Enemy: Tempest of Violence
| Developer: Anachronia | Graphics: |
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| Publisher: Alive | Sound: |
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| Year: 1997 | Difficulty: |
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| Genre: Action-platformer | Lastability: |
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| Number of players: 2 simultaneous | Rating: |
8/10 | |
Three alien ships were discovered near Mars. Naturally, a few dozen scientists were sent to poke around inside, escorted by troops of soldiers to keep things safe. Just as naturally, those soldiers were promptly massacred by … something or other, leaving the surviving scientists to beg for your help. Don’t worry, here you are—armed with a pistol … that isn’t loaded.
Oh, you wanted ammo too? How demanding.
The standout feature of this game is its cinematic atmosphere. It starts slow, with plenty of exploration through deserted corridors, but the tension gradually ramps up. You stumble across the first corpses, lying in pools of blood, the music shifts to match every new situation: encountering the first survivors, and not long after, the first hostile aliens. What begins as a leisurely walkthrough quickly transforms into a nerve-wracking infiltration mission: avoiding clashes with better-armed enemies, escorting stray civilians before the countdown ends, and sabotaging ominous blinking machines (don’t worry—the heavy-weapon carnage comes later).
The story unfolds across about thirty levels, packed with unexpected events and preceded by text briefings accompanied by unsettling background music. Fans of Jean-Michel Jarre will appreciate the intro soundtrack.
Beware: the game tends to crash if the second floppy drive is active. A little tip if you’re stuck: aim for the eyes!
A second “optimised” version (easier, with more time, extra ammo, and allegedly fewer typos) was released in 2011, followed by a sequel, Enemy 2: Missing In Action, in 2013.
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