Sneaky Sneaky Review

Sometimes, it’s good to go back to basics to figure out just what it is that makes something fun. In this day of increasingly complicated videogames featuring increasingly complicated mechanics, it can pay to strip away all the glitz and glamour and provide a game that’s just incredibly simple. Sneaky Sneaky is simple in every sense of the word. It features simple design, easy-going visuals and a progression and reward system that any gamer (of any age) will be able to understand. Nobody’s going to claim that this is the most inventive and original title ever - certainly not - but it does provide an enjoyable couple of hours play for minimal investment.

The name is pretty self-explanatory, but yes, Sneaky Sneaky is all about sneaking your little thief through a collection of active puzzles in which you have to avoid a variety of monsters and bad dudes. You simply click on where you want your thief to move, be it a bush to hide in, a gem to collect or a monster to sneak attack. Interestingly, the game plays in real-time for the most part, but when you’re discovered (or when you engage in combat by choice), the game suddenly becomes a turn-based semi-strategy title in which you and your opponents each have three moves with which to do some damage.

This system gives Sneaky Sneaky an unusual sense of pace that rebounds between nerve-wracking and contemplative. You’ll be dodging between skeletons one moment, then artfully working out your three moves the next. The real-time gameplay is certainly more enjoyable than the slower moments, but the turn-based stuff can be crucial to passing a level with a gold medal. Indeed, in classic Angry Birds style, every level, which generally consists of around ten different rooms/puzzles, allows the player to gain either a bronze, silver or gold medal. Points are awarded for taking out enemies stealthily, collecting the in-game gems and avoiding death (among other smaller things).

Considering the game is generally pretty easy, attaining a gold medal will probably occupy most of your time. It’s supposed to be easy of course, Sneaky Sneaky is clearly aimed at appealing to children after a challenge as well as adults looking for something easygoing. Bad guys don’t really die, but rather go up in a cloud of smoke (literally) and the visuals will instantly appeal to kids. The art style is great on the whole, with Disney-esque round edges and distinctive characters throughout. Although that’s characters in the most general sense. There’s not much of a story tying the levels together - you’re a thief who needs to escape with the jewels he’s stolen from some king. Apart from a bit of (admittedly charming) flavour text, that’s about it.

It’s not exactly a significant drawback, the whole point of Sneaky Sneaky is to be simple, so it certainly never feels weighed down by unnecessary narrative. Another feature that’s implemented in its most basic form is a cool RPG system that allows you to rank up your little thief and upgrade his health, two weapons and his movement range during the turn-based sections. It’s not anything complicated, just ‘upgrade heath by one point’, or ‘your dagger does two damage’, but the upgrades do have a very noticeable impact on your gameplay strategy, it’s something complex games often struggle with.

Which is a point that fits in with Sneaky Sneaky in general. This is one of the most basic videogames you’re likely to play in 2014, but by taking the natural thrill of sneaking (honed by games like Metal Gear Solid and Thief) and placing it in a child-friendly, bare minimum environment, the game only highlights how satisfying it is to successfully hide from, and sneak attack, your enemies. It’s not all the same sneaking experience though: there are a few puzzles that mix things up a bit, the bow and arrow mechanic is actually rather enjoyable and there’s a nice variety of enemies. It’s perfect as a mobile time killer (on iOS only, sadly), less good as a sit-down-and-play PC title, but on the whole a neat, and cheap, little experience that’d be great for family gamers.