Star Trek: The Hidden Evil

Activision for the PC
by Heather Anne Nicoll

Hovering somewhere in the nebulous region between an arcade-style game and a roleplaying computer game, The Hidden Evil draws on the movie Star Trek: Insurrection for its setting and characterization. The Enterprise returns to the home of the Ba’ku people and their estranged children, the Son’a, to investigate an ancient archeological site which has drawn StarFleet’s attention. Captain Picard, well-known for his interest in such things, Commander Data, and the focal character to the game – a human ensign, raised Vulcan, known as Sovok – are assigned to the site to decipher its mysteries.

The plot thickens as it seems that strife has once again broken out between the people inhabiting the Briar Patch; one faction has allied itself with the Romulans and is seeking to take control of the planet, the site, and the region. The game runs through sequences of missions – from the simple scutwork of an ensign, carrying things around at the directives of the senior officers, to helping Picard escape an alien base, to hunting down the Son’a rebels, and investigating the secret Romulan base. The game alternates between problem-solving and action sequences, with Sovok juggling an increasing number of artifacts, devices, strange but useful objects, and tidbits of information.

Some of the characterization in the game is excellent. Sovok himself hearkens back to one of the underlying themes that has been with Star Trek since the beginning – the balance of the rational and the emotional. Unfortunately, there is very little that the player can do to influence his development; rather, the progression happens naturally and automatically between each of the mission fragments. The characterization of Data is, somewhat disturbingly, more of the early seasons’ incomprehension of irony and overanalytical confusion than the later Data, who at least was more often than not capable of understanding the lack of linguistic clarity common to biological life. Picard, as always, is unflappable and competent, undisturbed by being separated from the others, clear in his sense of what must be done, and worthy of a chuckle as the animated figure compulsively adjusts his uniform.

The interface, unfortunately, leaves a great deal to be desired. Maneuvering Sovok through situations under normal circumstances is moderately difficult; having him survive combat requires a good deal of facility with the controls, which are not intuitive. Additionally, the camera angle occasionally shifts dramatically as the character enters new regions, which can take a moment of adjustment on the part of the player. It’s certainly possible to acquire the skill to survive the game, but it’s not an easy task. Fortunately, Sovok is somewhat sturdier than most of his targets, and thus his player has the chance to survive long enough to begin to master the learning curve.

The game is a moderately difficult puzzle-solver, with increasingly tricky combat sequences. The graphics are generally well done and some of the backdrops are beautiful. Patrick Stewart and Brent Spiner are excellent, as always, in their voiceovers, though Data does seem to be a bit of a throwback to the old days. The command interfaces are mediocre at best, but not horrible. The Hidden Evil is an interesting and entertaining challenge, but falls somewhat short of what an ideal Star Trek game might be – it has a great deal of potential, but glitchy follow-through.