While I’ve seen the cartoon Totally Spies!, I didn’t connect with it like others. There is nothing wrong with the cartoon, and there is nothing wrong with Totally Spies! – Cyber Mission. Developer, Balio Studio SRL, and Microids SA, the publisher, have captured the essence of the cartoon and made a game that fans will love.

For those unfamiliar with the cartoon, Totally Spies! is about the World Organisation Of Human Protection (WHOOHP) and the three spies named Sam, Clover, and Alex. The three girls try to go about their daily lives while being WHOOPed away to thwart criminal schemes from an array of evil geniuses.

Totally Spies! – Cyber Mission ties into season seven of the cartoon, to not spoil the cartoon and the game my synopsis of the plot will be vague. Sam, Clover, and Alex are in Singapore when a threat arises, and after neutralizing it other, more strange occurrences begin to happen, specifically revolving around technology. As they investigate further, a new villain is revealed, and it is up to them to go undercover and stop it.

Gameplay of Totally Spies! – Cyber Mission is simple, so, unfortunately, it lends itself to being repetitive. For every mission, you can play as Sam, Clover, or Alex, but you will freely swap between them, and you will need to so that you can complete the mission.

Each girl starts with a specific gadget and has a unique ability; Sam’s ability is hacking, so she can unlock and move electronic devices. Clover has laser lipstick, so she can cut open sealed doorways, and Alex has a powerful bracelet that lets her bust heavy crates.

The gadgets swap from mission to mission, so the girls will have to perform different tasks inclusive of their abilities. Gadgets like a sticky grenade, a detection ring, and a candy shooter, to name a few, vary up and even share the playtime between all three spies. This allows cooperative play with up to three people locally, where working together to progress is a fun and rewarding experience.

Each mission can be replayed, allowing the player to strive for the top grade, and find missing collectables and currency. Fans and completionists will possibly enjoy the added playtime, but for a casual player, the urge to return to the game after the story is complete would be low, simply for the previously mentioned repetitive gameplay. You will need to swap between Sam, Clover, and Alex to progress by activating switches, using their abilities and gadgets, and sneaking around to avoid detection.

Earned currency is used to upgrade gadgets making completing missions easier by increasing durations, areas of influence, and alike. I didn’t find the upgrades had any meaningful impact on the gameplay as their operation felt identical to the first time I activated them without the upgrade.

Graphics are presented in 3D, a slight change from the 2D of the cartoon, and I have to say that I preferred this appearance. Loyal fans may feel different, but the graphical change strongly supported the gameplay. The animation was smooth, which added to the visual pleasure of the game.

Although the graphics were not true to the cartoon, the audio was. Music, sound effects, and voicing all match the cartoon. The only thing I would have liked to be different was how the voice acting was used. Cutscenes feature voiced lines for every speaking character, but outside of that, the dialogue is presented through a mildly animated 3D character repeating a simple one-liner, and a speech bubble beside them filled with text. With Totally Spies! – Cyber Mission being tied so closely to the cartoon, I believe it would have benefitted greatly from being fully voice-acted.

Totally Spies! – Cyber Mission provides a great interactive experience for fans of the franchise, allowing them to feel more strongly connected as it ties in with season seven of the cartoon. Though the graphics are different, I believe they are more beneficial to the gameplay presentation as opposed to being one-on-one with the cartoon. With my opinion on limited voice acting aside, the cooperative gameplay for fans, as well as parents and children to enjoy together, Totally Spies! – Cyber Mission is worth it if you want more Totally Spies! in your life.

Written by: Ashley Barnett-Cosgrove