SpyParty Finally Comes to Steam on April 12

SpyParty is a game I’ve had my eye on for years. Developer Chris Hecker began working on the game ten years ago, and it was first shown off at the 2009 Game Developers Conference. I couldn’t tell you if that’s where I first saw it, because I honestly don’t remember. I just know that I heard about it years ago and have been seeing little tidbits pop up here and there over the course of a decade. In a little under two weeks, it will finally be available on Steam.

An open beta of the game has been available at SpyParty.com for quite some time, but coming to Steam is a huge deal. With 67 million active users, hopefully SpyParty’s unique concept will help it find a large audience. In the game, one person plays the sniper and another the target. The target must complete a series of tasks while mingling with non-player characters, all the while concealing the fact that they’re the one player-controlled character.

The sniper has one shot – literally – to take out their target, and must pick that target out from a room full of potential victims, watching for the one character who isn’t like all the rest. In large part, the sniper’s only hope is that the other play makes a mistake. Instead of watching for unnatural movements, the sniper must watch for natural ones, behavior that gives away a human element, rather than behavior driven by lines of code.

SpyParty will debut on early access for $25, ten bucks more than the open beta costs on the official website. There’s no word yet on whether consumers who purchased the beta will automatically get access on Steam, but considering that it’s an entirely different platform, I’d bank on having to purchase the game a second time. If you’re in that group, take pride in the fact that you’re supporting a truly unique indie game.