Spies in Disguise: Agents on the Run is entertaining for short bursts, manages to be a bit more than a cash grab in comparison to other rail games of its type, and genuinely feels like something you could dig into for the long term. It’s definitely worth checking out, especially if you need more than just Subway Surfers.
Subway rail games are a great distraction from a stressful life. From the easy Subway Surfer to more complicated, emotional experiences like Sayonara Wild Hearts, there is a great ‘pick up and go’ mentality attached to the rail genre, regardless of how intricate or non-intricate it can be across titles. I think I have spent a fair amount of time in this genre and I haven’t really found a bad experience along the way. It’s simple entertainment that really just pulls you away from reality in very small amounts. I know that sounds a tiny bit dramatic, but it’s the truth. That’s the purpose of Casual Gaming as a whole, right? Yeah, you totally agree with me.
Related, I had the opportunity to try out Spies in Disguise: Agents on the Run. Based on the Will Smith and Tom Holland film by the same name, and it follows the adventures of Lance (Smith) and Walter (Holland), who have a Bond/Q relationship. They’re out trying to stop the bad guys across cityscapes, collect coins, and keep their run going for as long as they can. Somewhere in there, they tie in their movie story, which involves Lance accidentally turning into a pigeon and Walter having to help him out. The story might be goofy, but it’s a fun kind of goofy.
As stated in our preview, the gameplay design is pretty simple. You start out with playing as Lance to get a good feel of how the game works, where you’re introduced to obstacles (cones, city signs, ramps, spider-bots, scissor wielding enemies, and random cars) and are explained progress and possibilities in the game. The game teaches you to slide, jump, and to use special abilities when you’re traversing a three-lane rail system. It’s tricky and fast, but as typical rail games go, it’s fun. It’s stupid fun but in a good, respectful way.
When Lance is shifted out of the story, after the tutorial, you take over as Walter. Walter is not as sleek and cool as Lance, but he carries with him ray gun power-ups (that can pull in coins as you gather them), the ability to get help from pigeons (not just Lance), and other neat smaller gadgets that can be upgraded through achievement or real-world cha-ching (thank you for the eye security on purchases, Apple). Walter provides a good blank slate for the game to build on and to show off its wares, such as speed upgrades and other items of interest for Walter. Again, this mimics the movie well with the ‘lovable loser that could’ character to play off of as you progress.
The game doesn’t do too much that isn’t normally found in rail games. It does try to make it personal with customization of banners and such that make you feel like you ‘own it’, but still understands that the main audience for this game is going to be a younger demographic that can easily get lost while finding the gameplay. It does its best HCI architecture to keep everyone satisfied, young and old, by providing the right amount of complication, but in places people want to find it. My kids like the big yellow ‘Run’ button, while I enjoy exploring the menu system and finding out what is where and how to get the most out of the experience. The devs did a good job of balancing complication and simplicity with the game’s menu construction. It’s not too overwhelming to navigate through, but at the same time offers up good options for someone wanting a bit more out of the rail game.
Speaking as someone who doesn’t particularly love playing games on their mobile phone (call it bad eyes or just big hands that hate virtual controls), I actually did enjoy the simplicity of the gameplay, as well as the sprinkle of complication to make it seem as if more thought was put into the game’s design (and it was). For example, the game’s mechanics (jump/slide/etc.), which all rail games are known for, were paired with different weapons, suits (such as the flying one), and vehicles that equaled out to more options to choose from when playing. All of the said options relied upon and were born from the game’s stance on mobile movement simplicity, never straying away from the rail genre mantra. All of the above was a fun variety of options to have, but you didn’t have to do more to understand how to use them.
Overall, Spies in Disguise: Agents on the Run is entertaining for short bursts, manages to be a bit more than a cash grab in comparison to other rail games of its type, and genuinely feels like something you could dig into for the long term. It’s definitely worth checking out, especially if you need more than just Subway Surfers.
