Spy Chameleon review for PS Vita, PS4

Platform: PS Vita
Also On: PS4, Xbox One, PC, Wii U
Publisher: Unfinished Pixel
Developer: Unfinished Pixel
Medium: Digital
Players: 1
Online: Leaderboards
ESRB: E

Having already played Spy Chameleon on my Wii U, I was kind of ecstatic when the game arrived on PlayStation platforms. Nothing against Nintendoโ€™s home console or anything, but when I get addicted to a game, I prefer that it be on a platform I can take with me everywhere. As far as I was concerned, Spy Chameleon and the Vita were pretty much guaranteed to be a winning combination.

Imagine my dismay, then, whenโ€ฆnah, just kidding. Spy Chameleon on the Vita is almost everything I couldโ€™ve wished for. Itโ€™s a stealth game that practically demands you play each of its bite-sized levels over and over again until you get them just right, and the Vitaโ€™s portability means you can do that everywhere. It runs smoothly, the controls work well, it looks nice โ€” basically, everything you could want out of the game has made the jump to PlayStation, and you get trophies to boot.

Spy Chameleon 1

So why did I qualify that by saying itโ€™s โ€œalmostโ€ everything? Because, unfortunately, thereโ€™s one tiny little glitch present, one small problem that irks me every time it pops up. In each of the gameโ€™s 75 levels, you need to grab 10 flies, beat a target time, and find all the ladybugs. The ladybugs donโ€™t pop up until youโ€™ve achieved one of those first two goals. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, whenever I was playing the game on the go โ€” that is, when it couldnโ€™t see the online leaderboards โ€” it didnโ€™t always realize that Iโ€™d beaten the target time, meaning I had to do an extra run-through or two in order for it to properly register. It didnโ€™t happen all the time, and it never happened when I had an internet connection, but it popped up just enough that it left me feeling the teensiest bit of annoyance towards a game I otherwise loved.

Just as you shouldnโ€™t let perfect be the enemy of the good, however, you shouldnโ€™t let one minor issue get in the way of enjoying an otherwise outstanding game. Like I said before, Spy Chameleonโ€™s gameplay seems tailor-made for the Vita. Not only are the levels short and contained enough that they translate perfectly to on-the-go gaming, the controls are as intuitive as can be, and everything just runs smoothly. On top of that, it looks fantastic; thereโ€™s no obvious downgrade from the console versions, and the titular lizard pops off the screen no matter what color it is.

Spy Chameleon 2

Itโ€™s a shame, then, that Spy Chameleon has that one niggling little issue โ€” one weird problem that prevents me from giving it an absolutely full-throated endorsement. However, thatโ€™s not enough for me to not recommend it. I mean, whatโ€™s the worst that could happen because of it โ€” that you have to play highly replayable, very enjoyable levels one extra time? Considering how much fun Spy Chameleon is, thatโ€™s a trade-off Iโ€™m happy to make.

Grade: A
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