DaRmaZat With Agent 64: Spies Never Die, you are instantly catapulted back to the glory days of late ’90s console shooters. Crafted as an unabashed love letter to legendary N64 classics like GoldenEye 007 and Perfect Dark, this retro FPS recreates the look, feel, and mission structure of that era while throwing you headfirst into covert operations, high-stakes shootouts, and shadowy conspiracies.
In Agent 64: Spies Never Die, you step straight into the blocky shoes of former operative John Walter. Looking remarkably like a graying Sean Connery, Walter is pulled out of retirement to foil the world-dominating schemes of his arch-nemesis, Dominic Pulp. Across 14 self-contained missions spanning high-rise skyscrapers, bustling nightclubs, grand museums, ancient catacombs, and snow-covered bases, your job is to steal secret plans, hack terminals, and rescue civilian hostages while blowing away wave after wave of armed guards.
Starting out in a lavish penthouse before transitioning to a massive tower level, the campaign immediately makes one thing clear: narrative depth is severely lacking early on. Truth be told, there is zero voice acting to speak of – or even an attempt at voice work – which makes the opening moments feel surprisingly bland and fan-mod-esque. Replicant D6 really should have elevated the introductory chapters to establish an authentic spy mood right from the get-go, as you are simply dropped onto a map with instructions to start shooting without much connective tissue between locations.
Gradually, a bit more context begins to surface. By the time you reach mission three, set in a sprawling stone castle, Walter’s daughter Dana suddenly appears on the scene. Still, the overarching story feels thin. Ending every assignment with a dry, arcade-style summary screen filled with raw numerical scores completely undermines any sense of immersive lore or worldbuilding. Even worse, failing a single objective during a mission triggers a strange prompt requiring you to manually abort and restart the level yourself rather than seamlessly resetting the action.
Navigating these sandbox-style environments revolves heavily around completing specific tasks rather than simply sprinting toward an exit. To the game’s credit, choosing a higher difficulty setting – selecting between Agent, Special Agent, and 64 Agent – does far more than just crank up enemy damage; it actively expands the map layout and adds additional mandatory objectives giving genuine incentive to replay levels. Strangely enough, basic quality-of-life options like a crosshair and configurable aim assist are not available by default. Instead, you have to unlock them by completing missions or beating strict Par Times. Completing assignments rewards you with Cyphers, a currency used to unlock subsequent Acts once you reach the required amount, with higher difficulties yielding even more.
Handling Walter’s arsenal feels heavily reminiscent of classic shooters where I often preferred running without a crosshair for pure finesse. Admittedly, I missed having a quicksave feature during longer runs, and adding a basic jump button would have done wonders for immersion. Not only was jumping a staple in retro shooters of that era, but it would have greatly improved traversal, as the limited movement can occasionally feel overly restrictive.
In terms of gadgets, you will spend plenty of time hunting down keycards and decoders to slice through locked security doors, all while grabbing body armor pickups that feel straight out of F.E.A.R.. Combat itself, however, remains remarkably easy due to brain-dead guard AI. Enemies frequently fail to notice you sneaking up behind them, or when alerted, inexplicably line up in single file right in front of your crosshairs. The weapons themselves also lack some of the weight and tactile feedback you might expect, though firefights are functional enough.
Beyond the core campaign – which can be tackled solo or via split-screen and online co-op – there is a surprising amount of side content to explore. Beating Par Times unlocks Paradox Mode, arguably one of the most entertaining parts of the package, granting access to quirky modifiers ranging from Big Heads and Slow Bullets to Melee Disarms and Infinite Ammo. Specialized Contracts offer remixed mission parameters with pre-set modifiers, while competitive multiplayer lets you face off against up to eight friends or offline bots in classic deathmatches, territory control, and briefcase captures. Multiplayer is not only where you are truly put to the test, but also where the simple weapons, compact maps, and frantic pacing arguably make the most sense, as you are competing against real people rather than basic AI.
Visually, the title nails the low-poly aesthetic of the late nineties, featuring soft textures and flat character faces stretched over angular polygonal models reminiscent of the late N64 Expansion Pak era. It can make for some genuinely funny moments, especially when you blast enemies away and their faces remain completely unchanged, leaving them looking just as angry even after death. The game also runs super smoothly, though the sound design remains a bit basic outside of the energetic, period-appropriate soundtrack. Sound effects in particular feel a little flat, but then again, things weren’t exactly much different back in the nineties.
Final Thoughts
Agent 64: Spies Never Die delivers a fun, nostalgic throwback to classic ’90s console shooters, offering engaging sandbox levels, customizable difficulty modes, and a catchy soundtrack. While the narrative is rather thin, with a complete lack of voice acting making it harder to feel immersed, the retro aesthetic, smooth combat, and wide variety of modes offer plenty of entertainment here.
Additional Information
Release Date: August 11, 2026
Reviewed On: PC. Download code provided by the publisher and PR agency.
Developer: Replicant D6
Publisher: Replicant D6
Relevant links: Available via Steam.
