Agent Intercept Drifts Its Way to a Touchdown, but Misses the Extra Point
Marc Kusnierz | Tuesday, April 12, 2022 at 6:00PM
Spanning three chapters of five levels each across beautiful environments thanks to its simple but striking cartoony aesthetic, Agent Intercept puts you in the wheels of a transforming car tasked with taking down the evil organization, CLAW. In Fast and the Furious fashion, you’ll do a lot of drifting, mixed with over-the-top action, and a story so generic, you’ll forget it as you hear it. With only three buttons required for playing–one for moving left and right, one for boosting, and the last for gadgeting–anyone can feel like an action star, and the music goes a long way in bringing out those 60s spy vibes.
There are many explosions and high scores to chase, requiring combos you do not break, all of it culminating in a showdown between you and a giant mechanized scorpion. The gameplay loop is fun, but not without its faults. Boosting is a crucial mechanic , but the only way to gain boost is by letting your boost meter fill up on its own, or through pickups scattered across each level. You don’t get boost from drifting, stunts, or taking down enemies. This leads to a lot of down time where you’re not boosting and not boosting is not fun. The game is incredibly slow at normal speed, especially in boat form, feeling more like a stroll through the countryside than a high-octane adventure. You also need to be boosting as much as possible in order to keep your combo alive, so it’s not only important for making the game more enjoyable, but for completing certain objectives as well. If boost was rewarded for more actions, or the pickups were more plentiful, the gameplay loop would be a lot more satisfying.