Cypher 007

Cypher 007 is a top-down stealth-action game featuring an original story in the James Bond franchise. Utilize a variety of weapons, gadgets, and suits to sneak or fight your way through recreations of many iconic moments from the series. Replay missions and try on higher difficulties to fight for upgrades and a high score!

Studio: Wicked Realm Games (in collaboration with Pixelbite Games)
Role: Game Designer
Software: Bite Engine (Pixelbite’s In-House Engine)
Time on Project: March 2021-January 2023
Team Size: ~25, Design Team of 4
Target Platform: Apple Arcade (iOS, macOS, tvOS)

Game Details

Cypher 007 allows the player to step inside the shoes of the iconic James Bond for the first time in 10 years. The game wraps previous movies in the franchise into an original story, allowing for interesting twists on iconic moments. Moment-to-moment gameplay tasks the player with completing missions and exploring the environment while avoiding or taking down enemies. As the story progresses, players unlock suits and upgradeable gadgets that allow for multiple approaches to each mission. Players are encouraged by a scoring and rewards system to play stealthily, but they are given the tools to take anyone on if they’d like.

Players first enjoy on an accessible Story Mode, but anyone looking for something more difficult can quickly unlock Hard and Challenge Modes to test their skills. High-skill players can also unlock collectibles and cosmetics from across the franchise. At launch, we are offering a prologue and 20 missions across two chapters, with additional chapters planned for post-launch.

Contributions and Philosophy

  • Designed core feature set and balanced gameplay systems and economy
    • Owned the gadgets and economy/progression/reward systems throughout development
    • Designed and iterated upon two boss fights, as well as multiple missions
  • Implemented systems/mechanics for rapid prototyping
  • Authored documentation and mockups for team and external parties
  • Maintained an authentic IP experience under licensor/publisher constraints
  • Collaborated with and managed external developers

Cypher 007 is the first game where I was involved from beginning to end, and I had a lot of creative autonomy throughout the process. Though most previous James Bond games have been first-person shooters, our goal was to lean more on the mix of stealth and action the series is known for from an overhead perspective. My philosophy was to be inspired by ideas that IP fans would enjoy, but focus on making an interesting premium stealth game for mobile above all else. We wanted to keep the game as accessible as possible, in regards to both difficulty and how players can approach missions. However, we made sure everything in the game tied back into stealth as the most fun and rewarding way to play the game.

With the gadgets, I set out to create tools that lean towards stealth but offer various ways of approaching each mission. Initially, they were going to have further functionality that would unlock certain paths, similar to items in The Legend of Zelda, but this was cut due to time constraints. My favorite gadget to design was the Masking Pen, an umbrella-like gadget that can be aimed in the direction of enemy sight to use as mobile cover. We were looking to justify the use of twin-stick controls beyond weapons, so I created a stealth-focused gadget that required aiming. The prototyping phase immediately proved that it was a fun gadget worth iterating on.

I also created and balanced the economy and rewards systems of the game. The scoring system of each mission is used to encourage fast, stealthy play without restricting players who enjoy conflict. I wanted the player to have to engage with all systems in the game to upgrade their gear, so I split the initial single upgrade resource into three: one for taking down enemies, one for exploring missions, and one for earning a good score. We also reward high-skill play with stat-modifying gear, as well as cosmetic outfits and collectibles from throughout the franchise.

Lastly, I was responsible for both boss fights in Chapter 2, against Jaws and Blofeld. The game’s conceit allowed us to pull characters, locations, gadgets from different eras, and we really enjoyed the thought of putting the player into fan-favorite scenarios with a twist. The latter was a lot of fun to design. We didn’t think Blofeld would’t fight the player head-on, so he instead sends his henchmen after Bond. I love the architecture of Blofeld’s private quarters, so I wanted to make it into a playable space where the player could use the piranha pool to take down enemies. Blofeld eventually contributes to the fight by using the iconic Goldfinger laser to chase Bond down. I hoped to create a fight that felt naturally dynamic, adding new layers of complexity while feeling like a believable set piece within a James Bond movie. As the laser goes haywire, the player has to duck under it while fighting enemies and finding a way out.

Initially, I was working in-engine to prototype the game’s mechanics and systems, particularly around enemy AI and mission design. Development eventually shifted to the Bite Engine, and my role became solely design focused. Some major lessons I learned from this project were working under the constraints of various stakeholders, using a game’s meta systems/economy to reinforce the intended gameplay experience, collaborating with multiple studios and outsourcers across the world, and maintaining as much of the project’s vision as possible in the face of scope cuts.