Spy Mouse (iOS)

Time Played: 20min

What Happened:

I actually started this writeup back on Feb 15, so hopefully I can remember everything I was going to say. I didn't play it for very long, but I have my initial impressions to report. I picked up Spy Mouse since I've seen the name floating around for awhile, and it seems to have been doing very well in the app store. At the moment I can't remember if it was free or 99 cents... 

In the game, you draw a path on screen for the mouse to follow. Your goal is simple, collect the cheese and get to the exit, while staying out of the line of sight of cats. As I recall, the cats move in short bursts, so even if you are spotted, it's sometimes possible to outrun them anyway. I made it to the first boss fight (some images are below), where you lead a Robotnik-cat to an oil slick. He also moves in short bursts, so it's mostly a game of timing when you enter/exit mouse holes so that you don't get caught, but also so that he still sees you and continues charging. 

What I Liked:

Presentation. Overall there are a lot of little nice touches that makes this a well put-together game. The title screen looks like some love was put into it, the graphics are fun and good-looking, and the title screen/intro is very cute and adds personality. 

Concept. The idea of a casual stealth game is cool, and cats and mice are something that everyone can relate to. It's also fun that the cats seem to be chasing you out of love (or maybe it's just because I picked this up around Valentine's Day??). They found a good way to give this style of gameplay mass appeal. 

Boss Level. Right before you face Robotnik-cat, you find his 'hideout' (I guess?) by following a cat down a sewer tunnel. You collect things along the way, keeping out of her sight. It's very easy, but I thought this idea was really funny, and I enjoyed it - even though it was so easy, it sort of made me feel like a badass. ;) 

What I Didn't Like:


Boring. I know I only played 20min, and I keep pointing out the mass appeal of this game, so it totally makes sense to me that this game was so easy... but in the end I definitely found it boring, and I'm not particularly interested in giving it a 2nd chance. I think the only point where I really felt like I was having fun was when I was following that cat down the hallway - other than that, I just wasn't feeling it.

How Do I Feel About Continuing:

No thanks. Like I said, despite the visual polish and cute concepts in this game, I just never really felt the fun in any of it. It felt like I was simply completing a task, without being particularly challenged or interested.