Enclave (0)

First release date

2002-07-19

Platform

Mac Xbox PC Linux

Developer

Starbreeze Studios AB

Publisher

Vivendi Games Conspiracy Games Black Label Games TopWare Interactive

Overview

Enclave is a PC and Xbox third-person action-adventure game developed by .

Originally, a version was planned to be released alongside the version (with all the same improvements made to the game), but was later canceled. A update titled has been announced for release on May 22nd 2012, and is being published by .

Enclave II; a direct follow up and sequel was announced for , , , and but was later canceled apparently due to licensing issues.

Enclave was re-released by for $6 (at normal non/sales price) with compatibility & support for Windows XP, Vista, and 7 for both 32 and 64-bit as well as Mac OS and Linux.

It is also available on with support for Windows, Mac OS and Linux.

Story

Enclave takes place in a fictional medieval setting, where the world has been torn apart by . Millennia ago, dark armies battled the good people of Celenheim and pushed the to the brink of destruction. When the battle was nearing it's end a lone appeared high atop a ridge; with a held up in both hands. He defiantly slammed the staff hard into the ground, and unleashed a terrible fury of nature. That night, the world erupted; the skies grew black, the earth turned red with , , and chaos. A rift formed that raced forth, tearing the apart, and destroying everything in it's path. During the aftermath, the Vatar and the mysterious wizard disappeared, and both were believed to be lost forever.

The rift that formed separated light from dark, protecting Celenheim (now an Island), from the darkness on the other side. The inhabitants of the Enclave grew strong over many prosperous centuries but...the Earth is healing, and as the rift slowly closes, darkness again threatens Celenheim.

Gameplay

Enclave is a action game where you take control of one of seven characters. Each has unique abilities determined almost entirely by their . There are two campaigns in the game, Light and Dark, with the latter becoming after finishing the Light Campaign.

Enclave uses a unique upgrading system that encourages experimentation. More equipment becomes available as the game progresses, but the required to use it is at a fixed amount in the game, and only the most hardcore players will find every hidden stash of gold in every level, and even then they will still need to make some tough decisions. For example, a character playing as the may forgo heavy armor so they can bring in a better weapon. Alternatively, while playing as the Huntress, the player has a wide selection of to choose from, but also has a backup . Players can opt to use the cheapest (and least effective) dagger to free up more funds for more arrows. If a player decides their load-out isn't effective, they can build a new one without losing any gold, and they may also choose to replay previous levels to find more gold.

One major drawback of the game is it's saving system, or rather lack there of. You can only save between levels so if you near the end of a 90 minute level you have to start all over. Couple that with levels typically getting their most difficult near the end, as well as a few cases where is possible, and you have a perfect recipe for frustration.