The MySims games have dipped their toe into a bit of everything: kart racing, mini games, and a simplified version of what made the Sims so popular on the PC. Now with a light hearted secret agent approach, MySims Agent is one part Animal Crossing and one part Phoenix Wright, best suited for younger audiences.
After going through the usual avatar editor, you start your role as a detective by solving simple cases for a pizza parlor, eventually working your way up to managing a multi-floor detective agency with numerous staff members. Your HQ serves as the main hub for the game, allowing the player to hire new workers, make phone calls, and in usual Sims style, alter the appearance of your outfit and interior design.
Like following a dotted line, Agent never lets the player astray and keeps gameplay linear but simple. Using the d-pad on the Wii remote, the player has access to a few different tools to help solve each case. Through natural gameplay, each item will receive upgrades, opening up new and creative ways to use each tool to solve a case. If the player were to get lost, your notepad usually provides a solid hint as to what to do next, never making the game challenging or frustrating.
Besides listening to the complaints of townsfolk and searching for clues, there will be times when the agent has to hack a computer or fix things to gather evidence in minigame format. Using the Wii remote in different ways, each minigame will eventually grow repetitive as time moves on. Besides playing them over and over, they also never change. For example, the player has the option to repeat missions via an arcade machine in the HQ, but all the mini games are the same from the first time you completed them, causing the replay value to suffer.
As your reputation grows, so do the available missions. However, completing all of them is impossible for a single agent. Like Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, you can send out agents to complete missions while the player is solving another case. From time to time, these dispatched missionaries will give your cell phone a jingle, asking for advice. Your advice has the ability to alter the outcome of this dispatch mission, positively or negatively. And as more missions are completed, the player is rewarded with a new wardrobe and items for the HQ, Sims-style. Instead of unlocking new modes or gameplay options, the unlockable costumes and furniture is the main incentive to keep playing.
The game is built with cartoon-like characters and environments complete with bright colors and quirky animations. The humorous points throughout the game are enough to make even adult gamers chuckle, but the ideal audience for this game are for younger Wii owners. Because of the game’s constant breadcrumb trail and lack of penalties (you cannot die, injury yourself, or fail), younger gamers will appreciate this game more than more experienced users, especially with all the Animal Crossing-like interior design and cosmetic editing option. Even the character’s jibberish voice-overs promote a more light hearted and humorous game presentation.
With light platforming, simple controls, bright color pallet, basic game design, and ease of use, MySims Agent is probably the best game in the MySims series. Although best suited for younger players, adult gamers can still get some entertainment out of this title.
Better Than: Using the Wii Remote to solve cases in real life
Not As Cool As: James Bond
Wait For It: The next Splinter Cell or Metal Gear Solid