In the 25 years since the release of “The Matrix” (1999) in the US – we have been gifted an array of content that dives deeper into the world of the machines. The Wachowski’s created layers of lore to explain the philosophical references in the movie – expanding the universe greatly during 2003 – in a year WB studios had dubbed the “Year of the Matrix”.

Most Matrix fans will have watched the sequel movies “Reloaded” and “Revolutions” – and some fraction of those will have experienced the Animatrix. There is a wealth of lore that most of the audience will have skipped over.

Enter the Matrix was the video game released in the “Year of the Matrix.” The game follows the exploits of Ghost and Niobe – characters who are also in the films of “Revolutions” and “Reloaded” – as they experience a story that runs parallel to the films. With similar themes across all entries of the franchise – this video game is a chance to live the story of the Matrix from inside.

Enter the Matrix picks up very shortly after the events of “The Final Flight of the Osiris,” A short in the Animatrix that sets up the events of the game and the movies. Allowing players to control either the Captain of the Logos, Niobe, or her second in command Ghost – while button mashing between cutscenes shot on 35mm film. The themes of the Matrix are on full display – with the ability for players to experience a story about love and determinism between Niobe and Ghost. The love story is mentioned as a minor note in the 4th film of the franchise “Matrix: Resurrections” – but glossed over quickly in favor of some of the backstory that was missed by the audience in the storytelling of the “Matrix Online” era.

Critics of the game rightfully pointed out, at the time, that the action of playing the game took away from the thematic relevance of the footage found within the game. The footage, shot at the same time as the two films, are in some ways integral to understanding the full story that those movies represent. In other ways – because of the nature of the gameplay – the footage seems vestigial to the franchise. Movies and films are inherently different mediums of entertainment consumption – a fact acknowledged by the Wachowski’s in the game “The Path of Neo”.

So – Did you miss anything by not playing “Enter the Matrix”?

The short answer is – effectively – no. You can fully understand the mainline films without touching this video game. However, the games elements do have some context to add to the themes of the Matrix and watching the footage from the game is part of the complete Matrix experience.