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The best of its genre, which isn't saying a lot to be honest, but it will definitely appeal if this is the kind of thing you enjoy.

It's been a busy year in the submarine simulation department. What with Submarine Piston Greaser Pro VII making it's welcome appearance early on, closely followed by Periscope Wizard III and the seminal Depth Gauge Deluxe, plus a whole heap of similarly high-calibre titles. It's into this crowded genre that Enigma: Rising Tide squeezes itself.

Seriously though, since the days of Silent Hunter II a few years ago there have been few, if any, submarine based titles released. The problem is, attempting to make an enjoyable and fun game based on such a restrictive machine is extremely difficult.

A total submarine simulation would be no fun at all: A sluggish speed, half an hour to reload a torpedo tube, no vision beyond the sonar once submerged, and a half hour turning circle.

Enigma wisely eschews such realism in favor of a mixed approach; half arcade, half simulation. This cuts down on the tedious bits, and makes the action more frenetic and enjoyable.

You are not restricted to submarines though, as Enigma widens it's remit to include a variety of ships as well. To be honest, the difference between the two is not that huge, it's just that subs have the enviable ability to slip beneath the waves when the going gets tough, whereas the ship is forced to fight or run.

The one word that describes Enigma best, is 'adequate'. The graphics are adequately believable, the gameplay is just about adequate, and the ambient sounds are, well, adequate.

The selection of ships and submarines you get to pilot are all nicely modeled, and all react realistically to the fickle dangers of the ocean. The bow forges through the waves sending spray in the air, the prop churns up water at the rear and the whole ship surges up and down to the perpetual swells of the sea. Things get quite boring underwater though, as you are simply enclosed within a blue haze that gets darker the deeper you go.

The atmosphere is somewhat salted by the lack of any human activity aboard any vessel, and also the lack of variation in the fleets you encounter, most of them sporting numerous identikit replicas of the same boat.

The activities you get assigned to throughout your career as a sub or ship captain are lamentably repetitive. Torpedo a ship, dispatch a sub, defend someone important, repeat. Some of the missions try to add a little
variety, but are mostly thinly veiled repetitions of the same formula. Also, the progression in difficulty throughout the game is mostly marked simply by an increase in enemy numbers.

A word of commendation must go to the frankly impressive game length though. In campaign mode you can choose from three nations to fight for: America, Britain, and Germany. Then you have the option of whether to command a ship or a sub, creating a total of six possible career paths to complete.

Add to this the large selection of single missions available and the upcoming massively multiplayer online option and this game should last you quite a while.

Another noteworthy feature is the voice recognition capabilities, allowing total command over your vessel without a single button press needed. You'll soon be muttering things like 'set heading zero three zero', 'rig for surface' or 'fire bow torpedo'. The only caveat here is to be aware that some of the commands have dodgy voice recognition, and will need to be repeated five or six times in various accents and pitches. All good fun of course.

The biggest bugbear of Enigma is quite simply the fact that submarines and ships don't translate into a game very well. The very nature of these water beasts are almost the opposite of what we gamers class as fun. As such, the whole game is fundamentally restricted, and appeals mainly to just a select niche of the market.

With all said and done however, there is enjoyment to be gleaned from Enigma. Don your military cap and head into battle, the inspiring nationalistic music starting up as you commence firing sprays of torpedoes at the Huns, screaming commands into your microphone or just hurling obscenities at your foes. Not a recommended sight for any poor soul who happens to enter the room at that time, but a stirring experience all the same.

With such a paucity of similar titles in recent years though, Enigma: Rising Tide is easily the best submarine/ship game around at the moment, so if this genre tickles your palate I wholeheartedly recommend it! Unless of course you'd rather wait for Hydrophonic Hiatus Pro IV.


Review by Adam Shirley.