Enigma: Rising Tide
Encyclopedia
Enigma: Rising Tide is a naval vehicle simulation
developed
by Tesseraction Games and published
by Dreamcatcher Interactive. It was released for the PC
in August 2003. Enigma is an alternate history game that takes place in the World War II era.
Tesseraction Games was purchased by Resurgent Interactive in October 2007, and they reported two Enigma-related titles being in-development: Enigma: Rising Tide Chapter Two and an add-on for Enigma entitled Hotel Da Volta.
Tesseraction Games officially went out of business on December 19, 2008, due to Resurgent Interactive going into default. http://www.warfleet.net/shareholderletter.php The final release of Enigma: Rising Tide was version v2.1.3a dated February 2004.
was not sunk by a German U-boat
in the First World War
, but instead completed her voyage without incident. This event, or lack thereof, basically prevented the United States from entering the war on the side of the allies, thereby dooming the French and BEF (British Expeditionary Force) to defeat from the German offensives in 1918. With total victory in France, the German Empire
formally annexes France and Britain (which was occupied as a result of the treaty that ended the war), and becomes the German Weltreich (World Empire). Upon the occupation of Britain, Winston Churchill
- then Britain's chief naval strategist- flees to Hong Kong
with the rest of the British government on the fleet flagship, the new battlecruiser HMS Hood
.
- The German Weltreich is, arguably, the most powerful nation in the Enigma world in 1937. Imperial Germany controls the vast majority of Europe and Africa and has a powerful battleship fleet based out of Scapa Flow, Scotland. The Imperial German Navy (IGN) maintains a powerful fleet of U-Boats, mainly Type-VII boats
from the Great War, as well as the new Type-IX boats
. At the time of the game, the IGN is in active conflict with the LFN (see below) and near conflict with the US. Under construction at Kiel
are the new battleships and . Germany is led by Kaiser Wilhelm II and his chancellor, Manfred von Richthofen (the Red Baron)
, who avoided death in the Great War thanks to America's failure to intervene.
United States
- The U.S. is the second powerhouse nation in Enigma. Their failure to intervene in the Great War resulted in the collapse of England and France, but during the course of the campaign no one seems to feel any regret for this. The U.S. fleet
is composed mainly of carrier
and destroyer
task forces, and no US battleships are present in chapter 1 of Enigma. The US doesn't seem to be portrayed as either good or evil, but they seem to lean more towards evil at the end of chapter 1. The US is secretly hostile towards the Germans, and defends itself against the LFN when necessary. One fact that is important to note is that the US is devoted to the support of independent Ireland, and has a number of convoys to that country that are subject to controversy.
The United States is led by Harry S. Truman
. It seems that the US has somehow managed to avoid the Great Depression
and as a result had no need for Roosevelt
.
League of Free Nations- The League comprises Imperial Japan and the British government in Exile
, which is based in Hong Kong
. The League is a shadowy group which seems to be hostile towards both the Americans and Germans, as they strike at both on every opportunity. The LFN fleet is composed mainly of submarines and the powerful task force built around the battlecruiser HMS Hood (refitted in the 1920s to eliminate the armor problem that caused the real Hood 's demise). The LFN is led by the British Government in Exile, headed up by Prime Minister
Winston Churchill
. Their lone goal is to retake Great Britain, no matter what the cost.
After the attack by the Hood, a task force with the Kaiser Wilhelm as its flagship sets out to pursue the escaping British, but it is intercepted by a large American destroyer force which delays the Germans long enough for the Hood to escape. However, intelligence later reveals that the Hood task force was engaged by the Americans, and that it did not escape unscathed.
Chapter 1 of Enigma ends with a cutscene that reveals the Americans have launched a large-scale attack on the German fleet at Scapa Flow
, effectively neutralizing the battleships stationed there. Afterwards, there is a short account of Chancellor von Richthofen's visit to the devastated site, which leaves no doubt that this is the alternate form of Pearl Harbor
. It is this that seems to effectively paint the Americans as evil, as Richthofen's speech to the masses is eerily similar to that of Roosevelt's speech just after the attack on Pearl Harbor in real life. Also in this scene, Richthofen declares the age of the battleship is over, and that Germany shall build aircraft carriers and thousands of planes with which they shall rule the skies. His part of the epilogue closes with his orders to convert the Bismarck and Tirpitz, still being outfitted at Kiel, to be converted to carry planes.
The epilogue ends with some photos of the Bismarck under construction, near completion, and then after conversion to a brand-new class of warship, a battlecarrier. In the final photo, she has a large flight deck across the aft section of the ship, but still bears her two forward dual 14.96" turrets.
NOTE: The downloadable version does NOT include the soundtrack.
Vehicle simulation game
Vehicle simulation games are a genre of video games which attempt to provide the player with a realistic interpretation of operating various kinds of vehicles. This includes automobiles, aircraft, watercraft, spacecraft, military vehicles, and a variety of other vehicles...
developed
Video game developer
A video game developer is a software developer that creates video games. A developer may specialize in a certain video game console, such as Nintendo's Wii, Microsoft's Xbox 360, Sony's PlayStation 3, or may develop for a variety of systems, including personal computers.Most developers also...
by Tesseraction Games and published
Video game publisher
A video game publisher is a company that publishes video games that they have either developed internally or have had developed by a video game developer....
by Dreamcatcher Interactive. It was released for the PC
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
in August 2003. Enigma is an alternate history game that takes place in the World War II era.
Tesseraction Games was purchased by Resurgent Interactive in October 2007, and they reported two Enigma-related titles being in-development: Enigma: Rising Tide Chapter Two and an add-on for Enigma entitled Hotel Da Volta.
Tesseraction Games officially went out of business on December 19, 2008, due to Resurgent Interactive going into default. http://www.warfleet.net/shareholderletter.php The final release of Enigma: Rising Tide was version v2.1.3a dated February 2004.
Backstory
The basis for the events in Enigma: Rising Tide is essentially that the British passenger ship LusitaniaRMS Lusitania
RMS Lusitania was a British ocean liner designed by Leonard Peskett and built by John Brown and Company of Clydebank, Scotland. The ship entered passenger service with the Cunard Line on 26 August 1907 and continued on the line's heavily-traveled passenger service between Liverpool, England and New...
was not sunk by a German U-boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
in the First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, but instead completed her voyage without incident. This event, or lack thereof, basically prevented the United States from entering the war on the side of the allies, thereby dooming the French and BEF (British Expeditionary Force) to defeat from the German offensives in 1918. With total victory in France, the German Empire
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
formally annexes France and Britain (which was occupied as a result of the treaty that ended the war), and becomes the German Weltreich (World Empire). Upon the occupation of Britain, Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
- then Britain's chief naval strategist- flees to Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
with the rest of the British government on the fleet flagship, the new battlecruiser HMS Hood
HMS Hood (51)
HMS Hood was the last battlecruiser built for the Royal Navy. One of four s ordered in mid-1916, her design—although drastically revised after the Battle of Jutland and improved while she was under construction—still had serious limitations. For this reason she was the only ship of her class to be...
.
Factions
Imperial GermanyGerman Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
- The German Weltreich is, arguably, the most powerful nation in the Enigma world in 1937. Imperial Germany controls the vast majority of Europe and Africa and has a powerful battleship fleet based out of Scapa Flow, Scotland. The Imperial German Navy (IGN) maintains a powerful fleet of U-Boats, mainly Type-VII boats
German Type VII submarine
Type VII U-boats were the most common type of German World War II U-boat. The Type VII was based on earlier German submarine designs going back to the World War I Type UB III, designed through the Dutch dummy company Ingenieurskantoor voor Scheepsbouw den Haag which was set up by Germany after...
from the Great War, as well as the new Type-IX boats
German Type IX submarine
The Type IX U-boat was designed by Germany in 1935 and 1936 as a large ocean-going submarine for sustained operations far from the home support facilities. Type IX boats were briefly used for patrols off the eastern United States in an attempt to disrupt the stream of troops and supplies bound for...
. At the time of the game, the IGN is in active conflict with the LFN (see below) and near conflict with the US. Under construction at Kiel
Kiel
Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...
are the new battleships and . Germany is led by Kaiser Wilhelm II and his chancellor, Manfred von Richthofen (the Red Baron)
Manfred von Richthofen
Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen , also widely known as the Red Baron, was a German fighter pilot with the Imperial German Army Air Service during World War I...
, who avoided death in the Great War thanks to America's failure to intervene.
United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
- The U.S. is the second powerhouse nation in Enigma. Their failure to intervene in the Great War resulted in the collapse of England and France, but during the course of the campaign no one seems to feel any regret for this. The U.S. fleet
United States Fleet
The United States Fleet was an organization in the United States Navy from 1922 until after World War II. The abbreviation CINCUS, pronounced "sink us", was used for Commander-in-Chief, United States Fleet. This title was disposed of and officially replaced by COMINCH in December 1941 . This...
is composed mainly of carrier
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
and destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
task forces, and no US battleships are present in chapter 1 of Enigma. The US doesn't seem to be portrayed as either good or evil, but they seem to lean more towards evil at the end of chapter 1. The US is secretly hostile towards the Germans, and defends itself against the LFN when necessary. One fact that is important to note is that the US is devoted to the support of independent Ireland, and has a number of convoys to that country that are subject to controversy.
The United States is led by Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice president and the 34th Vice President of the United States , he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his...
. It seems that the US has somehow managed to avoid the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
and as a result had no need for Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
.
League of Free Nations- The League comprises Imperial Japan and the British government in Exile
Government in exile
A government in exile is a political group that claims to be a country's legitimate government, but for various reasons is unable to exercise its legal power, and instead resides in a foreign country. Governments in exile usually operate under the assumption that they will one day return to their...
, which is based in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
. The League is a shadowy group which seems to be hostile towards both the Americans and Germans, as they strike at both on every opportunity. The LFN fleet is composed mainly of submarines and the powerful task force built around the battlecruiser HMS Hood (refitted in the 1920s to eliminate the armor problem that caused the real Hood 's demise). The LFN is led by the British Government in Exile, headed up by Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
. Their lone goal is to retake Great Britain, no matter what the cost.
The Story
The main story of Enigma: Rising Tide is centered on the US and Germany at first, and the escalating tensions between these two. After a number of conflicts between destroyer groups in the Caribbean, the two powers come to the brink of war with the sinking of the convoy ship SS Samuel Wren off of Ireland in mid-1937. It was claimed that the ship was sunk without warning by a German U-boat, which had surfaced to search the ship for illegal arms. However, after playing the LFN campaign, it is obvious that an LFN submarine was the culprit in this crime- the British aim to cause a war between the US and Germany in order to assist their ultimate goal of regaining Britain. Not long after this incident, the Prince Edwards task force is attacked just south of England as it attempts to head for the Falklands to engage the LFN warships there (the Falklands are now a German territory). In the engagement, the Prince Edward is sunk and HMS Hood escapes with moderate damage.After the attack by the Hood, a task force with the Kaiser Wilhelm as its flagship sets out to pursue the escaping British, but it is intercepted by a large American destroyer force which delays the Germans long enough for the Hood to escape. However, intelligence later reveals that the Hood task force was engaged by the Americans, and that it did not escape unscathed.
Chapter 1 of Enigma ends with a cutscene that reveals the Americans have launched a large-scale attack on the German fleet at Scapa Flow
Scapa Flow
right|thumb|Scapa Flow viewed from its eastern endScapa Flow is a body of water in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, United Kingdom, sheltered by the islands of Mainland, Graemsay, Burray, South Ronaldsay and Hoy. It is about...
, effectively neutralizing the battleships stationed there. Afterwards, there is a short account of Chancellor von Richthofen's visit to the devastated site, which leaves no doubt that this is the alternate form of Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
. It is this that seems to effectively paint the Americans as evil, as Richthofen's speech to the masses is eerily similar to that of Roosevelt's speech just after the attack on Pearl Harbor in real life. Also in this scene, Richthofen declares the age of the battleship is over, and that Germany shall build aircraft carriers and thousands of planes with which they shall rule the skies. His part of the epilogue closes with his orders to convert the Bismarck and Tirpitz, still being outfitted at Kiel, to be converted to carry planes.
The epilogue ends with some photos of the Bismarck under construction, near completion, and then after conversion to a brand-new class of warship, a battlecarrier. In the final photo, she has a large flight deck across the aft section of the ship, but still bears her two forward dual 14.96" turrets.
Gold Edition
Enigma: Rising Tide also has a Gold Edition version available in some stores. It can also be downloaded from some websites such as GameSpot http://www.gamespot.com/search.html?qs=enigma:%20rising%20tide&sub=d&stype=11&type=11. Gold Edition includes 3 playable battleships, the soundtrack from the game, and improved graphics.NOTE: The downloadable version does NOT include the soundtrack.