First clues to Spymaster revealed

• Announcements by Jack Allin
• Published:

VR-exclusive espionage action-adventure unveiled by the creators of A Fisherman's Tale and Maskmaker

The virtual reality specialists at InnerspaceVR have sent us on a couple of creative fishing expeditions (so to speak) and a search through fantastical realms in search of a missing artisan, but our next mission will take us into the world of high-stakes espionage in the upcoming Spymaster.

Rather than just one protagonist, players will control three different members of "the last independent spy agency" called NODE. You've got your work cut out for you, too, in a world where "privacy and trust are a luxury most can’t afford." A company called Protocore has installed a global surveillance system that ensures "no secret is ever kept for long." What's worse is that, led by their CEO PROTUS, it seems Protocore has "far darker plans in store." Now, with "independent and state intelligence agencies now disbanded," you represent "possibly the last line of defence against an A.I. overseer, the ultimate Spymaster." Each agent has "their own skills and traits, all with access to the most secret and valuable tool of all, the C.A.S.S.E.T.T.E." This device allows you to "rewind time, replaying and revising every aspect to plan each increasingly dangerous mission perfectly," giving you the "tactical edge in all circumstances" when used to your advantage.

With only a brief teaser trailer to go on for now, it appears that Spymaster will feature a similarly stylish, relatively low-poly look of its predecessors (Maskmaker and the Fisherman's Tale series), but the gameplay promises to be quite different. According to InnerspaceVR co-founder Balthazar Auxietre, this game represents the studio's "most challenging game" to date due to its "new kind of gameplay, fusing puzzle and action mechanics in a way that has never been done in VR," while still retaining a strong narrative component. Inspired by classic spy movies such as Mission: Impossible and Ocean’s Eleven, the game promises to blend "suave, audacious characters [and] cutting-edge espionage tech with tongue-in-cheek humour." You'll have the ability to "run, climb, slide, zipline and shoot your way to safety," but no two missions will be alike. So whether "defusing bombs [or] poisoning villains," your tasks become ever more dangerous and difficult, requiring "a different approach" with help from the vital time-manipulating C.A.S.S.E.T.T.E. gadget for planning. 

There is no target release date just yet, but Spymaster is due to launch in Early Access on Meta Quest and PC VR via Steam sometime later this year.