When the historical layman is a spy – review of the game “The Viennese Connector”

Ever since I watched James Bond for the first time, I imagine over and over again what it would be like to be a spy. It was then that I developed a passion for puzzles, fast action and all kinds of titles describing this theme: on the screen, in books and games. When you have a rich imagination, it is not difficult to come up with breakneck actions or adventures that will not happen. For such enthusiasts with no future in their dream role, Portal Games has released the title of  The Viennese Connector , which promises fun in a group and high-level deduction.

Who messed up here again?

The Viennese Connector is fresh from Portal Games and the newest child in the Detective series . The perpetrators of all the confusion are the designer Ignacy Trzewiczek and screenwriters: Jakub Łapot and Przemysław Rymer. In this edition, the main authors were supported by Jakub Poczęty and Weronika Spyra, who worked on additions to Detective .

It got frosty …

The seventies of the last century, players assume the role of CIA spies operating during the Cold War. They have to cheat agents of foreign intelligence, including the KGB. Due to the not fully developed technology, you have to maneuver and combine, but a specialist in his profession has no problem with that. In this way, members of the Special Actions Department undertake risky tasks so that only the Soviets do not win.

Let’s take a look inside

In a large box there are as many as one hundred pages of Files, with articles, interviews, plans, transcripts of conversations, maps, personal files and reports on them. In addition, seventy-two Track cards, eight Mission sheets, and fifteen wooden markers: three each for press and criminal contacts, five for cash, and four for communication with alien intelligence. In addition, interestingly packed in envelopes papers needed for the Mission and instructions with helpful examples. The main tasks are described in the introduction. Inside there are sheets with secret agents, sets of operations and envelopes with the decryption code.

Everything is professionally made and has its place in the box. The game is delightful, just like the Detectives did. Documents contain icons referring to the past or suggesting the importance and confidentiality of the matter, e.g. Confidental stamp. The colors were also adapted to the typical paper files – grays and beiges predominate. The yellow, green, blue and red markers are eye-catching and they do not blend in with others and are easy to see during the game. I was most delighted with the briefcase with the secret files, but also with the Mission envelopes. The whole thing looks like a spy kit that monitors others, and the information provided to him is a solid, intelligence job.

Time for surveillance

Participants take on the role of agents of the Special Acts Department, which is a CIA cell. In order to fully enjoy the game, you need something to write, a notebook, of course a game and an Internet device, because you need to log in to the Antares website. As mentioned before, there are four Missions available and it’s best to stay in order. The envelope contains encoding cards, operations, orders, local agents, story inserts and further instructions. Now the best begins – all participants, one to five aged sixteen plus, sit down to the materials available and then reflect on the next steps. Depending on the Mission, you can start with various activities, such as looking at the available agents or reading the Files. You cannot forget about additional paid bonus operations. There are special areas on the Track sheets that you need to consider because no matter what you do, the group’s actions will eventually be spotted by the enemy. As is often the case, the red zone is a bad one to watch out for as it is controlled and our rivals can easily catch us. There are several other colors that mean: yellow is the area where the police and criminals operate, blue is where the citizens live, and the best one is white, where the CIA seat is.

Plotting time

The missions have a specific number of fields to mark, and the participants discover them while getting to know the Track (on the piece of paper it is specified how many boxes we should circle during the activities). When the area is fully highlighted, you can return to it, but then you enter the area of ​​the Man in Black, which can quickly lead to the finish line. A code card is very helpful to discover encrypted messages. The documents also contain side puzzles that make up the puzzle. This gives you access to additional material and the discovery of more information on the case. There are also some interesting challenges attached to the whole: mathematical puzzles, recordings or spy challenges that test the attentiveness and smartness of the participants. The first ones are not too complicated and big lovers of logical puzzles will work them out twice.

As I mentioned before, when all the regions in The Man in Black are filled, our game is almost over. Now you can only take actions that do not require crossing out or proceed to gathering all the facts from the mission to sum them up nicely. Then we submit the requests to the CIA. At this stage, we can suggest further actions in the Mission.

There is power!

The designated zones are a strong point of the game, because no matter what action we take, there is always the possibility of being detected, which raises adrenaline by a few points up. You can be a good spy, but you are not always perfect. As gamers, we question the identity of the people we meet because we are never sure where the other agents are or if someone is following our activities.

Bonus operations are interesting, allowing for even better exploration of the presented world, development of the basic story. Thanks to the cash spent or interaction with the local press, you can get a better status in the game, escape enemies, distract the services in the danger zone or obtain the necessary data needed for more efficient operation. Operations give you a chance to feel like a real spy, not sticking to the usual patterns, only coping with adversities on the road.

Time plays a role sometimes

As we read on the manufacturer’s website, the whole game lasts 12-15 hours, and a single game is about three hours of fun and I definitely agree with that. I like that you can do one session and you don’t have to go through everything at once, which gives you the opportunity to enjoy the title for longer. Each Mission can be completed a maximum of two times, because on the third one we already know the mechanics of the guidelines, and the game simply does not make sense. I must admit that great workmanship and refined details immediately captivate you and you have a good time from the very beginning. I don’t even know when the first Mission passed, I didn’t feel the time spent on it at all.

The plot is the basis

All this is due to the brilliantly created stories, which eventually merge into a larger whole, although at the beginning there is no indication of it, and the atmosphere that arises when exploring all the evidence. Applause is due to genius creators who know when to tighten the screw to make the atmosphere thick like from the best James Bond novel or movie. As in a great detective story, you can feel a note of anticipation and tension while exploring the plot. Creators not only make you think, but also learn about the past and the rules of the Cold War. As a person with a bad story, I was effectively encouraged to expand my knowledge and I was very eager to do it, which allowed me to contribute even better during the games.

When the virtual world enters

Antares is a website known from the older brother of The Viennese Connector , that is, the  Detective . Unfortunately, it is not exactly what I had hoped for and the amount of information is limited. You can save the information you get there or match the parts of the puzzle that are waiting for the rest of the elements. The recordings are an interesting diversion (although their transcription is in the files, listening has a completely different effect on the imagination and feelings). Here, too, you can find clues to mathematical puzzles, and finally, guidelines for the CIA are written down. The last task is to choose one of the two paths, and selecting our type will outline the vision of the entire campaign. Finally, we get the information that needs to be entered in the Mission Journal.

This is the end …

And going to the summary, I am delighted! The dynamics of the game, atmosphere and performance are at the highest level. You can see that the creators put a heart, and probably a piece of soul, to give players the best version of the game. The ability to lead the story in different directions gives you the opportunity to influence the Missions, and thus be like a real spy. You can feel the Cold War atmosphere thanks to everything from the Mission to the Files. The game forces you to think logically and cooperate with other participants, and such titles always bring a lot of fun. Why compete when you can cooperate? Different mechanics also have an influence on the reception, because you don’t fall into the usual patterns. Joining several threads together is a lot of fun. The presented story will surely be liked by fans of history and fanatics of espionage activities. During the game you can expand your knowledge and see it is complete. Changes in the method of operation or story twists allow for many hours of worthy entertainment, and she simply does not get bored. Even though it’s a limit game, one you can’t go on forever, I believe it’s worth every bang you spend.