View source for Enemy Zero

{{Short description|1996 video game}}
{{Infobox video game
| title = Enemy Zero
| image = Enemy Zero cover.jpg
| caption = European Sega Saturn cover art
| developer = [[Warp (company)|Warp]]{{efn|Ported to [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]] by [[Sega]].}}
| publisher = {{vgrelease|JP|Warp|WW|[[Sega]]}}
| director = [[Kenji Eno]]
| programmer = {{ubl|Hideki Miura|Naoya Sato}}
| artist = {{ubl|Shosaburou Tateishi|[[Yasushi Nirasawa]]}}
| writer = [[Yuji Sakamoto]]
| composer = [[Michael Nyman]]
| platforms = [[Sega Saturn]], [[Microsoft Windows]]
| released = '''Sega Saturn'''<br />{{vgrelease|JP|December 13, 1996|NA|December 1, 1997<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-11-15 |title=Press release: 1997-12-01: Sega's New Pistol Packin' Heroine Kicks Butt She Can't Even See in "Enemy Zero" |url=https://segaretro.org/Press_release:_1997-12-01:_Sega%27s_New_Pistol_Packin%27_Heroine_Kicks_Butt_She_Can%27t_Even_See_in_%22Enemy_Zero%22 |access-date=2023-11-15 |website=Sega Retro |language=en |archive-date=2023-11-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231115034849/https://segaretro.org/Press_release%3A_1997-12-01%3A_Sega%27s_New_Pistol_Packin%27_Heroine_Kicks_Butt_She_Can%27t_Even_See_in_%22Enemy_Zero%22 |url-status=live }}</ref>|EU|December 5, 1997<ref>{{Cite web |date=1998-12-02 |title=sega-europe.online |url=http://www.sega-europe.com/saturn/satinfo.html |access-date=2023-05-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19981202140918/http://www.sega-europe.com/saturn/satinfo.html |archive-date=1998-12-02 }}</ref>}}'''Windows'''<br />{{vgrelease|EU|September 18, 1998|NA|November 5, 1998<ref>{{cite web |last=Gentry |first=Perry |date=October 30, 1998 |url=http://www.gamecenter.com/News/Item/0,3,0-2233,00.html |title=What's in Stores Next Week (We Think) |website=Gamecenter |publisher=[[CNET]] |access-date=December 6, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000817181921/http://www.gamecenter.com/News/Item/0,3,0-2233,00.html |archive-date=August 17, 2000 |url-status=dead}}</ref>|JP|November 28, 1998}}
| genre = [[Adventure game|Adventure]], [[interactive movie]]
| modes = [[Single player]]
| series = <!--Wikidata-->
}}

{{nihongo foot|'''''Enemy Zero'''''|エネミー・ゼロ|Enemī Zero|lead=yes|group=lower-alpha}} is a 1996 [[Horror game|horror]]-themed [[adventure video game]] for the [[Sega Saturn]], developed by [[Warp (company)|Warp]] and directed by [[Kenji Eno]]. Players assume the role of an astronaut who awakens from [[cryogenic sleep]] to find her spaceship overrun by invisible creatures who are hunting and killing the ship's crew. They must navigate through the ship in a combination of puzzle-driven exploration rendered in [[full motion video]] and first-person shooter sections rendered in real time, during which they must rely on sound to either avoid or kill the invisible enemies.

''Enemy Zero'' was initially designed for [[Sony]]'s [[PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]], but due to grievances with Sony, Eno announced the game would be Saturn exclusive in a dramatic press conference stunt. As support for the Saturn outside of Japan was waning at the time, finding overseas publishers for the game became an uncertain struggle, with [[Sega]] itself ultimately taking on publication of the game in both North America and Europe. Upon release the game met with a wide spectrum of responses from critics, with some finding the game slow-paced and frustratingly difficult, while others praised its innovative emphasis on sound and the unique tension resulting from the gameplay design and setting.

Despite the divisive critical response and the exclusivity to a declining platform, ''Enemy Zero'' was a modest commercial success. After its Saturn release, it was [[porting|ported]] to [[Microsoft Windows]]. It was the second game to star the "[[Digital character|digital actress]]" Laura, the first being ''[[D (video game)|D]]''. Laura is voiced by [[Jill Cunniff]] of the band [[Luscious Jackson]] in the English versions and Yui Komazuka in the Japanese version.

==Gameplay==
[[File:Enemy-Zero-ScreenCap1.jpg|thumb|left|Laura acquiring a gun during an FMV sequence]]

In ''Enemy Zero'', gameplay sequences alternate between interactive [[Full motion video based game|full motion video]] (FMV) and real time exploration, both from a [[First-person (video games)|first person perspective]]. The interactive FMV component uses gameplay identical to an earlier Warp game, ''[[D (video game)|D]]''.<ref name=NGen19>{{cite magazine |url=https://archive.org/details/NEXT_Generation_19/page/n51/mode/2up |title=NG Alphas: E.O. [sic] |magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]] |publisher=[[Imagine Media]] |issue=19 |date=July 1996 |page=51 |access-date=November 19, 2021}}</ref> The player explores node-based environments, acquiring items for their inventory and solving puzzles.

The real time component of ''Enemy Zero'' is unique. Enemies are invisible, and location is only possible through the use of sound, with notes of different pitch helping the player find the distance and direction of enemies.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Hsu |first=Dan |title=Creature Feature |magazine=[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]] |publisher=[[Ziff Davis]] |issue=99 |date=October 1997 |page=92}}</ref> Additionally, every gun in the game must be charged up immediately before each shot, and charging a shot for too long will cause the charge to dissipate, after which the charging must start over. Since all available guns have very limited range, this makes timing crucial; beginning to charge the gun too late or too soon will allow the enemy to reach Laura, resulting in an immediate [[game over]]. Reloading the gun and moving the character around are mechanics that have been made intentionally slow,<ref name="WARP">{{cite web |author1=Szczepaniak, John |author2=derboo |date=November 28, 2010 |url=http://hardcoregaming101.net/warp/warp2.htm |title=Kenji Eno's WARP and the D legacy (Page 2) |website=Hardcore Gaming 101 |access-date=January 1, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121226152738/http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/warp/warp2.htm |archive-date=December 26, 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref> which incentives players to avoid combat and direct contact with the alien enemies as much as possible. In the early segments of the game, avoiding detection is not only recommended; it is required, since the player has no means to defend themselves without a gun.{{clear left}}

==Plot==
Aboard the AKI space craft, a space station dedicated to biological research, Laura Lewis is in a deep [[cryogenic]] slumber. The jets of the chamber dissipate as the craft's emergency systems are activated. Laura is awakened by a large detonation on her deck. Outside a door marked with the letters E0, something of great strength is trying to break free. The door is thrown down, and the hallway is filled with a bright, incandescent light, followed by a horrific growl. Pipes and the remains of the steel door shift around, as if being stepped on. Laura, unaware of what is happening, uses the video phone above her sleep chamber to contact one of her crewmates, Parker. Laura watches in confusion as Parker looks away from the monitor, to his room's entryway doors. A screech sends him backing up to reach for his gun. Laura watches as Parker is mutilated by an unseen enemy.

Getting dressed and grabbing her gun, Laura heads out to learn what attacked Parker. As she ventures through the ship, Laura's earring-shaped "guidance system" gives her aural warnings of invisible enemies (seen escaping in the intro sequence) roaming the ship's corridors. She discovers that even the ship's captain Ronny has also been killed by the creatures as well. Laura eventually meets up with Kimberley, another crewmate, and they make a plan to rendezvous with the other survivors. On their way Kimberley is attacked by an enemy and disappears, forcing Laura to make the journey on her own. She meets up with George, the ship's resident computer scientist; as well as David, her lover, and together they plan to head for the escape shuttles. Exploring the deceased captain's study, Laura discovers a log file that reveals that goal of the mission is to capture the enemies and bring them back to Earth over a 5 year long space journey (2059 - 2064) for use as [[biological weapon]]s on behalf of Vexx Industries, and that the crew is expendable in case of an accident.

David is attacked by one of the enemies, and when Laura discovers his corpse, she learns that David was actually an [[Android (robot)|android]]. She performs a body-scan on herself and finds that not only is she also an android herself, but that one of the enemy larvae is developing in her neck. George confronts her and tries to wipe her memories, but is attacked and killed by an enemy. When Laura heads for the escape pods, she finds Kimberley again, who kills the larva nesting inside of Laura, and reveals that she and Parker were assigned by Vexx Industries to supervise the mission. Kimberley then triggers the ship's self-destruct mechanism, and leaves Laura to join Parker, killing herself while cradled up next to his corpse. As Laura heads for the escape shuttle, her guidance system runs out of battery, but instead she receives guidance from David, whose [[Mind uploading|consciousness has been uploaded]] to the ship's computer systems. Laura reaches the escape shuttle just in time as the AKI blows up behind her, and she enters cryogenic sleep one more time as she makes the return voyage to Earth.

==Development==
Commenting on the impetus for ''Enemy Zero'', designer [[Kenji Eno]] said, "I wanted to ask the question, 'Why do human beings exist?' That's why the game evolved into something with an enclosed space and invisible enemy - so that you would be forced to think about your own existence."<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://archive.org/details/NEXT_Generation_36/page/n81/mode/2up |title=Kenji Eno's Life Stories |magazine=Next Generation |publisher=Imagine Media |issue=36 |date=December 1997 |page=81 |access-date=November 19, 2021}}</ref>

''Enemy Zero'' began life on [[Sony]]'s [[PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]]. Its unveiling at the 1996 PlayStation Expo in Tokyo was described by journalists as the highlight of the show.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://archive.org/details/NEXT_Generation_18/page/n21/mode/2up |title=New Software Prolific at PlayStation Expo |magazine=Next Generation |publisher=Imagine Media |issue=18 |date=June 1996 |page=20 |access-date=November 19, 2021}}</ref> Irritated by Sony's failure to meet even a third of preorders for the PlayStation version of ''D'' (and to a lesser extent, their policy that all marketing for third party games had to be approved by them<ref name="NGen19"/>), at a press conference during the expo Kenji Eno made a shocking move. Eno showed a preview of ''Enemy Zero''. At the end of the clip the PlayStation logo appeared, but slowly transitioned into the [[Sega Saturn]] logo, indicating that the game would now be a Saturn exclusive.<ref name="Eno interview">{{cite web |last1=Bettenhausen |first1=Shane |last2=Mielke |first2=James |date=August 7, 2008 |url=http://www.1up.com/do/feature?pager.offset=0&cId=3169166 |title=Kenji Eno: Reclusive Japanese Game Creator Breaks His Silence |website=[[1UP.com]] |publisher=Ziff Davis |access-date=August 8, 2008 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121208154024/http://www.1up.com/do/feature?pager.offset=0&cId=3169166 |archive-date=December 8, 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Ogasawara |first1=Nob |last2=Hryb |first2=Larry "Major Mike" |url=https://archive.org/details/GamePro_Issue_094_Volume_08_Number_07_1996-07_IDG_Publishing_US/page/n35/mode/2up |title=The Sony PlayStation Expo '96 in Tokyo |magazine=[[GamePro]] |publisher=[[International Data Group|IDG]] |issue=94 |date=July 1996 |pages=34, 36 |access-date=November 19, 2021}}</ref> Despite popular opinion that the Saturn cannot handle 3D games as well as the PlayStation, Eno commented "...the PlayStation and the Saturn aren't that different, so moving [''Enemy Zero''] to Saturn wasn't too difficult."<ref name="Eno interview"/> [[Acclaim Entertainment]], which had published the Saturn and PlayStation versions of ''D'' in North America and Europe, withdrew their interest in publishing ''Enemy Zero'' in those regions due to the change in platform.<ref name=mms/>

The game was written by {{ill|Yūji Sakamoto|ja|坂元裕二}}, who went on to write the film ''[[Crying Out Love in the Center of the World]]'' and the TV series ''[[Quartet (Japanese TV series)|Quartet]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://warp-jp.com/products/e0.html |title=エネミーゼロ |language=ja |website=WARP |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19980114212416/http://warp-jp.com/products/e0.html |archive-date=January 14, 1998 |url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Fumito Ueda]], director of the video games ''[[Ico]]'' and ''[[Shadow of the Colossus]]'', worked as an animator on ''Enemy Zero'' before becoming a video game director.<ref name="edge1">{{cite magazine |author=Edge staff |date=December 13, 2013 |url=http://www.edge-online.com/features/ico-designer-fumito-ueda-on-emotion-missing-deadlines-and-parting-ways-with-sony/ |title=Ico designer Fumito Ueda on emotion, missing deadlines and parting ways with Sony |magazine=[[Edge (magazine)|Edge]] |publisher=[[Future plc]] |access-date=March 27, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150226060305/http://www.edge-online.com/features/ico-designer-fumito-ueda-on-emotion-missing-deadlines-and-parting-ways-with-sony/ |archive-date=February 26, 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref> ''Enemy Zero'' was in development for nine months.<ref name="edge1"/>

The full motion video sequences were all rendered on [[Silicon Graphics]] workstations using [[PowerAnimator]].<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://archive.org/details/NEXT_Generation_21/page/n81/mode/2up |title=Gallery: Enemy Zero |magazine=Next Generation |publisher=Imagine Media |issue=21 |date=September 1996 |page=79 |access-date=November 19, 2021}}</ref>

=== Music ===
{{Infobox album <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Albums -->
| name         = Enemy Zero
| type         = soundtrack
| artist       = [[Michael Nyman]]
| cover        = 
| released     = [[April 18]], [[1997 in music|1997]]
| recorded     = [[August 19]], [[1996 in music|1996]], CTS Studio, [[London]]<br>September 28–30, [[Abbey Road Studios]]
| genre        = [[Soundtrack]], [[Contemporary classical music|Contemporary classical]], [[Minimalist music|minimalism]]
| length       = 49:54
| language     = 
| label        = First Smile
| producer     = Michael Nyman, [[Kenji Eno]]
| prev_title   = [[The Ogre (1996 film)|The Ogre]]
| prev_year    = 1996
| next_title   = [[Concertos (1997 album)|Concertos]]
| next_year    = 1997
| misc         = {{Singles
  | name           = Enemy Zero
  | type           = soundtrack
  | single1       = Enemy Zero Piano Sketches
  | single1date  = October 25, 2006
  }}
}}

While Eno did the music for ''D'', he recruited [[Michael Nyman]], composer for films such as ''[[Gattaca]]'' and ''[[The Piano]]'', to create the soundtrack for ''Enemy Zero''.<ref name="Eno interview" /> Eno was a fan of Nyman and had wanted do collaborate with him, but felt it would be impossible. After the [[Great Hanshin earthquake]] struck Kobe in 1995, Nyman visited the city to evaluate pianos he had donated to schools in the city. Eno met Nyman in a hotel room during his visit and convinced him to provide music for the game after a long six hour meeting.<ref name="Eno interview" /> Eno had initially considered asking [[Ryuichi Sakamoto]] to create the score, but decided that his style would not be appropriate for the game.<ref name=":1">{{cite magazine |date=December 1996 |title=The Future Sound of Game Music |url=https://archive.org/details/NEXT_Generation_24/page/n85/mode/2up |magazine=Next Generation |publisher=Imagine Media |issue=24 |pages=84–91 |access-date=November 19, 2021}}</ref>

The music was performed by the [[Michael Nyman Orchestra]] and [[Sarah Leonard (singer)|Sarah Leonard]]. "Confusion" is a modification of material from Nyman's previous score, ''[[The Ogre (1996 film)|The Ogre]]'', while the Enemy Zero/Invisible Enemy/Battle theme were modified into portions of Nyman's score for ''[[Man with a Movie Camera]]''.<ref>{{cite book |last=ap Siôn |first=Pwyll |title=The Music of Michael Nyman: Texts, Contexts and Intertexts |location=[[Aldershot]], [[Hampshire|Hants]] |publisher=[[Ashgate Publishing]] |year=2007 |page=77}}</ref> The main theme is a variation on "Bird Anthem" from ''[[Michael Nyman (1981 album)|Michael Nyman]]''.

"Laura's Theme," "Digital Tragedy," and "Love Theme" are solo piano works and are included on the [[Extended play|EP]], ''Enemy Zero Piano Sketches'', which was released eight months before the complete soundtrack, and two months before the game.

==Release==
Released and received with much hype in Japan at the end of 1996, ''Enemy Zero'' was released in North America and Europe in 1997 by Sega. It was later ported to Microsoft Windows by Sega.

20 copies of a limited edition of the Saturn version were produced and sold for a price roughly equal to 2,000 US dollars. These special copies were hand-delivered to recipients by Kenji Eno himself.<ref name="Eno interview"/><ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://archive.org/details/Sega_Saturn_Magazine_Issue_25_1997-11_EMAP_Images_GB/page/n32/mode/2up |title=Must Be Something in the Water |magazine=[[Sega Saturn Magazine]] |publisher=[[Ascential|EMAP]] |issue=25 |date=November 1997 |page=33 |access-date=December 5, 2019}}</ref> The game thus holds the record for the "Most Exclusive Special Edition" of a video game, according to the 2012 ''[[Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition]]''.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Reeves |first=Ben |date=December 30, 2011 |url=https://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2011/12/30/guinness-world-records-2012-gamer-s-edition-preview.aspx |title=Guinness World Records 2012 Gamer's Edition Preview |magazine=[[Game Informer]] |publisher=[[GameStop]] |access-date=December 31, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120225131323/http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2011/12/30/guinness-world-records-2012-gamer-s-edition-preview.aspx |archive-date=February 25, 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref> Due to popularity in Japan, Sega sponsored the production of a few ''Enemy Zero'' items such as the official ''Enemy Zero'' soundtrack by Michael Nyman, a model of the in-game gun, and a strategy guide.

==Reception==
{{Video game reviews
| GR = 60% (SAT)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.gamerankings.com/saturn/197228-enemy-zero/index.html |title=Enemy Zero for Saturn |website=[[GameRankings]] |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |access-date=September 12, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180912092110/https://www.gamerankings.com/saturn/197228-enemy-zero/index.html |archive-date=September 12, 2018 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
| CNG = 8/10 (SAT)<ref>{{cite web |last=Ham |first=Tom |date=January 23, 1998 |url=http://www.gamecenter.com/Consoles/Sega/Enemy/ |title=Enemy Zero (Saturn) |website=Gamecenter |publisher=CNET |access-date=November 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000819205408/http://www.gamecenter.com/Consoles/Sega/Enemy/ |archive-date=August 19, 2000 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
| CP = 89% (SAT)<ref name=consoles>{{cite magazine |author1=Gia |author2=Panda |title=Enemy Zero (Saturn) |language=fr |magazine=Consoles + |issue=71 |date=December 1997 |pages=102–3}}</ref>
| Edge = 6/10 (SAT)<ref name="Edge review">{{cite magazine |url=https://retrocdn.net/images/8/8b/Edge_UK_052.pdf |title=Enemy Zero |magazine=[[Edge (magazine)|Edge]] |publisher=[[Future Publishing]] |issue=52 |date=December 1997 |page=90 |access-date=2021-11-19 |archive-date=2021-11-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211119230736/https://retrocdn.net/images/8/8b/Edge_UK_052.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
| EGM = 7.625/10 (SAT)<ref name=EGM103>{{cite magazine |last1=Smith |first1=Shawn |last2=Hsu |first2=Dan |last3=Ricciardi |first3=John |last4=Rickards |first4=Kelly |url=https://archive.org/details/ElectronicGamingMonthly103/page/n109/mode/2up |title=Review Crew: Enemy Zero |magazine=Electronic Gaming Monthly |publisher=Ziff Davis |issue=103 |date=February 1998 |page=106 |access-date=November 21, 2021}}</ref>{{efn|Four critics of ''[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]]'' gave the Saturn version each a score of 8/10, 8.5/10, 7.5/10, and 6.5/10.}}
| EPD = 8/10 (SAT)<ref name=ep>{{cite web |author=Bonnie |date=January 15, 1998 |url=http://www.elecplay.com/review.html?article=1908&full=1#mr_toppy |title=Enemy Zero (Saturn) |website=[[EP Daily|The Electric Playground]] |publisher=Greedy Productions, Inc. |access-date=November 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030308163844/http://www.elecplay.com/review.html?article=1908&full=1#mr_toppy |archive-date=March 8, 2003 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
| Fam = 31/40 (SAT)<ref name=fam>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.famitsu.com/cominy/?m=pc&a=page_h_title&title_id=14971&redirect=no |title=エネミー・ゼロ [セガサターン] |language=ja |magazine=[[Famitsu]] |publisher=[[Enterbrain]] |access-date=November 19, 2021 |archive-date=November 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211119230716/https://www.famitsu.com/cominy/?m=pc&a=page_h_title&title_id=14971&redirect=no |url-status=live }}</ref>
| GI_SSAT = 5.75/10<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.gameinformer.com/cgi-bin/review.cgi?sys=sat&path=jan98&doc=enemy |title=Enemy Zero - Sega Saturn |magazine=Game Informer |publisher=[[FuncoLand]] |issue=57 |date=January 1998 |access-date=November 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19990910195548/http://www.gameinformer.com/cgi-bin/review.cgi?sys=sat&path=jan98&doc=enemy |archive-date=September 10, 1999 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
| GSpot = 5.3/10 (SAT)<ref name=GSr>{{cite web |last=Smith |first=Josh |date=March 23, 1998 |url=https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/enemy-zero-review/1900-2533919/ |title=Enemy Zero Review [date mislabeled as "May 2, 2000"] |website=GameSpot |publisher=Red Ventures |accessdate=May 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141015171735/https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/enemy-zero-review/1900-2533919/ |archive-date=October 15, 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref>
| Gen4 = 1/6 (PC)<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://download.abandonware.org/magazines/Generation%204/generation4_numero117/Page%20254.jpg |title=Enemy Zero |language=fr |magazine=Génération 4 |issue=117 |date=December 1998 |page=254 |access-date=November 20, 2021 |archive-date=November 20, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211120030657/http://download.abandonware.org/magazines/Generation%204/generation4_numero117/Page%20254.jpg |url-status=live }}</ref>
| MMS = 90% (SAT)<ref name=mms>{{cite magazine |url=https://archive.org/details/mean-machines-sega-magazine-53/page/n57/mode/2up |title=Review: Enemy Zero |magazine=[[Mean Machines Sega]] |publisher=EMAP |issue=53 |date=March 1997 |pages=58–61}}</ref>
| NGen = 4/5 (SAT)<ref name=NGen>{{cite magazine |url=https://archive.org/details/NEXT_Generation_39/page/n115/mode/2up |title=A Sound Idea |magazine=Next Generation |publisher=Imagine Media |issue=39 |date=March 1998 |page=112 |access-date=November 19, 2021}}</ref>
| rev1 = ''Maniac''
| rev1Score = 37/100<ref name=":0" />
| rev2 = ''[[Sega Saturn Magazine]]''
| rev2Score = 88% (SAT)<ref name=SSM26>{{cite magazine |last=Cutlack |first=Gary |url=https://archive.org/details/Sega_Saturn_Magazine_Issue_26_1997-12_EMAP_Images_GB/page/n59/mode/2up |title=Review: Enemy Zero |magazine=Sega Saturn Magazine |publisher=EMAP |issue=26 |date=December 1997 |pages=60–61 |access-date=November 19, 2021}}</ref>
}}

Prior to ''Enemy Zero''{{'}}s U.S. release, John Ricciardi of ''[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]]'' (EGM) made it his pick for "Sleeper Hit of the Holidays" for 1997, having enjoyed what he played of the Japanese version.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Ricciardi |first=John |title=The 5 Sleeper Hits of the Holidays |magazine=Electronic Gaming Monthly |publisher=Ziff Davis |issue=100 |date=November 1997 |page=186}}</ref> American magazine ''[[GameFan]]'' called it their "Best Import Game of the Year" of 1996.<ref name="gamefan">{{cite magazine |url=https://archive.org/details/Gamefan_Vol_5_Issue_02/page/n37/mode/2up |title=The 5th Annual GameFan Megawards (Part 3) |magazine=[[GameFan]] |publisher=Metropolis Media |volume=5 |issue=2 |date=February 1997 |page=36 |access-date=November 19, 2021}}</ref> British magazine ''[[Mean Machines]]'' ran a full review of the Japanese version of the game, nearly a year before its release in Europe. They opined that the state-of-the-art full-motion video rendering was itself enough to give the game a high review score.<ref name=mms/>

Upon release, ''Enemy Zero'' received a wide spectrum of reviews, and critics sharply disagreed on a number of points. ''[[GameSpot]]'' reported that the puzzles are all either so easy that the solution is obvious before the player even encounters the puzzle (e.g. finding a keycard tells the player that they will eventually find a locked door to open) or so illogical that even after completing the puzzle it is not apparent what triggered the solution.<ref name=GSr/> In contrast, ''[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]'' insisted that "puzzles are logically designed, not contrived." They also stated that the story never seems too derivative of the ''[[Alien (franchise)|Alien]]'' films,<ref name=NGen/> whereas ''[[GamePro]]'' and Shawn Smith and John Ricciardi of ''EGM'' all described it as a blatant ''Alien'' rip-off.<ref name=EGM103/><ref name=GPror/> While most critics found the game's audio design atmospheric and immersive,<ref name=EGM103/><ref name=GSr/><ref name=NGen/><ref name=SSM26/> ''[[EP Daily|The Electric Playground]]'' complained at the near-total absence of music and said the audio overall was "not the sort of creepy aural atmosphere that keeps you light on your feet and looking over your shoulder."<ref name=ep/>

Critics almost unanimously praised the high quality of the full-motion video,<ref name=EGM103/><ref name=mms/><ref name=ep/><ref name=SSM26/><ref name=GPror/> but also almost unanimously criticized the resulting slow movement of the player character.<ref name=EGM103/><ref name=GSr/><ref name=ep/><ref name=GPror/> ''[[GamePro]]'' went so far as to call ''Enemy Zero'' "the slowest, most boring game in ages", giving it a perfect 5/5 for graphics but 3/5 for sound and 1/5 for both control and fun factor. The reviewer also complained that the first-person shooting is frustratingly difficult.<ref name=GPror>{{cite magazine |author=Boba Fatt |url=https://retrocdn.net/images/2/22/GamePro_US_114.pdf |title=Saturn ProReview: Enemy Zero |magazine=GamePro |publisher=IDG |issue=114 |date=March 1998 |page=101 |access-date=November 19, 2021 |archive-date=November 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211119230719/https://retrocdn.net/images/2/22/GamePro_US_114.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> However, a slight majority of critics instead praised the difficult challenge of confronting invisible enemies with a slow-firing weapon, saying that it creates a unique and intense brand of tension.<ref name=EGM103/><ref name=GSr/><ref name=NGen/><ref name=ep/> ''The Electric Playground'', for example, called ''Enemy Zero'' one of the best Saturn games they played in 1997, opining that the energy gun and VPS game mechanics are "innovations" that help set the game apart.<ref name=ep/> ''Next Generation'' also gave a generally positive overall assessment, saying that it "manages to advance the graphic adventure by emphasizing other senses besides pure sight" and felt the typical problems that FMV games have do not hinder the overall experience.<ref name=NGen/>

''EGM''{{'}}s four reviewers focused on the game's cinematic atmosphere and presentation. They remarked that while the slow, cerebral pacing would be unappealing to many gamers, ''Enemy Zero'' is a generally successful attempt at creating a different and frightening experience.<ref name=EGM103/> ''[[Sega Saturn Magazine]]'' similarly acknowledged that many Saturn gamers would find ''Enemy Zero'' excessively challenging and/or slow-paced, but concluded it was the most successful attempt to create a true "interactive movie" to date.<ref name=SSM26/> ''GameSpot'' instead found it to be too much of a mixed bag, commenting that while the hybrid of an unconventional first-person shooter and an FMV-based puzzle game could have been a success, the poor design of the puzzles drags down the successful shooter segments.<ref name=GSr/> ''[[Edge (magazine)|Edge]]'' highly praised the first of the game's three discs for offering a "suspense-ridden atmosphere" and tense encounters with invisible aliens, comparing it favorably to the films ''[[Alien (film)|Alien]]'' and ''[[Blade Runner]]''. However, the magazine criticized the other discs for ruining that suspense with "[[Space opera|space soap]]" themes and an almost embarrassing plot.<ref name="Edge review"/>

Ulrich Steppberger of ''Maniac Games'' said that although the game replicates the ambiance of ''Alien'', and has high quality FMVs, it also has problems typical of FMV games such as trudging through long barren corridors and solving puzzles. He also found the weapon unwieldy and hard to use, and felt the ping system to find the enemy is not useful.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.maniac.de/tests/enemy-zero-im-klassik-test-sat/|title=Enemy Zero - im Klassik-Test (SAT)|last=Steppberger|first=Ulrich |date=2019-03-16 |website=MANIAC.de|language=de-DE|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190430144505/https://www.maniac.de/tests/enemy-zero-im-klassik-test-sat/|archive-date=April 30, 2019|access-date=2019-05-02}}</ref> French magazine ''Consoles +'' concluded that, while it might not please everyone, it is a "gory, original and beautiful" adventure game with "high difficulty" and a "special atmosphere".<ref name=consoles/>

''Electronic Gaming Monthly'' named it a runner-up for "Adventure Game of the Year" (behind ''[[Tomb Raider II]]'') at their 1997 Editors' Choice Awards.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Editors' Choice Awards |magazine=Electronic Gaming Monthly |publisher=Ziff Davis |issue=104 |date=March 1998 |page=90}}</ref>

The game was a commercial success, with Eno projecting the Saturn version to sell between 500,000 and 700,000 and achieving that goal.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Warp Interview|magazine=[[Sega Saturn Magazine]]|issue=32 |publisher=[[Emap International Limited]]|date=June 1998|page=43}}</ref>

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Mobygames|id=/enemy-zero}}

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[[Category:1996 video games]]
[[Category:1997 soundtrack albums]]
[[Category:Adventure games]]
[[Category:Cancelled PlayStation (console) games]]
[[Category:Full motion video based games]]
[[Category:1990s horror video games]]
[[Category:Interactive movie video games]]
[[Category:Sega video games]]
[[Category:Sega Saturn games]]
[[Category:Single-player video games]]
[[Category:Video games featuring female protagonists]]
[[Category:Windows games]]
[[Category:Works by Yûji Sakamoto]]
[[Category:Video games directed by Kenji Eno]]
[[Category:Video games developed in Japan]]
[[Category:Warp (company) games]]