Death to Spies First Impressions

To understand Death to Spies, the upcoming stealth action game from 1C and Haggard Games, it helps to understand the roots of the game's name. "Death to spies" is the English translation of the name given to one of the most feared Soviet intelligence agencies, SMERSH. During World War II, SMERSH was responsible for counterintelligence on both sides of the battle lines. In Germany territory, SMERSH agents conducted espionage and assassinations, while in Soviet territory, SMERSH hunted for spies, traitors, and deserters, and dealt with them mercilessly. So in Death to Spies, you'll be able to play as an elite SMERSH officer who gets to do a lot of sneaking around and killing.

Death to Spies will draw obvious comparisons to another stealth action game, Splinter Cell, and the games do have their similarities. You play as a SMERSH agent from the third-person perspective, and you'll be given missions that require you to infiltrate heavily defended enemy compounds using stealth and guile. You'll have a wide array of abilities in the game. After killing someone, you can pick up and hide the body, as well as loot it for weapons, ammunition, or equipment. One nasty trick is to set a trap with a grenade set to explode when the body is discovered. You can also pick locks, shoot photographs, and more. One major feature in the game--and one that distinguishes it from Splinter Cell--is the ability to jump in and drive any vehicle that you see, including tanks!

The mission that we saw requires you to kill some key German officers in their base, as well as steal some papers. The mission briefing gives you some hints as to how to accomplish this, such as stealing an officer's uniform and wearing it to slip by some security checkpoints. Of course, you have to get that uniform first. You begin the mission in the woods outside the German base, clad in camouflage and armed with a strangling cord (useful for sneaking up and choking opponents from behind), a silenced pistol, and a PPSh-41 submachine gun. Close to the starting point is a boarded-up old church, along with three German soldiers hanging around the front. Do you bypass the Germans, or do you try to kill them? The decision is up to you, as the levels are designed to give you an open-ended gameplay experience.

All in all, Death to Spies looks like a promising stealth action experience. The game looks great thanks to a sharp-looking graphics engine, and while we've played countless World War II games from the perspective of American paratroops, English commandos, and Soviet infantry, it's safe to say that until now we haven't seen a game told from the perspective of the dreaded SMERSH. Death to Spies ships later this year.