Enslaved Odyssey to the West Review

Enslaved Odyssey to the West

Developers: Ninja Theory

 Publishers: Namco Bandai Games

Platforms: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 & PC (Windows)

Type: Stand-Alone, Adaptation

Modes: Single Player

Perspective/Flow: Third Person, Hack n Slash

Genres: Action Adventure, Platformer

Rating: ESRB T, Pegi - 16

Release Dates: 

PS3 & X360: 

NA: 5th October 2010, 

AUS/JP: 7th October 2010, 

EU: 8th October 2010

PC: 23rd October 2013

Average Completion Time: 10 Hours

Series: None

Other Editions: Premium Edition

Trophies/Achievements: 

Additional: Review is based upon the PlayStation 3 Version.

Alternate Recommendations: Jak and Daxter Trilogy & Heavenly Sword

Synopsis:

Enslaved is a future post-apocalyptic plat-former with hack n slash combat based on the book Journey to the West by Chinese novelist Wu Cheng'en in which it was developed by Ninja Theory who have done other games like PS3 Exclusive Heavenly Sword and the 2013 DmC Devil May Cry and was published by Bandai Namco Games. The game follows the characters Monkey and Trip as they journey across the post-apocalyptic ruins of a city and beyond while being attacked by slavers and mechs who attack for reasons unknown.

Review:

 To start of the review story is quite unique for its time as you take on the role of a guardian for Trip through most of the game, which in present day is used by a lot of developers like the game Bioshock Infinite and The Last of Us, the character the player takes of control of is Monkey a survivor in the post-apocalyptic world an angry and annoyed character at the start who 'accompanies' Trip a vulnerable 'computer girl as they attempt to reach a ship crash site so that Trip can get home. The story itself is quite simple and plot twists are a bit predictable but the characters are what made the game good with realistic facial expressions and good voice acting the characters are believable and give of real life but this can all be ruined by lip syncing problems which can ruin bits of the story but not make it unplayable.

Enslaved looks amazing with lovely scenery all throughout the game from a crumbling city to a bog like junk yard the amount of detail is amazing and Ninja Theory did a wonderful job on this game as well as the characters who look more alive and are greatly detailed plus the mechs and cherry on the top with dark and dirty colouring which fits them in better to the setting. But this game does have its fair share of problems with a poor frame which mixed with the level of detail can make the game unplayable as well as texture popping in as you walk through the level which can be make the atmosphere worse but I have only experience this on PS3 so I don't know what it’s like on other consoles and PC keep this in mind.

The gameplay is mainly made up of two large elements with smaller ones mixed in, one half of the game I spend platforming across various environments hold in an environment and then placed in another and retextured but the platforming can feel a bit constricted as the game only lets you jump in the linear path and will not let you jump of a platform in any other direction unless there are collectable that way, also the platforming can be ruined by a poor response so instead of jumping of platform you will role in to it which can feel a bit frustrating. The other half of gameplay is hack n slash combat which has a fluid system that doesn't feel repetitive in each fight but can feel a bit easy even on higher difficulties.

Now for the smaller elements of gameplay which I will start with the RPG like upgrading system in which after a couple of chapters you will have option to upgrade your character for example having more health and being able to counter which may seem basic but offers a better game experience once your maxed out; other elements include a jet board like system called cloud in certain location which reminded we of the jet board in Jak II, it also offers chase like events that are fine at first but seem a bit repetitive and frustrating later on and another piece of gameplay is the boss fights which are fun and interesting don't have any challenge except for the last boss; and finally the last thing is the collectable system which I found to be unique as when you collect some of them on one playthrough they not appear on the next but this does have a problem as you be left searching for the last orb on a level.

The animation for the game was nicely done and is shown to its best in the character and enemy movement animation as some like Trip will move like a regular human which fine but really shows its best is Monkey who moves quickly and climbs like a Monkey which is pulled of really well in the platforming as you watch him swing from place to place similar to an actual Monkey which fits his character better.

The Voice actors in this did a wonderful job and make the characters seem believable with Andy Serkis as Monkey, who is best known for his work as Gollum in the Lord of the Rings Franchise, in which he pulls of Monkey's character well as well as Lindsey Shaw who voices Trip who does an equally good job. The OST is well done and helps set the mood for many of the events in show such as fast music for the chase scenes making them feel more real.

Overall Enslaved had some potential but then failed and what is left is a game full of restrictions, repetition and glitches.

Ratings:

Characters and Story: 6.3

Gameplay: 6.2

Visuals: 6.5

Sound: 7.0

Verdict: 6.6/10 (Alright)