Pramath Parijat: To begin with, can you please let us know a bit about yourself and the company you work for?

Sure, I’m David Nottingham, one of the Co-Founders for Dynamighty and a Creative Director here.

Pramath Parijat: One immediate feature that caught my eye is the art style. What was the inspiration behind going for such a unique setting?

I’m going to let Mark Holmes handle this, as he led the Visual Development 🙂

Mark – Both David & I knew from Day One that we wanted to make a strong visual statement with the game. We are both much more aligned creatively to visual stylization in games. Bond is obviously a touchstone for this but we like to go deeper and look at a lot of the other design & art that was part of the culture of that era.

Also, the espionage genre was a huge thing in the 50s, very evident in books, TV & movies so we wanted to draw on the broader pallete to create a feel that was our own. I started with pulling period reference like mid-century modern architecture, graphic design, film & television title design (such as Saul Bass), as well as the architecture, propaganda of the period. As the tone of the game was playful, we also wanted a graphic style that was fun and edgy that could read well on small displays like the Vita.

"Our protagonist is an Agent for C.O.U.N.T.E.R, an independent spy agency considered a rogue entity by the world’s nations. He is called into action when the world's superpowers embark on a twisted Space Race."

Pramath Parijat: I really like how the camera switches from side scrolling to third person. Can you explain how does it impact gameplay?

Although the game is a side-scroller, we wanted to make full use of the fact that we built the world in 3D. The switch to 3rd person was a way for us to open up the spaces for combat while keeping the controls accessible. It also allows us to convey some cinematic feel for the game, which was another way we could pay homage to the cinematic roots of 50s espionage.

Pramath Parijat: Tell us about the protagonist of the game? How does he get involved and what is his goal?

Our protagonist is an Agent for C.O.U.N.T.E.R, an independent spy agency considered a rogue entity by the world’s nations. He is called into action when the world’s superpowers embark on a twisted Space Race. Instead of trying to put a moon on the moon, they are racing to be first to destroy it with Nuclear Weapons! That seems a bad idea to C.O.U.N.T.E.R so you have to stop them.

Pramath Parijat: Since the game takes place in an alternate history Cold War. What tweaks have you made to the story to accommodate your alternate vision?

We took great pains to fictionalize the world. We wanted people to enjoy the satirical tone and playful style, without too much of the real world Cold War history getting in the way. The Cold War was a pretty grim time in recent history! But it also gave us an amazing run of awesome espionage thrillers, whether books, TV shows or movies.

We wanted to capture that sense of style & fun.
At the same time, we wanted to use the symbolism of 2 opposing forces facing off against each other, blinded by there ideological fear of the other, to have some resonance for people that like a bit of deeper meaning in there videogames.

"We've applied a pretty light touch to the stealth mechanics in CounterSpy. One thing we wanted to avoid, is that feeling when you get spotted, that need to reset the level."

Pramath Parijat: Will the PS4 version run at 1080p and 60fps on the PS4?

We are targeting 60FPS and its running very nicely. It’s really smooth on PS4. We also added a bunch of extra VFX to dress it up. And it runs at 1080p!

Pramath Parijat: Are there plans to support cross buy and cross save across the PS4, PS3 and PS Vita?

Absolutely! The game supports Cross Buy and Cross Save.

Pramath Parijat: How many levels/missions the game has and how many hours it will take to complete all of them?

Hard question to answer. The game uses procedural systems to stitch levels together, so even when you finish and replay, you won’t see the same sequence of rooms and enemies. Also, it’s not a strictly linear game. Your objective is to gather Launch Plans not just go from a to b. Also, even after unlocking the final rocket base, you can keep playing to increase your score!

Pramath Parijat: CounterSpy is a stealth game making enemy AI an important element. What have you learnt from games like Metal Gear Solid and applied to enemy behavior in CounterSpy?

We’ve applied a pretty light touch to the stealth mechanics in CounterSpy. One thing we wanted to avoid, is that feeling when you get spotted, that need to reset the level. In CounterSpy, if you get spotted, you can fight your way out of your immediate situation and when you get into another room the enemies are reset back into stealth mode.

Instead of punishing the player for ‘failing’ at stealth we reward the player with stealth combos. The more you do in a row, the higher the points multiple, and if you don’t care about your high score, pts convert to $$ at the end of the level, which are crucial to buying weapons & ammo.

"As you progress in the game, you find blueprints that complete to unlock weapons. There are also formulas that you also unlock the same way."

Pramath Parijat: Are there any plans to add weapon customization and a skill tree?

As you progress in the game, you find blueprints that complete to unlock weapons. There are also formulas that you also unlock the same way. Formulas act like perks, and are active for the next level. As the game gets progressively tougher, formulas are a critical tool to help you combat the tougher enemies and stop the DEFCON getting too high.

Pramath Parijat: How was it like working on the PlayStation 4? Was the development smooth and silky or did you faced any challenges?

I’ll let John (Our Technical Director) answer this! 🙂

John – Getting CounterSpy running on PS4 was actually pretty smooth! The game was already running well on PS3 and Vita which obviously helps, but the power of the PS4 let us go to the next level. We were able to up the resolution to 1080 while keeping a really good framerate. There is always work involved in supporting a new platform but overall it was way easier than other consoles I’ve worked on.

Pramath Parijat: Is there anything else you want to tell us before we take off?

We hope everyone enjoys the game! It’s our first game together as a studio so we are excited to get it into people’s hands.
Oh also follow us on twitter @dynamighty and check out our tumblr http://dynamighty.tumblr.com/ for some more insight into the process of making the game!

Game Overview:

CounterSpy combines the spy mythology of the 1960’s. The game is set during the Cold War and the game focuses on the rogue spy agency, C.O.U.N.T.E.R. The game features side-scrolling cover-based shooting gameplay and the visuals that represents the 50’s and 60’s era.

CounterSpy is now available for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3 and PS Vita. The game is developed by Dynamighty and published by Sony.

Check out the video walkthrough of CounterSpy below and let us know if you have any questions in the comments section below.

For video game guides, tips and wikis, check out our gaming portal here.

The main objective in each mission is to collect a certain number of nuclear weapon plans from either the Imperialists (USA) or the Socialists (Russia), before exiting the area. The concept of infiltrating both countries in this era is not something you see very often, but it is nice to see a neutral take on the subject matter.

" The concept of infiltrating both countries in this era is not something you see very often, but it is nice to see a neutral take on the subject matter. "

When enemies become aware of your presence, or you die, the defcon level is raised gradually. Level 5 is the lowest level, and it can be raised as far as 0. If the defcon level reaches 0 during a mission, you have 60 seconds to get to the end of the level before the country you infiltrated launches it’s nuclear weapons. If that happens, game over. In theory this gives you a maximum of 5 deaths to complete a level before having to restart completely with a different layout (I’ll get to this later). You must be careful because the defcon level will carry on to the next mission. There are ways to lower the defcon level through formulas and holding up special officer rank enemies, but for the most part the best way to keep this in check is to just not get caught.

Throughout the missions you will collect pieces of weapon blueprints, and chemical formula components. Usually all of the pieces for these will be on the same level, so if you do a bit of exploring you will unlock them in no time.  If you miss a few, its no big deal as they will appear again. The weapons are standard fare for the most part, silenced pistols, tranq guns, assault rifles, shotguns, etc. But the formulas provide unique buffs for the player to take on the next mission. Examples of these include lowering the defcon level, making your movements more silent, or taking less damage from enemies.

As a gamer for almost 20 years, its not often that a game does something I haven’t seen before but Counterspy delivers in that respect. The game uses a dynamic cover system that switches the perspective from a 2D side scrolling view to a 3D aiming perspective. This is useful for hiding from patrolling guards, or engaging them in intense firefights. It isn’t the first 2D sidescroller to allow cover, however the switch in perspective while doing so is an innovative addition to the genre that I hope gets noticed by other developers.

" It isn’t the first 2D sidescroller to allow cover, however the switch in perspective while doing so is an innovative addition to the genre that I hope gets noticed by other developers. "

Although the campaign has a definite start and end, the levels you play to get there are procedurally generated. Layouts, collectables, and enemy locations will change when quitting a mission and coming back later. This adds a certain replayability that a lot of games lack. I wouldn’t go as far as to call it a rogue-lite like Spelunky or Rogue Legacy, but the inspiration is definitely there. Think less “random” and more “curated.” As stated above, whenever you get a game over and reenter a mission, the layout will be different as well.

You may notice from the screenshots that Counterspy has a familiar look and tone. This makes sense as the creative director is a former art director of Pixar, working on notable projects such as The Incredibles, Monsters Inc., and Wall-E. Everything from the character designs, to the classic 60s cold war motifs are beautifully realized and consistent.

"I wouldn't go as far as to call it a rogue-lite like Spelunky or Rogue Legacy, but the inspiration is definitely there. Think less “random” and more “curated.” "

Keeping in tradition with Sony’s recent indie titles, the game is cross-buy and cross-save with the Playstation 3 and Playstation Vita. Which means that when you buy one version, you automatically get the others. On top of that, your saves will dynamically upload to the cloud and remain the same no matter where you are playing. This is old hat for Vita owners at this point, but the way the game seamlessly does this without having to fiddle around with save settings is fairly new. As usual playing on these other systems will mean a hit in graphical quality, resolution, and framerate but the game holds up either way. Make no mistake though, the best version is on Playstation 4 by far.

Overall Counterspy is a great addition to the Playstation brand, and is hopefully a sign of more new IPs coming down the pipe. If you enjoy classic cold war era spy action, Counterspy is oozing with style and integrity. The enemy AI is a little inconsistent and can cause frustration with the defcon system, and the game is maybe a bit too short, but these things don’t bring down an otherwise great game.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 4.

Dynamighty has confirmed that its upcoming PS3, PS Vita and iOS spy title CounterSpy will also be releasing for the PS4. The game will be out in Summer of this year.

“Since the PlayStation 4 launch, we have had a steady stream of requests from people as to when or if we would be releasing on Sony’s new hardware,” wrote Dynamighty’s creative director David Nottingham. “We’ve even seen the game listed on websites as a PS4 title, even though nothing official had been said by Sony or us to that effect.

“Well we are super excited to be able to ‘declassify’ this information and officially confirm that yes, CounterSpy WILL be launching on PlayStation 4 in summer 2014.”

“We have been excitedly opening up the hood of our new PlayStation 4 dev kits. I think the extra power of PlayStation 4 is going to open up some really nice possibilities for us,” Nottingham continued. “At the same time, we remain super committed to the PlayStation 3 and PS Vita platforms (the game is looking great on both those platforms) as well as mobile.”

There’s also a new trailer for the game. Check it out above.

Source: PS Blog