Games like Gradius put side-scrolling shooters on the map. Games like Luftrausers keep the genre alive and kicking. But with Enemy Mind, the old dog that is the shmup genre has learned a new trick…letting the player take over ANY (yes, any) enemy ship in the game, whenever they want.
Indie PC title Enemy Mind, which won Best in Play at GDC 2014, follows the dark survival story of a formless being of pure psychic energy (the player) that must jump from ship to ship to survive. With no weapons of his own, the player must utilize the unique weapons and abilities of the game’s 20+ controllable ships to stay alive. But in this dynamic environment, the player has to switch ships in a heartbeat when his current ship runs out of ammo, or is on the brink of death.
“Jumping to a new ship completely changes everything about the game… and you can do it anytime you want,” says Lead Developer Mike Traficante of Schell Games. “Every new enemy presents not just a new challenge, but a new opportunity.”
“…But they never stop, so they’re mostly a new challenge,” he adds with a smile.
Even with its unique mechanics, Enemy Mind remains retro to the core. It features 2D arcade style graphics and chip-emulated music. The game was born during an internal game jam Schell Games hosts every September. After Traficante’s rough prototype turned into an office hit, the studio created a team dedicated to bringing Enemy Mind to its full potential.
“During Jam Week, I completely fell in love with the game,” states Traficante, who claims he would have continued making the game in his basement had Schell Games not continued its development. “I was thrilled to be given the opportunity to make it professionally with such a talented team. The game has turned out far better than I imagined.”
Since then, the team has fleshed out Enemy Mind with 8 levels and over 70 waves of challenges. And as if taking over the AI’s ships wasn’t enough, Enemy Mind boasts a multiplayer mode where up to four players can fight through levels on the same computer, competing for points and even stealing ships from one another. The yelling that results from players stealing each other’s ships led to the Schell Games’ booth at PAX East being one of the noisiest at the expo.
Enemy Mind is currently available on Steam Early Access for $9.99, but will be officially released on June 6, 2014. To celebrate the launch, the game will be on sale for a limited time.
For more information, download the Enemy Mind press kit, visit the official website, or email Schell Games’ Director of Marketing Jill Sciulli.
Links:
Enemy Mind Website: http://www.enemymindgame.com/
Enemy Mind on Steam: http://store.steampowered.com/app/285840/
Enemy Mind Soundtrack on Bandcamp: http://schellgames.bandcamp.com/
Enemy Mind Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQzNQj4M5ag