Master Spy is the kind of game than can be described in many ways. Some of the tags included in the description of the video game include “Hardcore”, “Brutal”, “Balaclava”, “Platformer”, and “Retro”. The game is most certainly not the most approachable stealth platformer out there, but it is a fair game, so if you are willing to put up with the steep learning curve, you will be rewarded. If Master Spy had come out a few years before, it would have been a pretty big release. You can get it now, together with over one thousand other games if you purchase the Itch Bundle For Racial Justice and Equality.
Now, let us take a look at this little gem of stealth platformers. You play as Master Spy, a highly professional spy with a Team Fortress-2 style and some nice headgear. The premise is that you have been hired by someone to recover the take reels during a war between corporations. Obviously, the war ends up including stuff like hackers, robots, and cyber-assassins in a tiger-filled tower. The game is 9-bit, so it suits the classic 80s sci fi theme nicely.
The only tool you have in the game is the cloak. This sounds a bit boring, but I personally really like it. The fact that there are not gadgets to unlock, XP you must grind for, special powers or character stats make the game feel more genuine. Since you start with everything already unlocked, the only thing you need to finish the game successfully is skill. You press down or shift to cloak, press space or up to jump and you move to the left or to the right. It is fascinating how the developers of Master Spy have managed to make such a complex, engaging game with just a few commands.