Let's Play X-COM Enforcer Mission 2

This is the first proper mission of the game. Among other points, it has the BONUS letters, not to mention it's not babying the player nearly as much as the technically-first mission. Naturally, I failed to actually find all the BONUS letters. This isn't a 100% run or anything, so whatever. It's not like I really need those Data Points. I'm on Normal 'Skill'. (The game's term for difficulty levels)

I also fall down like a moron and take fall damage deliberately show off fall damage, and end up illustrating the flaws with Enforcer's camera mostly by virtue of getting lost. Thankfully, this degree of verticality is unusual in later levels -this level is one of the reasons I suspect the game was made front-to-back, because this level kind of highlights a lot of things Enforcer doesn't do well and the dramatic reduction in these issues suggests to me they noticed how poorly this level went with the engine. The camera is bad for vertical conditions, the controls aren't well-suited to precise movement, and the graphics don't look so great when they're trying to depict a natural environment. Stuff like laboratories and city blocks is much more in line with what Enforcer can make look good.

You might also notice the level is kind of short. Enforcer is a Ye Olde shooter in which levels go by quick and there's a lot of them, as opposed to modern shooters that have like eight missions that all last 20-40 minutes. While the first level was particularly miniscule, the main reason my videos for quite some time to come will be as long as they are is from me not entirely ignoring the BONUS letters and the Research Item.

The Research Item, by the way, is what unlocks new options at the upgrade screen. You collect one, you gain a thing. If you've already unlocked all the things in the game, additional Research Items will be worth Data Points instead, so it's always worth collecting them.

You might also notice me backflipping and the like. This is an idea I like in theory but hate in actual implementation: if you tap a directional input twice in close succession, Enforcer will perform a dodge in the appropriate direction. Cool! Except it's really, really easy to trigger on accident when you're trying to get Enforcer lined up just so or the like. Most of the time this isn't too big of a deal, but this game has bottomless pits, and The Worst Mission Of The Game in particular has you on a fairly small platform surrounded by nothing but instant death and it's really easy to accidentally 'dodge' to your death on that mission. And as far as I'm aware there's no way to turn the dodge off or assign it a different method of activation or anything of the sort. The whole thing is quite maddening.

Buying the Damage Intensifier was, by the way, dumb of me. Don't be like me. In the early portion of the game everything except enemy spawners dies in one hit, so there's basically nothing to meaningfully wield increased damage against. Put your points into something else that'll actually help you here and now rather than in like six missions or so.

See you next mission.