Cypher 007

{GoldenEye 007}, {Agent Under Fire}, and {Nightfire}, along with {Everything or Nothing}, were all licensed games that in one way or another conveyed that proper Bond feeling of being a highly trained, super-smart and stylishly elegant gentleman spy behind enemy lines. For the past ten years, however, there has been a relative silence about Bond in gaming terms and apart from the now 15-year-old {Quantum of Solace} (developed by the team behind {Call of Duty}, of all studios) nothing has been released, at all.

There are often several different approaches and those who want to can shoot and fight more than simply sneaking.

Danish {Hitman} studio {IO Interactive} is known to be working on a super-ambitious action/stealth adventure that will hopefully be unveiled next year, but other than that, 007 fans have had to go hungry, until now. {Cypher 007} is a new stealth adventure starring Ian Fleming's iconic master spy. {Tilting Point} is responsible for the development and even though there seems to be plans to roll out the game to both PC and PlayStation 5, it's an exclusive iPhone launch via {Apple Arcade}, and I've played {Cypher 007} on my {iPhone 14 Pro Max} with a {SteelSeries Nimbus Plus}, and I'm very satisfied.

The story is good, even if the narrative itself feels a bit dry.

{Cypher 007} is a stealth game seen from an old-fashioned, isometric third-person perspective where the camera cannot be controlled. Right from the start, it feels as wonderfully retro as {Volume}, the very first {Metal Gear Solid} or even {Commandos}. The environments are tight and stylishly designed in a "Cold War" manner and it is important to sneak, hide, attack at the right time, hack computers and collect documents and use evasive manoeuvres and firearms at the right time.

The design is a classic 007 style.

The story is simple but effectively divided and told. Bond is tasked with stopping {Spectre} and the ever-evil Blofeld, but what poor James doesn't know is that his arch-rival has put together an intricately complex plan to set traps, capture and manipulate Bond's psyche in order to use him as a double agent and thus try to destroy MI6 from the inside. The story is told via text boxes that appear at the bottom of the screen, and while I would have much preferred to see environment-based storytelling or lavish cutscenes, it's still a story that feels sufficiently Bond and exciting enough to make me want to keep playing for that reason alone.

Cypher 007 will be released for PC and PS5 as well, but right now it's only available for iOS via Apple Arcade and is thus completely free of all micro-transactions thankfully.

There are 25 missions and each take between five and fifteen minutes to complete, and the level of challenge is, like the tutorial section at the beginning, really well done. {Cypher 007} feels polished, skilfully structured, and the way the developers gradually introduce new abilities and gameplay elements, as well as the set-up and player perspective, feels old-fashioned, in the right way. In the beginning I'm just sneaking around, then I start knocking down unsuspecting security guards and then throwing grenades at gas lines, hacking computers, crawling in ventilation shafts and shooting my Walter PPK. {Cypher 007} grows with every mission, the upgrade system for the game's weapons is successful and the music and sound effects are brilliant.

The music in this adventure is truly brilliant.

I like the design, too. Sure, both Bond and Moneypenny look a little too modern in their little thumbnails that pop up when they talk to each other, but the basic look is reminiscent of a mix between {Hitman III} from an isometric perspective and earlier Sean Connery films. Considering how much pure rubbish is actually released for our mobiles, it's really nice to see how the pattern is sometimes broken with a real quality game, which this is. It's highly recommended!