Spy Hunter (1987) NES Review

Spy Hunter (1987)
Developed by: Sunsoft
Published by: Sunsoft
Released in: NA

You like cars? What about cars that can go at Mach 5 down the freeway? Okay, now how do you feel about cars that go Mach 5 down the freeway and also shoot lasers? If you’re jumping out of your seat and cheering (like I know you are), I’ve got just the game for you: Spy Hunter.

Spy Hunter is a NES port of the arcade classic done by the good folks at Sunsoft. I’m not sure if the title is meant to imply that you’re a badass contract killer who hunts down spies for a living, or if you’re the titular spy that’s being hunted. The designer of the original arcade Spy Hunter was heavily inspired by the music of James Bond while designing the game, so with that in mind, you’re probably meant to be a spy.

The gameplay is simple: you’re a car, and other cars want you dead. You also turn into a boat sometimes, but only if you’re really lucky. You get timed powerups every now and then, but it’s mostly you and your laser-car against the world.

It’s really difficult. I wasn’t entirely joking when I said that Spy Hunter zips along at the speed of sound; the screen moves at a blisteringly fast pace. The arcade original looks much more manageable in terms of speed, so someone over at Sunsoft must have made the conscious decision to make the NES port run like its got somewhere to be. There are obstacles aplenty in your way, and you die in one hit (unless you have a precious 1-UP stocked, which are difficult to come by). It’s a game that asks for a lot of concentration, memorization, and pattern recognition from the player, and if you’re not up to the task, you may as well hand in your spy license now rather than embarrass your sorry self in front of Q later. There’s also no Pause button, so go pee and ensure your nose doesn’t need scratching before settling in for a night on the couch with Spy Hunter. There’s no getting off this crazy highway once you start ’til you’re dead, which is a pretty good metaphor for life, probably. I don’t know.

Spy Hunter‘s one-hit one-life no-continues arcade design philosophy makes sense for the arcade original, but it makes the home port a bit of a drag to play. I personally didn’t enjoy my time with it all that much thanks to how blazingly fast and unforgiving it was; clearing it, however, was satisfying.

If you like difficult games or car games that are too fast for my pea brain to handle, I can wholeheartedly point you in the direction of Spy Hunter. Just put on your best spy pants before you hunt spies. Or get hunted by spies. Whichever it was supposed to be.

Initial Interest Rating: 7/10
Final Rating: