Star Trek: Hidden Evil is a 1999 third-person Fixed Camera angle Action-Adventure game by Presto Studios (the maker of the The Journeyman Project games) made as a tie-in game to Star Trek: Insurrection (it also serves as a sequel to the The Next Generation episode "The Chase"). It is set several months after the events of the film, and involves Captain Picard and Commander Data exploring the ruins of an ancient alien civilization discovered underneath the Baku planet, and discovering a Romulan and S'ona plot involving the ruins that threatens the galaxy. The player takes the role of Ensign Sovok, a human raised by Vulcans assigned to Starfleet's Starbase 40, who was assigned serve as Picard and Data's shuttle pilot to transport them to the Baku planet.
The game was made available on Gog.com in 2021 alongside many other Star Trek licensed games.
Star Trek Hidden Evil contains examples of:
- Evil Is Not a Toy: Once you get far enough into the Romulan space station, you'll find the Romulans being slaughtered by the Xenophore creatures they were trying to resurrect from the past.
- Fixed Camera: The game uses Resident Evil style tank controls, fixed camera angles, and pre-rendered backgrounds.
- Genetic Engineering Is the New Nuke: The Progenitors were apparently masters of it; in the ruins you'll find a gene sequencing device capable of generating new creatures from scratch. You need to combine genetic traits from different creatures to solve a puzzle. This is also what destroyed the Progenitors, as their genetic manipulation ended up accidentally creating the Xenophores.
- Horde of Alien Locusts: The Progenitors created the Seed to evolve themselves to the next level of existence, but due to a bug in its programming, all it does is create Xenophores which are generated in exponential numbers and kill everything else besides themselves.
- Interspecies Adoption: Sovok was raised by Vulcans; he's not unemotional, but does try to be a little more stoic than average when interacting with others. He can also perform the Vulcan Nerve Pinch, and is noted as one of the few humans capable of doing so.
- Invincible Minor Minion: The flying Xenophore creatures that guard the second Seed in the Enterprise engine room are invincible and fire homing projectiles that can kill you in just a few shots. Attempting to fight them just results in your death. You need to activate localized energy shields in Engineering to keep them out while you perform tasks there.
- Rank Scales with Asskicking: The leader of the S'ona rebels has a deflector shield that makes him completely immune to your phaser. You need to shoot him a few times with a S'ona disruptor to defeat him.
- Renegade Splinter Faction: The Admiral in charge of the Romulans trying to resurrect the Xenophores is mentioned as having gone rogue and been disavowed by their High Command. Most of his men are Just Following Orders as disavowed or not he's still an Admiral and questioning his authority is a good way to get shot.
- Resources Management Gameplay: There are a finite number of hyposprays in the game to restore your health, although your health does get restored to full at the beginning of each chapter. It's recommended to save as many as possible for the last couple of levels, which involve prolonged slogs against many powerful enemies.
- Superweapon Surprise: After Sovok stops the S'ona rebels, Anij unearths a Baku starship so you and Picard can chase after the Romulans. It's in perfect working order after being buried for several centuries, and while it ultimately proves to be unable to defeat a Romulan Warbird, it manages to last long enough for the Enterprise to show up and save the day.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: In the final level it's revealed that the Dr. Nadal that the Enterprise rescued and brought aboard was a Xenophore Slayer in disguise. It's never mentioned what happened to the real Nadal, though he was likely killed and replaced by the Xenophores while you were busy destroying the Seed.
- Whole-Plot Reference: The game's basic plot is almost the same as that of Star Trek: Elite Force II, involving a Romulan conspiracy to resurrection a dangerous weaponized alien hive race.
