CIMA: The Enemy
Encyclopedia
CIMA: The Enemy, known in Japan as , is a role-playing game developed by Neverland Co., Ltd.
for the Game Boy Advance
. It was published by in Japan by Marvelous Entertainment and in North America by Natsume. It follows the story of Ark and Ivy, two aspiring Gate Guardians. It is their duty to protect the innocent from being captured by the CIMA, an alien race that feeds on human hope
.
The Game starts off with Gate Guardians Ark and Ivy in a train en route to the frontier: A land where people can start their life anew. However, CIMA Attack and suck the train into one of their worlds so they can feed on the humans.
The game relies on an interesting combat system where you must direct fourteen party members to different switches, almost like a planar version of Lemmings.
Ark J is the character you almost always appear as on-screen. Although at first he seems to be immature (fighting with Ivy over trivial things such as age) he grows throughout the game by learning the meaning of the Guardian's motto, "Protect Everyone". He is a Gate Guardian, under Jester's watchful eye. (18 years old)
Ivy F is Ark's foil
, arguing with him at every turn in the first few levels. She believes that he should obey her because she has been a Guardian for a whole month longer than he has, and he replies that she should listen to him, because he is a year older than she is (eight months, to be exact). While she is snobbish at first, she grows alongside Ark, and her actions at the end of the game save the people she has vowed to protect. (17 years old)
Vanrose U is one of 14 pioneers headed for the new land on the Blue Creek train that is abducted by CIMA. He is a very difficult man to work with, at first. Because he does not trust Ark or Ivy, he does not follow their orders, and tends to run off on his own. Shelley, Rick, and Diana are his friends, and he worries excessively about Shelley in particular. (32 years old)
Shelley Y is also a pioneer, presumably going with Vanrose. She is kind, but quick to point out things that Ark and Ivy miss (such as, it's dangerous to stay here). Although she is a member of the group of 14 that Ark commands, she can also move on her own, and carries a gun that is both accurate and painful to CIMA. (27 years old)
Neverland Co.
Neverland Co., Ltd. is a Japanese video game developer founded on May 7, 1993. It has developed games for Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Dreamcast, GameCube, PlayStation 2, Game Boy Color, Nintendo DS, PSP and the Wii...
for the Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
. It was published by in Japan by Marvelous Entertainment and in North America by Natsume. It follows the story of Ark and Ivy, two aspiring Gate Guardians. It is their duty to protect the innocent from being captured by the CIMA, an alien race that feeds on human hope
Hope
Hope is the emotional state which promotes the belief in a positive outcome related to events and circumstances in one's life. It is the "feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best" or the act of "look[ing] forward to with desire and reasonable confidence" or...
.
Gameplay
In CIMA, you must take a number of NPC characters, each with their own special abilities, out of the dungeons the CIMA have created to feed on human hope. CIMA build their dungeons on this principle: Without an escape, Humans lose hope. Therefore, they take their time to appear not as powerful as they could.The Game starts off with Gate Guardians Ark and Ivy in a train en route to the frontier: A land where people can start their life anew. However, CIMA Attack and suck the train into one of their worlds so they can feed on the humans.
The game relies on an interesting combat system where you must direct fourteen party members to different switches, almost like a planar version of Lemmings.
Characters
Jester R, one of the Six Stars (the six most powerful of the Gate Guardians), does not appear much (or at all, after the first level). During the introduction, he is seen with Chief Esswood, and is the only possessor of the rare Purple Majesty. He teaches Ark and Ivy the meaning of being a Gate Guardian, and the responsibility of protection. (25 years old)Ark J is the character you almost always appear as on-screen. Although at first he seems to be immature (fighting with Ivy over trivial things such as age) he grows throughout the game by learning the meaning of the Guardian's motto, "Protect Everyone". He is a Gate Guardian, under Jester's watchful eye. (18 years old)
Ivy F is Ark's foil
Foil (literature)
In fiction, a foil is a character who contrasts with another character in order to highlight particular qualities of another character....
, arguing with him at every turn in the first few levels. She believes that he should obey her because she has been a Guardian for a whole month longer than he has, and he replies that she should listen to him, because he is a year older than she is (eight months, to be exact). While she is snobbish at first, she grows alongside Ark, and her actions at the end of the game save the people she has vowed to protect. (17 years old)
Vanrose U is one of 14 pioneers headed for the new land on the Blue Creek train that is abducted by CIMA. He is a very difficult man to work with, at first. Because he does not trust Ark or Ivy, he does not follow their orders, and tends to run off on his own. Shelley, Rick, and Diana are his friends, and he worries excessively about Shelley in particular. (32 years old)
Shelley Y is also a pioneer, presumably going with Vanrose. She is kind, but quick to point out things that Ark and Ivy miss (such as, it's dangerous to stay here). Although she is a member of the group of 14 that Ark commands, she can also move on her own, and carries a gun that is both accurate and painful to CIMA. (27 years old)