Enemy Zero

Enemy Zero takes heavy influence from it's namesake: building upon the same premise, world, and characters found in the original Enemy Zero. Thoughtful new design choices have also been included to refresh Kenji Eno's cult classic for the modern age. Inspired by the best in contemporary horror, adventure, and metroidvanias, and combined with the ultra-immersive cutting edge experiences that only VR can provide, this remake seeks to evolve horror games like Eno's own work did in the 1990s.

A simulation of springtime on earth—one of the many holographic decks found on the AKI.

Players find themselves exploring the many decks of the space station AKI, which are themed after the four seasons and segment the game into distinctly themed zones. Players must navigate the ship's treacherous labyrinths—where they encounter narrative set-pieces, solve clever puzzles, and try to survive terrifying enemy encounters—rationing their limited resources all along the way.

Enemy Zero's most interesting twist was its lack of enemy visibility. That's right, these deadly monsters are completely invisible to the naked eye—at least until they're good and dead. So how is a terrified player supposed to cope with such a horrifying situation? One word: Sound.

Laura is given a device that identifies an enemy's distance and orientation (relative to the player) using beeps that vary in pitch (direction) and frequency (distance). This simple, yet ingenious system absolutely enthralls—even on ancient hardware—creating one of the most creative and intense horror experiences in gaming.

Visualization

Just picture it: A mesmerized player, soaking in the atmosphere of the AKI, wandering its halls as they search for their next objective. The unpredictable ambience of the ship—the bursting of steam from its pipes or the creaking and moaning of its steel—has them on constant edge. But it's the sudden beep on their radar—the prelude to a deadly encounter—that forces their heart skip a beat. The sounds grow louder, closer, as the beeps begin to change in pitch. The tense moment causes the player to confuse the radar's pitch directions. They grow increasingly terrified while the monster encircles its prey.

It's...behind me...no...to my left?...or is it...oh GOD!

The energy-starved player readies their weapon: their absolute last line of defense. They were hoping to escape the monster's grasp undetected—as they know losing their energy stores will cause them problems down the line. But now they have no choice—it's either do, or die. Unfortunately for them, their weapon needs a few seconds to charge up a shot—leaving only a moment's window to fire before overheating.

A mockup of Laura's weapon—which can be quickly drawn or re-holstered—while lights on the gun indicate its current charging status.

The radar's sounds climax in a fury. The player raises their weapon, holds their breath, starts the charge, and prays they remembered their directions right. They hear the sounds of footsteps—rapidly approaching them. A beep is heard—their weapon ready to fire. A horrifying alien scream explodes upon the player's left ear. They turn and release the trigger. They hear another scream: the creature's final gasp of life. It looks like they guessed right.

But will they be so lucky next time?

Pretty intense, right?
Now Imagine that in VR.

New Tricks

Of course, we can do better than to just transplant a 90s game into the modern age. More dynamic enemies (and new ways to 'sense' them), unique weapons, more intricate puzzle design, immersive spatial audio, and a fleshed out story are just a few things planned to improve upon Enemy Zero.

Bringing the original's lighting-in-a-bottle design into the contemporary gaming world also lets us to expand upon the game's incredibly brisk pacing. After all, mid-90s CD-ROM games were just as often focused on their awe-inspiring (yet data-hungry) FMV cutscenes as they were their gameplay content—leading to (as I'm sure many of us remember) insanely long load-times for shockingly short game runtimes.

For example, Laura receives her ace-in-the-hole against the invading aliens—the radar—literal minutes into the game. There are a few small mix-ups to keep things fresh later in the game, but the overall gameplay loop described here dominates virtually all of the runtime. But why should Laura get such a powerful tool so early on? Why shouldn't she work for it?

Prototyping puzzles entities in VR—where design possibilities feel boundless compared to standard, non-VR games (sick free-throws included).

Presenting: the directional microphone. In Enemy Zero VR, Laura's omnidirectional radar isn't within reach at the start of the game. Instead, she discovers a rusty shotgun mic while trawling a storage closet for supplies. The mic only amplifies noise in the direction pointed, meaning Laura will have to be constantly on guard for threats...
All. Around. Her.

To make matters worse, the old hunk of junk is also an insane battery hog--meaning Laura will be depleting her precious energy stores (shared with other tools like her weapons) every time she uses it.
Stressed yet?

The inclusion of a directional mic is just one of the many interesting features made possible by VR—where players are free to independently control both of Laura's hands at the same time. Perhaps the player will be wielding a weapon in their free hand, ready to blast away an incoming foe. Or maybe they'll be forced to ferry puzzle items across the AKI. Risky players may opt to use a gun in their free hand, relying on pure reaction instinct to take on enemies; while cautious players may opt for the directional microphone, evading detection as they make their way across the station without a weapon.

All these ideas, and many more will be found in Enemy Zero VR. The only question left is if you're ready to experience this next evolution of survival horror!