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After that incredible Matrix Resurrections trailer, you're probably planning a rewatch of the first three films. But if you want the whole story, don't forget about Enter the Matrix, a 2003 video game developed by Shiny Entertainment (of MDK fame) and written and directed by the Wachowskis. Produced alongside The Matrix Reloaded, this isn't just another one of those low-effort attempts to turn a movie into a game that plagued the early 2000s, but a legitimate new chapter of the Matrix saga. It features an hour of live-action 35mm footage written and shot specifically for the game by the Wachowskis, and the motion-captured combat is, like the movies, supervised by Hong Kong action cinema legend Yuen Woo-ping. Licensed video games really don't get any more authentic.
The game follows the story of Ghost (Anthony Wong) and Niobe (Jada Pinkett-Smith), who were supporting characters in the movies, but play a starring role here. The plot runs parallel to the events of The Matrix Reloaded, so there's some crossover. In one level you take part in Reloaded's legendary freeway chase, the one scene from that movie everyone—even people who hate it—can agree kicks ass. It's not quite as thrilling in Enter the Matrix, being a pretty boring on-rails shooting section, which were all the rage in video games at the time. But it's still cool being in that moment and seeing it from another character's perspective.
The game also lets you experience moments that you never see in the movie. In Reloaded, Niobe and Ghost are sent on a mission to destroy a power station to help the Keymaker and Neo reach the Source. If you haven't seen the film for a while, you're probably wondering what the hell I'm talking about. Understandable. Anyway, in the film we see Niobe watching the station explode from a distance, having achieved her objective. But how did she get to that point? The movie skips over this entirely, because it's a level in Enter the Matrix. Planting the bomb involves infiltrating the station, fighting off waves of SWAT cops, and a long, gruelling slow-mo fistfight with Agent Johnson.
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Honestly, I love this, and it was incredibly ahead of its time. The idea that a game could be a legitimate, integral part of a film's story—not just an excuse to churn out a low-quality third-person action game loosely related to the source material—was unheard of at the time. No one has done anything even remotely similar since, either. I don't think the Wachowskis get enough credit for how groundbreaking this concept was—or how well it was executed. Some journalists at the time criticised the fact that you don't play as Neo. But that would have been the easy, predictable option. True to their approach to filmmaking, the sisters tried something different, something unexpected, and that's worth celebrating.
As for the game itself, it's a perfectly serviceable mix of martial arts and third-person shooting. It's no Max Payne, with stiff controls and dim enemy AI. But being able to run up a wall then perform an elegant slow-motion cartwheel, guns blazing, still feels amazing. The melee combat is great too: I love the way the camera swoops in and gives you a nice up-close look at all those motion-captured martial arts moves. The biggest letdown is the level design. Although the game does capture the eerie, sterile, green-tinged aesthetic of the Matrix's simulated city well, the locations themselves are incredibly bland—including an extended slog through a dingy sewer. Seriously, what is it with games from this era and sewers?
I also have to mention the hacking system, which remains one of the coolest things about the game. From the main menu you can access a command line interface, tapping in commands to trigger cheats, rewatch cutscenes, read character bios, and—if you have a finished save—download a katana and use it in-game. It's a cheat menu, essentially, but the way it's cleverly integrated into the fiction—with neat touches like hearing the clack of a keyboard as you type in codes and the CRT effect on the screen—makes it feel like so much more. There are even puzzles buried in the system that unlock secrets when solved, including a message from Morpheus. Man, this game had so many clever ideas.
Enter the Matrix sold 5 million copies, so it's not exactly a cult game, but it feels like one. The fact you can still only play it on a GameCube, PS2, or original Xbox—or somehow get Windows 10 to play ball with the PC version—is no doubt part of this legacy. It's hardly a classic, but as a piece of pop culture history, it's a remarkable thing and worth digging out if you still happen to own one of those old consoles. Between this and The Matrix Online, a short-lived MMO that let players participate in and influence the larger series mythology, the Wachowskis' approach to video games is as subversive, provocative, and interesting as their films. I'd love to see them revisit the medium now that Resurrections is nearing release. Enter the Matrix 2, anyone? Stranger things have happened.