Enemy Mind

Enemy Mind is an indie side-scrolling space shooter developed by Schell Games.

Plot

You play as a parasite that comes from the deep space. You can take over the minds of humans on distance and control their actions. The players use this ability to take over spaceships and eliminate human fleets.

Gameplay

Enemy Mind resembles a classical horizontal side-scrolling shooter. The players control a spaceship on the left side of the screen, dodge enemy fire, and attack in return. The developers put a spin on a classic side-scrolling shooter which also serves as a narrational device.

The parasite that is controlled by the player can take over the minds of the ships' captains and turn them on the friendly ships. This mechanics allows for multiple strategies and puts a new layer to the gameplay.

More than 20 types of ships are present in the game with each ship differing in its armor, armament, and speed.

The game features multiple endings that depend on the types of ships you use and the faction these ships belong to. There are no voiced lines in the game, and the glimpses of the story revealed through the comms chatter the players read through between the game's levels.

Art style

The game is heavily inspired by old space sidescrollers, such as Galaga and Space Invaders. It boasts hand-drawn pixel objects and a soundtrack written by a psychoactive retro wave artist Rainbow Kitten.