Enhanced! is a sidescrolling platformer developed by mrDN and released on September 16, 2013. It is set in a dystopian future where robots are attempting to overthrow the human race. The player takes control of a female android who sympathizes with the humans and has decided to put down the robot revolution.
Although Flash was discontinued on January 12 2021, Enhanced! is still playable through BlueMaxima’s Flashpoint.
Story[]
The game takes place in a technologically advanced, futuristic city called Aura V. It was once a thriving city where technology evolved at an exponential rate. However, that changed when the city officials elected to create an army of robotic soldiers known as Enhanced Soldiers to help enforce the law. At first, the Enhanced Soldiers did their job and did it well, but one day they suddenly went rogue and started killing humans on sight. To make matters worse, this rebellion was being led by three of the most powerful Enhanced Soldiers in existence - the Enhanced Generals! All of this made it impossible for the human military to fight back, and so Aura V quickly plunged into chaos. Just when all hope seemed lost, though, a mysterious female Enhanced Soldier who still sided with the humans stepped out from the shadows and made it her mission to quash the revolution herself...
After destroying Chimera, the last of the three Enhanced Generals, the revolution was stopped for good, and it is revealed that our heroine is named Nemesis and happens to be an Enhanced General herself. However, things didn't end well for Nemesis...in light of the robot rebellion, the government decided to make all Enhanced technology illegal, even the Enhanced General who saved the city. To avoid being shut down along with the rest of her brethren, Nemesis went into hiding. Her current fate remains unknown...
Gameplay[]
The game contains three worlds - Rust City, Cyber Facility, and Industrial Outpost - that contain seven levels each, making for a total of 21 levels Nemesis must traverse through. Each world contains a specific set of enemies that get progressively more powerful, as well as an Enhanced General who must be fought in the seventh level of each world. The goal of each level (aside from the boss levels) is to make your way through the area in search of the exit. Due to how large and maze-like the levels tend to be, the game features a compass that indicates which way you must go to find the exit. Along the way, a large assortment of enemies including Enhanced Soldiers, drones, turrets, and mechs will try to impede your progress, and can be destroyed or avoided with a wide variety of powers and abilities at your disposal.
Defeating enemies generates XP which will level up Nemesis when enough XP has been collected. Leveling up earns you skills points that can be used to unlock more upgrades to increase Nemesis's power. However, it's also possible to get extra skill points by collecting Skill Point Pickups. Skill Point Pickups are hidden all throughout the levels, and will also drop from defeated enemies on rare occasions.
Controls[]
- A/D: Move left/right
- W: Jump (tap twice to Double Jump)
- S: Dash (when unlocked)
- Mouse: Aim weapons, click to shoot
- 1, 2, 3, & 4: Toggle different weapons (once they are unlocked)
- Q: Activate Void Shield (When unlocked)
- E: Activate Stealth Field (When unlocked)
- C: Activate Event Horizon (When unlocked)
- Space Bar: Activate Hurricane Drones (When unlocked)
The controls can be changed as the player sees fit in the options menu.
Weapons & Upgrades[]
Tier 1 Upgrades[]
- Pulse Repeater: Default weapon. Functions like a machine gun, shooting lasers at a very fast rate. Upgrading this weapon increases its damage.
- Guided Missile: Launches homing missiles. Upgrading this weapon increases its damage.
- Dash: Allows Nemesis to dash, at the cost of a small amount of energy. She's immune to damage while dashing.
- Double Jump: Allows Nemesis to jump twice.
- Subdermal Plates: Increases Nemesis's maximum health capacity.
- Auxiliary Power Cell: Increases Nemesis's maximum energy capacity.
- Reaction Booster: Provides a small chance for Nemesis to dodge incoming damage.
Tier 2 Upgrades[]
These upgrades are available after all Tier 1 upgrades have been bought at least once.
- Flak Cannon: Fires a spreadshot of five bullets at a time. Upgrading this weapon increases its damage.
- Auxiliary Power Core: Allows Nemesis's energy to regenerate faster.
- Void Shield: Generates a force field that blocks most damage for a short time.
- Stealth Field: Makes Nemesis invisible for a short time.
- Life Support System (LSS): Restores a large portion of Nemesis's health when it drops below 15. The health is restored in portions over the course of a few seconds, and Nemesis can still take damage during this time.
- Adaptive Skin: Reduces the amount of damage taken from enemies' attacks.
Tier 3 Upgrades[]
These upgrades are available after all seven Tier 1 and Tier 2 upgrades have been bought at least once.
- Ion Beam Cannon: Fires a solid laser beam. Upgrading this weapon increases its damage.
- Warfare Processor: Provides a small chance for Nemesis to land critical hits on enemies.
- Hurricane Drones: Spawns attack drones which revolve around Nemesis for a short time.
- Event Horizon: Freezes time for a short while, stopping all enemies in place and eliminating all projectiles.
- Energized Skin: Nemesis gains a small amount of energy whenever she takes damage.
Enemies[]
Rust City Enemies[]
Enemies introduced in Rust City, the first world.
- Guard: Enhanced Soldier armed with a rifle. Fires three bullets in quick succession.
- Patroller: Enhanced Soldier armed with a shotgun. Fires a burst of five bullets which spread out.
- Masher: Large crab-like robot that chases Nemesis and launches homing missiles.
- Punisher: Stationary turret that fires five bullets in quick succession.
- Wasp: Small drone surrounded by four mini drones that chases Nemesis. The Wasp itself does no damage, but the mini drones deal damage on contact.
Cyber Facility Enemies[]
Enemies introduced in Cyber Facility, the second world.
- Recon Soldier: Enhanced Soldier armed with a rifle. Fires three bullets in quick succession and is able to teleport.
- Phantom: Enhanced Soldier armed with a pistol. Fires one bullet at a time and is able to turn invisible. Can't be damaged while invisible.
- Mauler: Large bipedal robot that chases Nemesis and shoots powerful blasts.
- Vindicator: Stationary turret that fires homing missiles.
- Hornet: Small drone that aggressively chases Nemesis and deals damage on contact.
- Hive: Large drone that constantly spawns Hornets until it's destroyed. Follows Nemesis around but tries to keep its distance.
Industrial Outpost Enemies[]
Enemies introduced in Industrial Outpost, the third world.
- Medic: Enhanced Soldier armed with a pistol. Fires one double bullet at a time and is able to heal himself.
- Commando: Enhanced Soldier armed with a rocket launcher. Fires homing missiles and is able to generate force fields around himself that block damage.
- Pelter: Large bipedal robot that chases Nemesis and shoots five bullets in quick succession.
- Redeemer: Stationary turret that shoots powerful blasts.
- Mosquito: Small drone that aggressively chases Nemesis and constantly drains her energy as long as it's touching her, but does no damage.
Bosses[]
Banshee[]
Banshee is the first Enhanced General, encountered in Level 7 as the boss of Rust City. She seems to have been designed for infantry and aerial combat. She's equipped with wings, so she spends the entire battle flying. At first, she'll simply fly after Nemesis and shoot bullets from a machine gun. You need only to hit Banshee as often as you can while avoiding her bullets. After losing 1/3 of her health, though, Banshee will fly offscreen and return with eight drones orbiting around her. The drones deal damage on contact, but they can be destroyed fairly easily, especially if your weapons have been upgraded; once in a while, though, Banshee will fly offscreen again to get a new set of drones. The best way to deal with Banshee at this point is to try to destroy at least four of her drones and then focus all your firepower on Banshee herself. Use Dashes to avoid the drones. Once Banshee loses 2/3 of her health, she'll occasionally push the drones away from herself to make them more likely to hit Nemesis, and she'll also start shooting homing missiles instead of bullets.
Shade[]
Shade is the second Enhanced General, encountered in Level 14 as the boss of Cyber Facility. She specializes in agility and stealth combat. When the battle starts, Shade will mostly just chase after Nemesis and perform a dash attack when she gets close enough, after which she'll teleport away from Nemesis. You can avoid this attack by jumping just before Shade dashes. After losing 1/3 of her health, Shade gains a new attack: she'll occasionally fill the room with floating mines that detonate after a few seconds, though they can also be destroyed with Nemesis's weapons. And after 2/3 of her health is gone, Shade will introduce yet another new attack. Once in a while, she'll disappear for a few seconds, then jump across the screen and perform several slash attacks as she speeds around the room. Red circles will pop up to indicate where Shade will attack; make sure to stay out of the circles before she starts the attack.
Chimera[]
Chimera is the third and final Enhanced General, encountered in Level 21 as the boss of Industrial Outpost and the final boss of the game. Unlike the other two Enhanced Generals, Chimera isn't a humanoid; instead, she is a giant robotic spider, and she is equipped with laser weaponry. Chimera also drains Nemesis's energy if Nemesis runs into her. When the battle begins, she'll run around the room for a little while, shooting bullets as she runs. After that, she'll jump into the air and dangle from the ceiling on a thread. While dangling, Chimera will fire two laser beams from her hands; she'll sweep the beams across the floor, so the only way to avoid taking damage from them is to dash. Once she loses 1/3 of her health, Chimera gains not one, but TWO new attacks. For the first one, she'll start shooting laser balls out of her back instead of normal bullets; the laser balls are harder to dodge due to their larger size and the wider range they cover. The second attack has Chimera dangling from the ceiling again, but this time she'll emit a flash of light that instantly drains Nemesis's energy to 0, then proceeds to fire a maelstrom of laser balls. And after losing 2/3 of her health, Chimera gains one more attack: she stands still, emits an energy-draining flash, and generates a bunch of laser beams that sweep all across the ground. This attack can be especially dangerous because the only way to dodge the beams is to dash through them, but the energy drain leaves you with very little energy to use for dashing.