Alekhine's Gun (video game)


Alekhine's Gun is a third-person stealth action video game set during World War II and the Cold War developed and published by Maximum Games. It is the third installment in the series that began with Death to Spies which was followed by its sequel , developed by Haggard Games and released in 2007 and 2009 respectively. The game features open maps with multiple methods to complete levels. It was released on March 1, 2016 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The name is borrowed from that of a powerful chess formation used by former World Champion Alexander Alekhine in a match against fellow grandmaster Aron Nimzowitsch.

Gameplay

Alekhine's Gun is a third-person stealth game. The title comes from a chess formation named after former World Chess Champion Alexander Alekhine.
The protagonist is Semyon Strogov, referred to as Agent Alekhine who is a KGB agent recruited by the CIA. The game takes place primarily during the 1960s period of the Cold War, with flashback missions set in World War II. The game features 11 levels which are set in Austria, Cuba, Florida, Germany, New York City, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and Texas. Each level is described as being non-linear in design, featuring multiple ways of completing tasks. The plot features around historical events such as the Bay of Pigs Invasion and the assassination of US President John F. Kennedy. The game allows players to choose between straightforward shootouts or more subtle stealth-orientated gameplay with the use of items such as poison and garottes and by staging 'accidents'. Each mission can be replayed differently to improve the player's performance. At the end of each level the player receives a different ranking depending on their style of play such as 'Maniac' or 'Ghost'. They are also graded on 'Noise', 'Violence', 'Accuracy' and 'Professionalism'. In addition points are awarded which can be used to buy or upgrade weapons and equipment.

Plot

In 1963, the veteran CIA officer Vincent Rambaldi commits suicide after the murder of his family on the same day as President John F. Kennedy's assassination, much to the dismay of his colleague, KGB agent Colonel Semion Strogov.
Rambaldi and Strogov had worked together during World War II as anti-Axis agents. Their first encounter took place in Bergenhus Castle in Norway, occupied by the Nazis and Waffen-SS forces, where Rambaldi was a captive. Strogov assassinated several Nazi operatives and freed Rambaldi in exchange for information. They both escaped the castle in secrecy.
The two next met in a hotel in Switzerland, where Strogov was sent to prevent critical documents stolen by a Soviet double agent from falling into the hands of Italian fascist and career criminal Paolo Minelli. Strogov infiltrated the hotel, eavesdropped on Minelli's conversation and identified the spy. After retrieving the documents and assassinating the traitor, Strogov discovered Rambaldi was also assigned to obtain the same documents, having been misled by the Russians. Strogov and Rambaldi jointly escaped from the Nazis and shared the documents.
Their third encounter was a joint operation requested by the Russian Intelligence from the Office of Strategic Services. Strogov was to infiltrate a secret nuclear research facility and murder the scientist Berthold Slotz and his assistant Adolf Krause. Strogov executed his targets and took photos of their blueprints. On his way out, he is discovered by SS soldiers, but Rambaldi's partner, Andrew Pearson, kills the guards to save Strogov.
In October 1963, Strogov and his collaboration with Rambaldi is fully reviewed by the head of KGB and a fellow agent, comrade lieutenant Vera Pavlova. Strogov and Vera are assigned by their superior to fly to New York and make contact with Rambaldi, who is working on exposing an anti-government conspiracy regarding the endangerment of the US president's life, which in return will only provoke war between the United States and the Soviet Union. Given the code-name "Alekhine", Strogov is informed that no government official or intelligence agency should learn about his mission, otherwise he and Vera will be disavowed. Vera and Strogov rendezvous with Rambaldi, who takes them to his quarters. Only a few trusted members of the CIA were there, and Andrew Pearson was one of them.
Rambaldi suspects the government has hired the Mafia to do the dirty work for them. He requests Strogov to head to a spa and restaurant retreat in Chinatown. Two Mafia crime ring leaders are attending to exchange a document, which contains the names of low-profile recruiters to the conspiratorial plot. Strogov sneaks in, assassinates the targets and obtains the document. This leads him to a biker gang in Texas, specifically highlighting Alejandro Vargas, a CIA informant who has recently abducted a reporter investigating the case. Strogov goes to Texas and discovers that the reporter was tortured to death. Strogov goes ahead with the plan, kidnaps Vargas and brings him back to Rambaldi for interrogation. Vargas gives in and confesses his role in the plot, along with a name involving another Mafia family. Vargas is later killed by Pearson, upsetting Rambaldi.
After getting intelligence from the Cataldo family and blackmailing their partner in crime, the Mammloliti family, Strogov and Vera head to Miami Bay to act as saboteurs of rogue Cuban army forces. Vera secures the extraction camp, guides Strogov around the bay and on his way to Cuba to take out as many key people in the conspiracy as possible. He sends a message through telegram to the official Cuban military, informing them of a rogue camp and their destination. After Strogov escapes through a military ship on the bay, Rambaldi's spy ring are exposed and its members are killed. Strogov arrives too late to rescue Vera, who was beaten to near death. She encourages him to go and complete the mission before dying in his arms. With a lead to an American aircraft carrier, Strogov uncovers a sabotage plan by Cuban anarchists to blow up and sink the ship, which he successfully prevents. A few hours later, President Kennedy was killed, followed by the murder of Rambaldi's family and his suicide. Strogov discovers a memo left to him by Rambaldi and learns that Andrew Pearson is the mole, who exposes him as an unauthorized Soviet spy and imprisons him in a police precinct.
Strogov breaks out of prison, covers his tracks, takes away all of the evidence against him and abducts Pearson for an interrogation through an underground railway line. Pearson reveals that he has always been a hater of the president and his administration. He informs Strogov that he has been recruited by the Secretary of Defense, Bruce Gardner, and the man orchestrating the conspiracy is a German with no name disclosed. Strogov kills Pearson in revenge and locates Gardner's hide-out, a military silo installation under the grounds of a nearby abandoned railway line.
After sneaking in and passing through countless amount of guards and militant officers, Strogov manages to assassinate Gardner and goes after the head of the conspiracy, whose identity is yet to be revealed. Once stepping into his office, Strogov is held at a gunpoint by the same German high ranking Gestapo officer, who was assigned to look after the Bergen operation back in the war. The latter explains that after the surrender of the Nazis, he was disappointed to see the vision of the new world order collapsing. He was later brought in by the OSS through Operation Paperclip to work for the US and make it stronger. He used this position to resurrect his primary goal of the new world order by launching nuclear missiles over the Soviet Union and invading Europe to form a new, one-world government. Before he manages to fulfill his plan, Strogov subdues and kills him in a fistfight, preventing any leadership from taking effect on the rogue operation, which is exposed to the CIA. The rest of the members in the conspiracy ended up arrested.
In the end, Strogov visits Vincent Rambaldi's grave, pays his homage, salutes as a fellow soldier and walks away.

Development

The game was first announced in 2010 by 1C Company under the title Death to Spies 3: Ghost of Moscow, developed by Haggard Games. In 2011, 1C Company withdrew from the publishing contract. Haggard Games continued developing the title. A crowdfunding campaign was launched on Indiegogo in 2013 and another on Kickstarter in 2014, both of which failed. In June 2014, Maximum Games was announced as the new publisher and developer making it their first in-house game.

Release

The game was originally set to be released on November 10, 2015 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One but was delayed to February 9, 2016 due to a delay with the console versions and to allow for a simultaneous worldwide release. A pre-order edition is available for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One featuring a limited edition chess piece. Then it was delayed once again to March 1, 2016.

Reception

Alekhine's Gun has received negative reviews from critics, scoring 36/100 on Metacritic, and 35.00% on GameRankings.
Jason Bohn of Hardcore Gamer gave the game a 2 out of 5 saying, "The right ideas are in place, but everything about the execution falls flat on its face. Considering how much I wanted to enjoy this, the average player probably won’t be able to handle a full playthrough."