The player must direct the Enigma Force to rescue Ambassador Kryxix from the traitor Zoff's flagship before the timer runs out and secret plans for a new type of starship are discovered.

The Emperor has assembled the Enigma Force, a group of six operatives who are "the cream of the Empire's legions, the worst of its criminal scum or the latest development in cybernetics".

Syylk is an insectoid and a strong fighter; Zark Montor, the team leader, is an expert in unarmed combat and the translator of the group - meaning that Kryxix will only follow Montor; Sevrina Maris is the only character who can pick locks; Torik is an avian with thorough knowledge of explosives and the fastest moving character; Maul is a slow powerful combat droid; and Manto is a weak droid, but the only team member that can operate the transporter that is vital for the mission's success.

[1] The initial idea for Shadowfire came from Ian Weatherburn who then moved to Ocean Software after being sacked for wanting the company to be more like Imagine.

[2] The use of icons to control the characters was inspired by the interface of the Apple Lisa computers that had been used at Imagine, and publisher Beyond promoted the game as "the first adventure without text".

Whereas Shadowfire was entirely icon based, Enigma Force allowed the player to directly control the reduced list of characters, and play as an action game.