S&S; Indie Review: Spyleaks

Title:Spyleaks
Format: Xbox 360
Release Date: August 17, 2012
Publisher: HeartBit Interactive
Developer: HeartBit Interactive
Price: $1
Rating: Violence 0/3, Sex 1/3, Mature Content 0/3

Spyleaks is an interesting game with an identity crisis. It can't decide between being a puzzler or an old fashioned shooter in the vein of Galaga. This doesn't mean however that Spyleaks suffers for the worse with its indecision.

Gameplay:
Spyleaks has five worlds each with five puzzle levels, a shooter level, and a timed escape puzzle sequence. The puzzle levels all play out very much the same meaning that the player must move blocks and avoid being seen. That said none of the levels are similar in terms of solution and they all provide a great challenge for even the most seasoned veteran puzzle gamers. Some levels take close to an hour if not more to solve since being seen by an enemy pretty much means instant death. That said the levels are never harsh and deaths are always the player's fault and the game can never be blamed. The shooter levels come in the fashion that Galaga comes in. Which means that enemies scroll down and player must shoot them as a flying spy. The levels are a great diversion from the puzzles and are quite fun except for the extreme difficulty on them. These levels are quite hard and will challenge even the most old school of gamers. They really evoke that feeling of "just one more go" and "next time I'll get it". The timed escape puzzles give players three minutes to get from one end of the level to the other but with the same rules as normal puzzles, meaning that death is still on hit away. They are quite long but each time players will get a little bit farther until they master a previous section and start to fly through it just in time to be halted by the next section. They are fun sequences that provide a sense of thrills because of the time limit and all that the player had to accomplish to finish it. The controls are tight and in no way hinder the a player to completing a puzzle.
Graphics/Story:
Spyleaks has a great 16 bit look and feels just like a SNES game would. It really took me back to the glory days of playing with my SNES. The graphics fit with the game and made it have an almost nostalgia feeling to it. I wish this game had released back then so it could be part of my collection. The story in Spyleaks isn't very serious and isn't meant to be taken that way. The basis is that players are the greatest spy in the world woking to take down a criminal organization. While the story might not be good it isn't bad either and the story is not what makes this game so great.
Final Thoughts:
The game is great no matter what segment is being played and always looks great. The story is silly and not meant to be take seriously and this in no way hurts the overall quality of the game. For those looking for a challengin puzzle game expirence then this is the perfect game for you.
S&S Rating: 9/10 @natehubes