Spy Chameleon

Game Info

EnjoyUp Games seems to release games in bunches.  This past bunch included 99Moves and Spy Chameleon, both for Nintendo’s eShop on the Wii U.  Also, they seem to be one of few publishers who help other studios get their titles released on the system.  Spy Chameleon from Unfinished Pixel started it’s life on Valve’s Steam platform, but really feels more at home on a Nintendo machine with it’s unique cartoon art style and thanks to the help of EnjoyUp Wii U fans get to experience this exciting arcade puzzler.

You are the Spy Chameleon and you are an RGB Agent.  While it doesn’t really tell you what RGB stands for, one look into how the gameplay works and you can say that it would be safe to assume Red, Green, and Blue.  You will have 5 missions to complete, ranging anywhere from photographing celebrities to stealing the formula for a successful cola.  In each of the 5 missions you will be taken through 15 different stages of espionage to accomplish your goal.

The gameplay of Spy Chameleon is simplistic yet has enough difficulty through excellent level design to keep any level of gamer progressing through the game with enjoyment.  You control the Spy Chameleon with the left analog stick and have the ability to change his color to blend in with your surrounding to make sure you go unseen from enemy eyes.  You can easily swap your color by using any of the letter buttons on the Gamepad.  There is a color palette located in the bottom left corner so that you can see the color you will change into when you press a specific button.  Mostly you will be using colored rugs and paint buckets that you knock over but you can even use a cardboard box to go unseen a la Solid Snake.  The gameplay is very smooth at 60fps and has a quality feel to it that you don’t see often in indie titles.

The replay value of Spy Chameleon comes from specific goals that you can try to meet as you beat each level.  Through a first play through you are able to try to get the fastest speed and collect the 10 flies.  You will need to replay through the levels though it you want to get the third collectible.  This is good and bad in the fact that some might want to just try to 100% the game on their first try.  The title also features achievements, off-screen play and online leaderboards, which while might seem like small additions, go a long way in increasing the value of the game.

Spy Chameleon’s art style and 1080p visuals are top notch for an eShop title.  The game has a certain polish that you see in few games now-a-days and I have to commend Unfinished Pixel and EnjoyUp for such a delightfully crafted graphical journey.  The music has the spy feel down and is very fitting for the title.  I always enjoyed the Sly Cooper soundtracks and this is slightly reminiscent of Sucker Punch’s great games.

The Recommendation

Spy Chameleon came out of no where to me.  The first I heard of the title was when i saw it in Nintendo’s weekly update but boy was I pleasantly surprised when I got this game to review.  Unfinished Pixel and EnjoyUp games have crafted a great puzzle game with a great cartoon art style that really feels like it could have been made by the big N themselves.  I’m really glad this made it’s way to the Wii U because i feel that is absolutely the right audience for a title like this.  I’m excited to see what Unfinished Pixel could do with a sequel or even another title, but Spy Chameleon is franchise worthy.  If you are looking for something to play on the eShop, look no further and pick up a copy of Spy Chameleon.