CounterSpy is a side-scrolling Stealth-Based Game developed by Dynamighty and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation Vita in August of 2014, with iOS and Android versions following one month later. In it, the player takes control of the unnamed and generally unidentified C.O.U.N.T.E.R Agent as he makes his way through the USA and Russia's military bases hunting for intel about the side's nuclear launches and subsequently trying to find a way to stop them. Should things get rough, you can always Take Cover! and pick off your aggressors one by one. But the main threat is each side's DEFCON rating. Suspicious guards radioing in, cameras spotting you and dying will all increase the DEFCON rating. If it increases past 1... well, you should probably hurry...
LAUNCH COUNTDOWN STARTED! GET TO THE LAUNCH COMPUTER!
- Air-Vent Passageway: A frequently present way for your spy to bypass the typical security measures.
- As You Know: C.O.U.N.T.E.R explains why only you can save the day by prefacing the mention of a Noodle Incident with "as you know".
- Cel Shading: The game utilises this to achieve a spy cartoon sort of look. The game was created by some of the team which did the visuals for The Incredibles 1, and it shows.
- Colony Drop: The combined Imperialist and Socialist nuclear strike would cause this to happen by knocking the moon into Earth's lower orbit, and the ensuing moonfall would annihilate all life on Earth.Agent: And people say that C.O.U.N.T.E.R are supposed to be the bad guys...
- Color-Coded for Your Convenience: The enemy guards are clad in different colours corresponding to how dangerous they are. It goes from yellow, to blue, to black to red, regardless of the faction. Not counting the white-uniformed officers that surrender if they're the last person standing in the room (besides you).
- DEFCON-5: The (correctly used) main threat in the game. It goes down to a minimum of 5 and a maximum of 1 depending on how much the side you're on knows about you. You can lower it by forcing officers in white to surrender. If it gets above 1, then the nuclear countdown starts, and you have to rush to the end of the level in a minute to shut off the nukes. If the timer expires, the game's over. So, you know... don't let the DEFCON get too high.
- Elite Mooks: The black- and red-clad guards are highly dangerous; black ones are very durable and have helmets that require Precision Aim to pierce, while red ones aren't as tough but come packing rocket launchers.
- Face Framed in Shadow: Looking closely at the Agent, he does have a face, but it's so heavily obscured it's tough to make out.
- Game Over: Since dying only sets you back to the beginning of the room (and raises the DEFCON by one level), the only way of getting a Game Over is letting the minute-long timer expire when the DEFCON goes above 1.
- Gratuitous Russian: Downplayed. The writing you see on the signs and posters in the Socialist bases is simply a direct translation of their English equivalents. That means that they are grammatically correct, but the phrase construction is unnaturally stiff.
- Grenade Launcher: The Final Negotiator allows you to launch bouncing grenades.
- Hero with Bad Publicity: The superpowers don't think too highly of C.O.U.N.T.E.R. Propaganda can be seen in both sides' bases reminding guards to kill them on sight and some of the world also seems to think that C.O.U.N.T.E.R are bad guys... despite them working to stop a double nuclear strike. The latter instance is even lampshaded by the Agent.
- Hollywood Silencer: With the Diplomatic Pistol, it won't matter if you fire the gun and miss. As long as it doesn't hit anything, the guards will take no notice.
- Insecurity Camera: The cameras in the game are a typical slowly rotating version with a very narrow field of view, which is also highlighted in green or orange (for armored ones) for your convenience.
- It's Up to You: Played for Laughs. All the other agents of C.O.U.N.T.E.R were involved in a "terrible yoga accident", with the exception of BISHOP, who is still in training.
- Mismatched Atomic Expressionism: Used throughout the credits, and even in the game itself to some degree. This is less surprising when you realize the creative team from The Incredibles 1 were behind both works.
- Neck Snap: If you perform a stealth kill while standing behind an enemy, the Agent will quickly grab them and snap their neck.
- Noodle Incident: The reason why It's Up to You is because "As You Know, the other agents are still recovering from that terrible yoga accident."
- Optional Stealth: You can attempt to complete each level absolutely quietly, or just go in guns blazing from the start. The most important thing is that you don't die, and raise DEFCON in the process.
- Set a Mook to Kill a Mook: The Dart Persuader is a dart-shooting pistol whose attacks cause enemies to start attacking other enemies.
- Sticky Bomb: The Treaty Violator shoots orange-ish blobs that stick to surfaces or enemies. If they're shot or if a weapon is fired near them, they'll explode.
- Timed Mission: If the DEFCON goes above 1, a timer to the launch of a missile will begin ticking down, requiring you to get to the end of the stage before it runs out. Extra time is awarded for reaching new rooms.
- Tranquillizer Dart: The Sandman Sleeper pistol shoots darts that cause the victim to fall asleep, non-lethally neutralizing them.
- Victory Through Intimidation: The final mission. By infiltrating a launch site and seizing control of a missile, you provoke a retaliatory strike from the other side, and a counter-retaliatory strike from the side you launched it from... and then you blow up your hijacked missile, destroying all of them before they hit the moon.
MISSION COMPLETE!
LAUNCH COUNTDOWN ABORTED!