Enemy Mind

About

Enemy Mind is a single player and multiplayer action game with a science fiction theme. It was developed by Mike T @ Schell Games and was released on June 6, 2014. It received positive reviews from players.

"Enemy Mind" is a side-scrolling space shooter for PC with a classic 8-bit art style and 8 levels of challenge across 70 waves. As a being of pure psychic energy, you can take over and control any of the 20+ unique ships you encounter, each with their own power and ability. The game features an adaptive story system that changes with your play style and offers multi-player co-op for up to four players. The soundtrack is an original chiptune-inspired creation by Rainbow Kitten.

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85%

Audience ScoreBased on 468 reviews

gameplay67 positive mentions

grinding4 negative mentions

Enemy Mind combines an engaging story with solid mechanics and arcade-style combat, creating a nostalgic experience.
The ship stealing mechanic is innovative and adds depth to the gameplay, encouraging players to adapt their strategies.
The visuals and audio complement the retro-arcade atmosphere, immersing players in the experience.

The difficulty can be steep, leading to frustration, especially with certain boss battles and level designs.
Some players experienced bugs, such as getting stuck in infinite screens or unresponsive controls.
The game can feel repetitive due to limited enemy variety and the need to constantly switch ships.

gameplay
189 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
35%
61%
4%
The gameplay of "Enemy Mind" is characterized by its innovative ship-switching mechanic, allowing players to take control of enemy ships, which adds a strategic layer to the classic arcade-style shoot 'em up experience. While the core mechanics are simple and engaging, some players noted a lack of variety in enemy patterns and stages, leading to moments of repetitiveness. Overall, the game successfully combines nostalgic elements with fresh gameplay twists, making it a fun and challenging experience for fans of the genre.
- “The gameplay captures the rush of classic arcade games — no checkpoints, high stakes, and the thrill of perfecting each run.”
- “The main mechanic, which is to take control of enemy ships on the screen, is superbly executed and makes for exciting gameplay.”
- “Pleasantly difficult without being a bullet hell, Enemy Mind has addictive storytelling delivery coupled with classic side-scrolling shooter gameplay plus the perfect little twist to keep everything fresh.”
- “The gameplay is stale and repetitive - many of the arcade shooters from the 1980s had better graphics, playability is worse.”
- “The gameplay for long stretches is outright dull, then it jumps up the difficulty and you're excited ... only to die and have to redo the earlier, boring sections of a level that turns into a chore.”
- “Sadly the game gets boring after an hour of the same gameplay with little to keep you coming back.”
story
116 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
34%
61%
5%
The story in "Enemy Mind" is generally regarded as surprisingly engaging for a retro side-scrolling shooter, featuring a unique narrative structure that reveals different perspectives based on the player's choices of ships. While some players find the storytelling method—delivered in brief snippets between levels—frustrating and insufficient, others appreciate its depth and replay value, as it encourages multiple playthroughs to uncover the full narrative. Overall, the story is seen as a compelling addition that enhances the gameplay experience, despite some criticisms regarding its accessibility and delivery.
- “Enemy Mind combines an engaging story, solid mechanics, and arcade-style combat into a truly nostalgic experience.”
- “It's a surprisingly deep story that balances humanity's past sins versus the love of the individual and the human drive to survive.”
- “The story is woven well between enemy waves, and it makes you feel invested to keep playing.”
- “The story is told in between waves, with 2 lines of text, which is not really the best way.”
- “It's 2 sentences of story per wave beaten, which doesn't motivate me to go through the same levels to get the next tiny clip.”
- “There's also no real story, just a few random sentences of nonsensical text that pop up after every wave and level.”
graphics
58 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
38%
5%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their charming retro pixel art style, which effectively complements the gameplay and evokes nostalgia for classic arcade shooters. While some reviewers note the minimalistic approach and occasional limitations in graphical settings, the overall presentation is considered polished and visually appealing, enhancing the immersive experience. The combination of crisp visuals and a fitting chiptune soundtrack contributes to a cohesive retro atmosphere that resonates well with fans of the genre.
- “The visuals and audio perfectly complement the retro-arcade atmosphere, immersing you in the experience.”
- “The art style is very appealing with its charming retro visuals.”
- “A fun and simple shmup with an interesting gameplay gimmick, married to a beautiful pixel art style with a nice soundtrack to boot.”
- “30 fps lock, gimmick gets old really fast, very minimal graphics and a tiny ammo pool on every ship, to force you to constantly use the gimmick every 5 seconds.”
- “Graphics settings are limited to (I am not joking) changing the size of the game window.”
- “The gameplay is stale and repetitive - many of the arcade shooters from the 1980s had better graphics, playability is worse.”
music
58 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
41%
9%
The music in the game is widely praised for its energetic chiptune soundtrack, which complements the gameplay and enhances the overall atmosphere. While some players find the music to be a standout feature, others note occasional weaknesses or inconsistencies in quality. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a significant asset, contributing to the game's retro charm and engaging experience.
- “This game is super fun and the soundtrack is amazing!”
- “Great music, smart method of storytelling, and again, game design that works with, rather than just next to, the game's main mechanics.”
- “The chiptune soundtrack is catchy.”
- “I found the music and sound to be annoying as well.”
- “The graphics are neat and the music is... well, the music's kinda the weak point here.”
- “The music is just as tinny and weak sounding as the sound effects.”
humor
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's humor is a standout feature, with players praising its hilarious moments and creative extras that enhance the experience. The chaotic nature of multiplayer gameplay often leads to funny situations, making it a delightful choice for both solo and co-op play. Overall, the humor adds a unique charm to the classic shoot 'em up genre, keeping players engaged and entertained.
- “An excellent and creative side scroller shoot 'em up that is welcoming to both veterans and new players of the genre, with a lovely dash of narrative and challenge to keep you engaged and interested, and hilarious extras you can unlock at the main menu.”
- “So many hilarious and outrageous moments; after only 2 hours of playtime, this could easily become my favorite shmup of all time!”
- “The multiplayer version is also amazing, and with up to four players jumping ships, things can quickly descend into hilarious chaos if you aren't communicating.”
replayability
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
40%
30%
The game offers moderate replayability primarily through its engaging storyline, which changes based on player choices and the factions encountered, as well as achievements and leaderboards. While some players find the single-player experience highly replayable, others note that the game's short length limits overall replay value. Cooperative play adds another layer of enjoyment, but the overall consensus is that once the main content is experienced, replayability may diminish.
- “It has a really interesting plot about two factions that you can get to know depending on the ships you finish each level with, so if you are into that, it has some replay value.”
- “It also comes with achievements and leaderboards, which gives it even more replayability.”
- “The replay value for the game stems from the storyline, which varies based on actions you take.”
- “It's fun and all, but for me not necessarily a lot of replayability.”
- “The only negative is that the game was fairly short, and once you've seen all the bells and whistles then there is not much replayability.”
- “It's fairly short--maybe a couple hours long, without major replayability--but just a single run-through leaves an impression strong enough to change your day.”
atmosphere
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its immersive retro-arcade visuals and audio, which work harmoniously to enhance the experience. The inclusion of diverse languages within the game adds depth, while the captivating soundtrack further enriches the overall ambiance, making it a standout feature.
- “The visuals and audio perfectly complement the retro-arcade atmosphere, immersing you in the experience.”
- “The music, story, and atmosphere are all fitting and very enjoyable.”
- “Definitely get the soundtrack if you can; it's awesome and adds to the whole atmosphere of the game.”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and punishing, particularly due to a steep difficulty curve that doesn't accommodate casual players well. While the game is visually appealing and offers an interesting take on the genre, the repetitive nature of gameplay can detract from the overall experience, making exploration feel burdensome.
- “I think this game could really benefit from an appropriate difficulty curve that allows both skilled players to challenge themselves, and more casual players to afford more mistakes, because from what I can gather from the first 6 levels, nearly every mistake is harshly punished with repetition and tediousness.”
- “Visually attractive with good audio and an interesting take on the shmup, but I find the game's pacing tedious and the difficulty relating to that irritating.”
- “I find this to be, on the one hand, fascinating due to the game's simplicity, while, on the other hand, it's incredibly tedious.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is marred by several game-breaking glitches, intrusive audio bugs, and instances of freezing that can disrupt gameplay and hinder achievement progress. While some players find that they can overlook these issues as they become more skilled and enjoy the music, the overall experience is still negatively impacted by these technical problems.
- “During my twenty hours of play, I've encountered a few different game-breaking glitches, intrusive audio bugs, and a bug that prevented any kind of user input mid-level, causing a restart.”
- “The downside is that it has some bugs, like the game suddenly freezing, which may cause some achievements to be very difficult to get.”
- “There is some buggy behavior here and there, which can certainly detract from the overall experience.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
100%
Players appreciate the game's optimization for allowing multiple hits before death, which enhances gameplay longevity and encourages deeper engagement with its mechanics. This system balances challenge and reward by penalizing players with a lost score multiplier, promoting strategic play.
- “Not only that, but having multiple hits before death instead of genre staples like Gradius keeps the fun going longer. It gives you the experience of being able to swap to a ship in a better state of repair while still punishing you with a lost score multiplier. I think this is a fair way to reward those who truly dig into the game's mechanics and optimization.”
- “The game's optimization feels lacking, as performance issues often disrupt the overall experience.”
- “I encountered frequent frame drops and stuttering, which made it difficult to enjoy the gameplay.”
- “The lack of proper optimization leads to long loading times and inconsistent performance across different systems.”