Agent 64: Spies Never Die: the golden age of Nintendo 64 FPS returns

Agent 64: Spies Never Die is one of those titles that immediately (and cleverly) captivates anyone who grew up with Nintendo 64. From the very first minutes, it's clear that the author's goal was to bring back the sensations of the great shooters from Rare's golden age, particularly GoldenEye 007 and Perfect Dark. It's not just a simple aesthetic inspiration, but a true declaration of love for that historical period of video games. The deliberately grainy textures, essential polygonal models, animations, and even the interface manage to evoke immediate memories for those who spent hours in front of the Nintendo console, in addition, of course, to the way of shooting or aiming.

A Shower of Pixels

The campaign puts us in the shoes of secret agent John Walter, tasked with thwarting the plans of the criminal Dominic Pulp. The plot isn't particularly original, but it serves as an effective pretext to guide the player through a series of missions full of objectives, infiltrations, and gunfights. Just like the classics it's inspired by, the game doesn't solely focus on action, but offers secondary tasks, areas to explore, and situations that require a certain attention to mission objectives.

The gameplay is undoubtedly the best element of the entire production. The weapons are satisfying to use, the levels are built quite well, but the searches for secondary objectives don't always work perfectly, and each mission has its own identity. The old-school approach still works surprisingly well today and manages to stand out in the current shooter landscape, which is often much more linear and guided. 
The graphics also deserve praise. The choice to adopt a visual style that faithfully recalls the Nintendo 64 never appears as a production shortcut, but rather as a precise artistic choice. Every level conveys that nostalgic feeling that many players seek in retro-modern titles. The demo had already pleasantly impressed me at the time, but the level proposed on that occasion was not chosen by chance, given that the linearity of many others or, conversely, the absurd compulsive search does not always return positive vibrations.

From Nintendo 64 with Love

Unfortunately, not everything is equally convincing. The main limitation of the game is the content-to-price ratio. The main campaign can be completed in about two hours, a duration that inevitably leaves a bit of a bitter taste considering the asking price. Although there are several incentives for replayability, the feeling of having reached the credits too quickly remains. For those who buy the game exclusively for single-player, the price therefore seems difficult to fully justify.

To partially compensate for this shortcoming, additional modes are included. In addition to the campaign, which can also be played cooperatively, there is an Arena mode dedicated to competitive multiplayer, playable both online and in local split-screen. Various game types are available, including Deathmatch, Briefcase, and Zone, with the option to add AI-controlled bots. There are also special modes such as Challenges, Contracts, and Paradox Mode, along with numerous unlockable modifiers and cheats that significantly increase replayability. Fans can also enjoy the level editor, a particularly welcome addition for the more creative community.