On a distant moon-like place, the CIMA aliens have created elaborate mazes to trap people inside and produce their food. The "Gate Guardians" were on a mission to protect the population when they were transported through a portal from their train to this strange world. Their objective is to find a way home and safely return every passenger.
Cima: The Enemy combines role-playing and strategy elements, where you manage a huge party of characters with unique abilities to overcome obstacles and defeat enemies. Each character has a special trait that can be used to your advantage. You can guide individual characters by selecting their portraits or move them in groups using a multicolor cross.
A crucial aspect of the gameplay is the amount of trust the party members have on their Guardians. A gauge shows the amount of trust each character has, which increases and decreases according to actions within the game. If a character's trust is low, they may not cooperate with the Guardian. When a party member is about to expire, a jewel appears besides their health bar, and an alarm sound is played. Death of any party member ends the game instantaneously.