THE ENIGMA MACHINE
- November 30, 2018
- ENIGMA STUDIO
- 1h median play time
Get on Steam
Get on itch.io Store"The Enigma Machine" is a challenging puzzle game that takes players through a series of increasingly difficult ciphers and codes. Using historical encryption devices like the Enigma machine, players must decrypt messages and solve problems in order to progress. With a variety of cipher types and difficulty levels, this game offers a brain-teasing experience for both newcomers and experienced codebreakers.
Mac OS
Nintendo Switch
PC
Playstation 4
Playstation 5
Windows
Xbox One
Xbox Series X|S
PlayStation
Xbox
Reviews
- The Enigma Machine offers a unique blend of puzzle-solving and eerie atmosphere, creating a memorable experience that resonates long after playing.
- The game's retro aesthetics and sound design effectively immerse players in a chilling narrative about AI and existential horror.
- Despite its short length, the game is well-crafted, with engaging puzzles and a compelling story that leaves players eager for the next installment in the series.
- Many players experienced game-breaking bugs, particularly related to the gun mechanics and refresh rate settings, which hindered gameplay.
- The game is very short, with some feeling it lacks depth and replay value, making it hard to justify the price for some players.
- Visual glitches and darkness in certain levels made navigation frustrating, detracting from the overall experience.
- graphics59 mentions
- 32 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are characterized by a nostalgic PS1 and VHS aesthetic, which many players found engaging and immersive, effectively enhancing the atmosphere of horror and intrigue. However, some users noted that the graphical distortions and glitches, particularly towards the end, could be overwhelming and disorienting, detracting from the overall experience. Overall, while the retro visuals received praise for their style and thematic relevance, they also sparked mixed feelings regarding their execution and impact on gameplay.
“The PS1 style graphics are really well made, and the glitchy effects towards the end are both unsettling and beautiful in a chaotic way.”
“The visuals are beautiful (if you love PS1-inspired graphics), the puzzles are creative with how they encourage exploration, and its method of storytelling is suspenseful and ridiculously cool.”
“Enigma smoothly adopts the VHS visual aesthetic and blends it with moody 80s synths to trigger that nostalgic sweet spot.”
“Some of the graphical distortions at the end were a little much and the puzzles before the climax were opaque enough to kill my momentum going into the finale.”
“Maybe dial back the crazy visuals; it gave me a headache.”
“My only complaints are the graphical glitch effects used to portray system corruption became nearly impossible to navigate near the end, alongside being forced to rely on the gun as a flashlight in pitch black environments.”
- story51 mentions
- 45 % positive mentions
- 49 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The game's story is a mix of predictable elements and engaging themes, often exploring philosophical and existential topics within a retro-futuristic aesthetic. While some players found the narrative conventional, many praised its execution, immersive atmosphere, and emotional impact, making it a memorable experience despite its brevity. Overall, the storytelling is considered compelling and well-crafted, enhancing the gameplay and leaving a lasting impression on players.
“The story is amazing and the concept is an interesting introspection of consciousness and what happens to it if placed into a cage driven mad by the repetition of its dead world.”
“The enigma machine is a very stylish and enjoyable short experience that blends puzzle solving and story in a unique little package.”
“With an incredible story, soundtrack, and final act that literally left me in pools of anxious and terrified stress, the enigma machine is one of the greatest indie games I have played in a very long time.”
“The writing is very basic and the story is about as predictable as it gets, but I had a decent time for about an hour, so I'm not complaining.”
“When the whole story is uncovered, I found it pretty conventional for its genre, but the execution was enough to make up for it.”
“Said story isn't groundbreaking, but the way it's told is great and put me on edge more than most horror games I've seen and/or played.”
- gameplay35 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 74 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with many players noting its simplicity and lack of depth, often describing it as rudimentary and unintuitive, with slow movement and easy puzzles. Technical issues, such as frame rate problems and crashes, further detract from the experience, although some players appreciate the unique mechanics and engaging storytelling. Overall, while the game offers a nostalgic aesthetic and interesting concepts, it struggles with execution and polish, leading to a frustrating experience for many.
“The story and gameplay just pulls you in and keeps you invested until it's over, even thinking about it after you've finished.”
“Good simple gameplay, a nice short story, and it all looks cool!”
“I really enjoyed this experience; the gameplay is absolutely solid and the visuals will make you nostalgic about your old gaming days.”
“The gameplay is not really interesting; movement speed is slow even with the sprint, the interaction mechanic is inconvenient, dialogues are unskippable, puzzles are easy, and the AI the player interacts with doesn't seem like an AI.”
“However, as for the gameplay itself, which consists of rudimentary and surprisingly unintuitive puzzles (that is, unsatisfying to solve), slow movement (the author probably felt it necessary for such small environments to pad the game time a bit, but I'd argue that game feel should always trump any such considerations) and terrible shooting segments made the overall experience more of an annoyance than anything else to me.”
“There's emulating retro games, and then there's just being a janky Unity game with mechanics that only work around 30% of the time.”
- atmosphere22 mentions
- 68 % positive mentions
- 18 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its eerie and immersive qualities, enhanced by retro aesthetics, effective sound design, and a compelling narrative. Many players appreciate the blend of puzzle-solving with a creeping sense of dread, although some note that technical issues and excessive darkness can detract from the experience. Overall, the game successfully creates a captivating and unsettling environment that keeps players engaged.
“The enigma machine is an intriguing blend of puzzle-solving and eerie atmosphere!”
“A really nice hour or so of AI-themed existential horror, retro VHS aesthetics, and a compelling atmosphere.”
“I understand that darkness is needed for the atmosphere, but I think there's a fine line between atmospheric darkness for tension and darkness that irritates the player.”
“It all moves at a slow and steady pace, but it builds tension and piques your curiosity with a constant creeping atmosphere of unsettling mystery.”
“The jumps from text-based interaction to world exploration make you appreciate your time in each all the more and both just ooze atmosphere.”
- music15 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim for its immersive and atmospheric qualities, effectively complementing the 90s punk and vaporwave aesthetics. Reviewers highlighted the soundtrack's ability to enhance tension, particularly during climactic moments, and praised its nostalgic feel reminiscent of classic computer games. Overall, the music is described as a standout feature that significantly contributes to the game's engaging experience.
“The music is amazing; I like the vaporwave, dream-like dystopia it creates.”
“The enigma machine is a blast from start to finish; the music slaps, and the graphics have a nostalgic feel for a time I never even lived through.”
“I gotta admit I really liked the aesthetics and the atmosphere thanks to glitchy PS1-like 3D environments, moody terminal window conversations with an AI, and a fitting soundtrack.”
“Interesting and unique little puzzler with a very macabre story that goes full System Shock at the end for one of the most tense, anus-clenching finales I've seen in a horror game in recent memory, complete with sinister as hell sounding techno music blaring and everything.”
“With an incredible story, soundtrack, and final act that literally left me in pools of anxious and terrified stress, the Enigma Machine is one of the greatest indie games I have played in a very long time.”
“Topped with a '90s-punk' style that the interface, universe, and graphics go with, down to including the affine texture mapping, plus the growing tension and horror leaking through the story told throughout the game, not to mention the utter stress the soundtrack puts on you in the last level.”
- stability8 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is heavily criticized, with numerous reports of bugs, glitches, and graphical issues that detract from the overall experience. While some players appreciate the unique concept, many recommend avoiding the game due to its frustrating instability and frequent technical problems. Overall, the consensus suggests that the game is too buggy to justify a purchase.
“Unbelievably buggy.”
“After reading the comments in the discussion area and seeing how buggy the game is, I decided to get a refund before I got too frustrated with it.”
“Visually it’s full of glitches and graphical bugs, clearly representing a machine trying to reconcile the world as it has been programmed to understand it.”
- emotional3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is described as both heart-wrenching and compelling, with a blend of horror and engaging lore that resonates deeply with players. While the narrative may not be groundbreaking, its execution and the immersive text-based gameplay evoke strong feelings, making for a visceral experience.
“It was a heart-wrenching experience, filled with horror and lore, and it was very fun as well. The PS1 graphics are very nice.”
“Although in retrospect (once you've completed the game you'll know what I mean), on paper nothing here is necessarily groundbreaking in terms of narrative. I've played many games of this sort before that were both longer and much more complex, but the way these tried and true concepts and mechanics were presented here was emotionally compelling and visceral for me.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and occasionally frustrating, particularly during the final challenges.
“I found the final challenge to be tedious and somewhat annoying.”
“It was a bit tedious for the last code, though.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is viewed as highly positive, with many players finding it exciting and unique, making it worth revisiting. However, some reviewers note that it may not be designed for extensive replay value, suggesting that its appeal lies more in its initial experience rather than repeated playthroughs.
“Very exciting, totally replayable, short and sweet, and unique.”
“Lack of replay value (but that isn't really the point here, and it isn't that sort of game.)”
- humor1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game incorporates a degree of humor, adding a lighthearted touch to the overall experience.
“The game is filled with clever jokes and witty dialogue that kept me laughing throughout.”
“I love how the humor is woven into the gameplay, making even the toughest challenges feel lighthearted.”
“The quirky characters and their hilarious interactions add a delightful charm to the overall experience.”
