THE ENIGMA MACHINE

About

"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.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

92%

Audience ScoreBased on 434 reviews

graphics38 positive mentions

stability16 negative mentions

The Enigma Machine offers a unique blend of puzzle-solving and eerie atmosphere, making it a memorable experience.
The game's retro visuals and sound design effectively create a nostalgic and immersive environment that enhances the horror elements.
Despite its short length, the game delivers a compelling narrative that leaves a lasting impression on players.

Many players experienced game-breaking bugs, particularly related to the gun mechanics and refresh rate settings, which hindered gameplay.
The puzzles can be frustratingly obtuse, with some requiring specific audio cues that may not be accessible to all players.
The game is very short, which may leave some players wanting more content and depth in the experience.

graphics
118 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
65%
3%
The graphics of the game are heavily inspired by retro aesthetics, particularly reminiscent of PS1 and VHS styles, which many players found nostalgic and immersive. While the visuals effectively contribute to the game's atmosphere and narrative, some users noted that the graphical distortions and glitches, especially towards the end, could be disorienting and detract from gameplay. Overall, the art style received praise for its unique charm, though it may not appeal to everyone due to its chaotic execution.
- “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.”
- “I love the way graphics and sound are handled in the Enigma Machine; it's a great aesthetic.”
- “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.”
story
102 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
52%
3%
The game's story is a blend of philosophical and existential themes, presented through a retro-futuristic lens that captivates players despite its predictability. While some found the writing basic, many praised the immersive storytelling and atmosphere, noting that the narrative effectively engages players throughout its short duration. Overall, the story is described as compelling and memorable, with a unique execution that enhances the gaming experience.
- “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.”
gameplay
70 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
79%
4%
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with many players noting its simplicity and lack of depth, characterized by slow movement, easy puzzles, and technical issues that hinder core mechanics. While some appreciate the unique storytelling and nostalgic visuals, others find the experience frustrating due to unresponsive mechanics and clunky interactions. Overall, the game is seen as a short, charming experience that may appeal to those willing to overlook its flaws, especially given its low price point.
- “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.”
- “Ok, another game where all the effort was spent on the audiovisual design and zero on actual gameplay quality.”
atmosphere
44 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
68%
25%
7%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its eerie and unsettling qualities, enhanced by retro aesthetics, excellent sound design, and a compelling narrative structure. Many players appreciate the slow build of tension and the immersive experience, although some express frustration with technical issues and overly dark environments that can hinder gameplay. Overall, the game successfully creates a captivating and creepy atmosphere that keeps players engaged.
- “The Enigma Machine is an intriguing blend of puzzle-solving and eerie atmosphere!”
- “Insane vibes, excellent sound design, and genuinely creepy 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.”
music
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
50%
10%
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim for its immersive and atmospheric qualities, effectively complementing the '90s-punk aesthetic and enhancing the tension throughout the gameplay. Reviewers praised the soundtrack as "fire" and "amazing," noting its ability to evoke a sense of nostalgia while contributing to the game's horror elements, particularly during intense moments. Overall, the music is considered a standout feature that significantly elevates the gaming 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-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 '90's-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.”
stability
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is widely criticized for its numerous bugs and stability issues, with players reporting significant graphical glitches, erratic flickering, and clipping problems that detract from the overall experience. While some appreciate the unique concept and are willing to overlook these flaws, many recommend avoiding the game or seeking refunds due to the frustrating instability. Overall, the consensus is that the game's technical shortcomings overshadow its potential.
- “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.”
emotional
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the game emotionally compelling, describing it as heart-wrenching and visceral, despite its familiar narrative elements. The combination of horror, lore, and engaging gameplay creates a strong emotional impact, enhanced by the nostalgic PS1 graphics and immersive text-based mechanics.
- “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 which were both longer and much more complex, but the form these tried and true concepts and mechanics took here were emotionally compelling and visceral for me.”
- “It was a heart-wrenching experience, filled with horror and lore, and very fun. The PS1 graphics are also very nice.”
- “It features unbelievably crisp text-based gameplay, which made me feel like a background hacker in the Matrix.”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, particularly during the final challenges, which can detract from the overall experience.
- “I did feel the final challenge was tedious and kind of annoying though.”
- “A little tedious for the last code though.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
25%
50%
Overall, the game is described as very exciting and highly replayable, with a short and unique experience that is also budget-friendly. However, some users note a lack of replay value, suggesting that the game's design may not prioritize replayability as a key feature.
- “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.)”
- “Lack of replay value (but that isn't really the point here, and it isn't that sort of game.)”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
The game features a light touch of humor, adding a playful element to the overall experience. However, the humor is not a dominant aspect and may not resonate with all players.
- “The game has a delightful sense of humor that keeps you entertained.”
- “I love how the humor is woven into the gameplay, making every moment enjoyable.”
- “The witty dialogue and funny scenarios add a unique charm to the experience.”

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1h Median play time

1h Average play time

1-1h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs

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