employ a countermeasure for each of the standard traps; an umbrella will stop the pail of water, scissors can cut the cord on the gun, wire cutters can disarm the spring and water buckets can douse the standard bomb. The only trap that cannot be countered is the time bomb, which goes off after a set period of time regardless of who is in the room.
Death results in the affected spy being knocked out of the game for seven seconds and then respawning with 20 seconds less on his timer. Anything the spy was holding is automatically re-hidden in the room where the battle occurred. Since spies can only hold one item at a time (unless they have the briefcase), they each have to make use of the environment to hide the four items and fool the other player into triggering a trap. And while the layouts stay the same on each level, the rooms and item locations are somewhat randomized, with spies starting nearby and the exit to the airport potentially being hidden.
In a single-player game, the best strategy tends to be to let the computer do all the dirty work of finding items and then forcing a conflict near the exit to take the full briefcase and make a dash for the plane. But in a multiplayer game, both players can see each others’ screens, which means that spies need to be sneakier and lay more intricate traps. And while the early levels tend to be small with just a handful of rooms, later levels are multi-story and can include rugs that conceal hidden pits.
Part of why Spy vs. Spy works so well is because of its unique interface called the “Trapulator,” a gadget on the side of the screen that provides buttons for utilizing the various traps as well as lots of information about the game. The “Simulvision” split screen layout also ensures players have some idea of what the other player is up to, and it makes the game a lot more fun when you know it’s expected that you cheat by peaking at your opponent from time to time. It’s rare to see a game from 1984 use such a clever graphic design, and the core concept works so well that the sequels are also entirely worthwhile.
Spy vs. Spy: The Island Caper debuted in 1985, and it moves the action to a series of islands where the spies have to retrieve missile parts and escape on a sub. The island map is a more complex as it involves scrolling areas to the east and west as well as passages to the north and south, allowing players to surprise one another more readily. Spies now have to build their traps from items found on the island (including things like coconut bombs, rope snares, pits and napalm), but they can also find the island’s lone gun, giving the wielder an edge in combat. The island also has natural traps, like quicksand, sharks and an active volcano. While the timer is still a factor, spies now have a strength meter than depletes as they are harmed by traps or combat; when it reaches its end, their game is over… though the other spy still needs to escape on the submarine with the missile parts to be declared the winner. While I’d argue that the sequel is best-suited to players who have mastered the first game, it’s still a fine starting point for those who enjoy the theme.
Spy vs. Spy III: Arctic Antics is similar to the second game in layout and design, and this time, the spies are trying to retrieve three pieces to complete a rocketship that will get them off an arctic iceberg before a blizzard freezes them to death. The catch this time is that the spies can freeze to death, and so they fight with snowballs, set traps with icicles and buckets of cold water or attempt to blow one another up with dynamite (which can be triggered using a plunger set elsewhere on the island). While it’s a decent game in its own right, its similarities to the other two entries earned it some rightful critical score when it debuted in 1988; it’s more like an expansion pack to Island Capers than a completely new game.
If you’re going to play Spy vs. Spy today, your best choices are the Amiga and Atari ST versions, as they have the best graphics and sound and the smoothest gameplay. The Commodore 64 version is probably the next best, but there are versions on many other PC platforms (such as the Apple II, Amstrad CPC and ZX Spectrum) as well. The original game was ported to the Sega Master System in 1986 and the NES in 1988; the latter may be more familiar to gamers today, but it’s changed in several ways and thus is an imperfect port. And for some reason, only the third game made it to DOS.
Beyond 1992 Game Boy and 1999 Game Boy Color rekeases that changed up the formula a bit and are largely forgotten today, Spy vs. Spy was also remade in 2005 for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox into a budgetware action game filled with cartoon capering. The multiplayer side of the game includes a 4-player splitscreen mode that attempts to replicate the original game in a more modern deathmatch style of gameplay. Critics panned it, but I’d suggest it’s a misunderstood game that’s probably better than anyone gave it credit for. If you do try it, definitely play the Xbox version, as the PS2’s edition has some performance issues.
As Our Series Continues…
In the coming weeks, we’ll wind down our look at the classic PC era as we talk about unusual games before we begin delving into the arcade and console games you missed from the 1980s.
If you’ve missed the earlier entries in the series, which cover ASCII games, adventure games, wargames, strategy games, role-playing games, sports games, fighting games, brawlers and more, you can find the entire archive at https://greatestgames.substack.com.
Anything I don’t share here will be in my upcoming book, tentatively titled The Greatest Games You (Probably) Never Played Vol. 1. Subscribe to this newsletter so you won’t miss it!