Out now on Switch and PC, you’re likely to be drawn to Rainy Night Creations’ Spy Drops for the same reason I was: because it’s very much inspired by Hideo Kojima’s brilliant Metal Gear Solid. It has a similar premise, a similar visual style, and even its gameplay appears to copy that of the PlayStation classic. Providing you don’t mind it not having a shred of originality, what could go wrong?
A lot, apparently. You see, Spy Drops might be heavily influenced by Metal Gear Solid, but it soon becomes clear that it’s massively inferior to it in just about every way once you start playing it. Taking control of a covert agent called Ripley, sent in to deal with an eco-terrorist organisation all on her own, you’ll first reel in horror at her terrible voice acting, which is about as monotonous as can be.
Things then go from bad to worse, as you realise that the game’s camera is pretty useless, and that controlling Ripley is simply a pain. She seems somewhat wobbly as she moves which is disconcerting, and then there’s the convoluted control system to contend with. Needless to say, within minutes you’ll probably start to regret choosing Spy Drops as a game to waste some time with.
The issues don’t end there, either. Enemy AI is pretty terrible, with them being pretty much blind. You can stand meters in front of them and they won’t detect you. Ultimately, pretty much everything in Spy Drops feels a little broken or wonky.
The only thing that’s somewhat interesting here is how you progress through the game. Missions are randomly generated, you see, and you’ll need to collect intel from enemies you’ve knocked out within them to unlock story missions which push the narrative forward. You can use the money you’ve earned to buy new gear, which might come in useful.
It’s not enough to make Spy Drops worth your money or your time, though. While the idea of a Metal Gear Solid-inspired stealth game with randomly-generated missions is somewhat appealing, the underlying gameplay here just doesn’t do it justice. If you want some classic Metal Gear Solid action, stick with the Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection for now.
Spy Drops is available on Switch and PC.