The Low Road
Spy Hillman Hunter
DEVELOPER XGEN STUDIOS PUBLISHER XGEN STUDIOS PRICE US$ 20 AVAILABLE AT STEAM www.thelowroad.com
My partner didn’t trust me and I didn’t trust him. So of course in a game called The Low Road I had no option but to blackmail him into cooperating with me. You can stuff your ethics and consciences and enjoy the view from the high road. I’ll be down here getting the job done.
The moral vacuum described here is the 1970s American automobile industry and, in particular, the parallel industry of corporate espionage fuelled by it. Initially, you play as Noomi Kovacs, a young intelligence graduate starting her first spy job. She’s itching to get out from behind her desk and into what she imagines is the thrilling, dangerous world of field work. But her boss, known as Turn, doesn’t think she’s ready. Anyway, these days - this is now the ‘70s remember? - most spy work can be done over the phone.
I liked the first puzzle of this stylish, sometimes silly, always sardonic, pointand-click adventure. Turn gives Noomi a case file and a phone number. You’ve got to read the file (don’t worry, there’s only a handful of documents within) and use the information you’ve gleaned to extract the necessary answers from the person you’ve called. I liked it because it made me feel clever. I didn’t feel like a spy exactly, but I did get a genuine sense I was identifying clues and piecing a puzzle together. It didn’t feel rote.
The Low Road gets a lot right with its puzzles. Sometimes it’s about using the right object you’ve collected in the right place. Sometimes it’s about getting the right information from someone and then using it to get more information out of someone else. Some puzzles present you with a single screen activity,
this isn’t a sombre look at corporate espionage; it’s goofy, sarcastic and frequently absurd
such as pickpocketing an ID card by guiding it through a maze of pockets without alerting its owner. Most puzzles are standalone, but a few require you to recall things that happened earlier in the game in funny and unexpected ways. It’s always satisfying when you make those connections.
Also unexpected, to me at least, is the sense of humour. This isn’t a somber or gritty look at corporate espionage; it’s goofy, sarcastic and frequently absurd. When Noomi needs a four-digit passcode to enter a secure door, clicking on the panel prompts her to try 0001. Clicking again has her try 0002. A third time has her try 0003. Click on a pigeon that’s just minding its own business on the roof of the agency building and its feathers start to fly. Keep clicking and it’ll abruptly disappear, popping like a balloon.
It’s possible to fail and prematurely end the game. The first time I encountered this occurred after selecting the wrong option during a conversation. I figured it probably wasn’t the smart thing to say, but I wanted to see what would happen if I did. Noomi’s cover was predictably blown before an amusing coda summarised how the cast lived out the rest of their lives. Then it quickly rewound and I was back at the fateful dialogue choice.
When faced with the decision again, I didn’t have to think twice. I took the low road. DAVID WILDGOOSE