Enclave

Enclave is a 2003 hack-and-slash action game created by the Swedish studio Starbreeze Studios, before it became famous for The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay and Payday. The game offers a medieval fantasy setting split into two opposing campaigns - the player can choose the side of Light, represented by knights defending the kingdom against darkness, or the side of Darkness, made up of necromancers, orcs, and other sinister beings seeking to conquer the world, with both campaigns offering a different perspective on the same conflict and their own set of playable characters with unique weapons and abilities.

The combat system was built on straightforward, action-heavy slaughter close to classic arcade brawlers, complemented by the ability to collect gold and upgrade equipment between missions, while the atmosphere wavered between a serious fantasy epic and a lighter, at times almost campy take typical of the B-fantasy genre. The game earned a reputation as an uncompromisingly difficult title: the lack of mid-mission saving forced players to repeat long stretches from the beginning and demanded a cautious, almost tactical approach. Technically, Enclave impressed with detailed textures, elaborate armor models, and lighting in castle interiors that clearly showed it was a title built with the era's new, powerful hardware in mind.

Critics rated Enclave as a solid, if not particularly exceptional, action affair, praising in particular the idea of building the game around two opposing campaigns offering different perspectives on the conflict. Enclave is remembered today mainly as an early step by Starbreeze Studios on the path toward the more ambitious and technically advanced projects that later made the studio famous worldwide. The concept of two opposing campaigns remains, even years later, an interesting solution for offering players a dual perspective on one and the same war.