Enslaved: Odyssey to the West review

Ever since Ninja Theory released Heavenly Sword on PS3 when the system first launched, we have all been waiting to see what the studio would do next. Now Ninja Theory’s latest title, Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, is upon us, and since the last time a disc from studio sat in our console, it seems to have up its game quite considerably.

Enslaved: Odyssey to the West is an adventure with a twist. The game is set 150 years in the future, in a land which has been torn apart by war, with almost the entire human race wiped out; all that is left is ruins, which has been claimed back by the nature. From the moment the opening scene ends, which we talked about in our preview here, you are met with a land, eerily quiet and full of decimated buildings, covered in the lush greens of nature. As you look around the land, you get a feeling in the pit of your stomach that this game is going to be special, and you wouldn’t be wrong. Following the story of two characters, Enslaved sees you take control of Monkey, a character struggling to remember much about his past. After your slave ship crashes at the beginning of the game, you find yourself under the control of a girl called Trip. She has fitted a slave band on Monkey and is basically forcing him to guide her home. Given his strength, Monkey is the ideal character for this, as Trip, while very tech savvy, is not a fighter. So why doesn’t Monkey escape you ask? Well, the slave band Trip has placed on his head can’t be removed, also, if he doesn’t do what Trip says and she ends up dying, then he will die too, such is the nature of the band. So you see, Monkey doesn’t have a choice but to go along with Trip, which sees a cold and untrusting relationship, grow into something, which by the end of the game will have you hooked. The relationship of Monkey and Trip forms a very important part of the game, like I say, Trip is very tech savvy, so she can create gadgets to scan for mines, provide upgrades for both Monkeys health and abilities and she can also be useful in other ways, such as creating a distraction. What Trip can’t do though, is fight, which, along with being very mobile, is Monkey’s main strength. At first glance, you would be forgiven for thinking some of the inspiration for Enslaved came from Uncharted; the lush greens and the way Monkey scales buildings and scenery is all very familiar looking, however this is where the similarities end; after all you don’t get any giant robots in Uncharted. Anyway, during Enslaved you will find yourself traveling through the lands, with only Trip for company, oh and a quite a few security mechs, which seem to have been left behind to torture you. The beauty of Enslaved is the way you are slowly introduced to the combat throughout the first level, then as you proceed through the chapters, the game will slowly throw more and more enemies at you, each of which become increasingly difficult to get past. Enemies you encounter in the game seem to have plenty of intelligence; some will appear from nowhere, breathing threateningly down your neck and prompting you to take action, while others will lay dormant, waiting for you to activate them by tripping their alarm. Some enemies can even activate an alarm, which will then see you frantically trying to kill them before the timer runs out, because one it does reinforcements will be on the way. Stronger enemies in the game are practically unbeatable and require some savvy to get past, like the giant mechanical dog which hunts you down and gives you some rather tense moments. Others require you to think of more inventive ways to bring them down, although the game generally prompts you on what you need to do. Thankfully Monkey isn’t too bad at fighting, using either his fists or his staff, he can generally take care of any mechanical pests. Monkey also has the ability to fire live or stun shots from his staff, which comes in handy for taking down enemies from range. Takedowns also form part of Monkey’s abilities, allowing him to take control of mini guns, otherwise attached to a Mech’s arm or sit on turrets and pick out the on-rushing enemies. As you progress and find the energy, which acts as the in-game currency, you will also find your skills becoming stronger and your weapons better, which is a neat touch. weapons, equipment and health are upgraded using Trip’s interface, which is accessed during certain points in the game. This same interface is also used to command trip to run, distract the enemy and heal you. Looking for trouble is all very well, however trying not to trip alarms seems to become quite a large part of the game, which is why it’s useful you have a tech savvy companion with you. Every time you reach a new area, you’re travelling companion, Trip, will scan the area, looking for mines and all other sorts of obstacles. This usually results in you climbing buildings, dodging mines and trying not to get yourself in trouble. Trip and Monkey are a great pair, you will often have to you to climb to dangerous heights in order to gain access for her to pass, or reach otherwise unreachable objects. Monkey will also often carry Trip on his back, or throw her up to or across ledges in order to gain access to ladders or to allow her to continue along the path. The two characters also have a strange relationship, although at first they seem to have a great untrust; not even introducing themselves to a few chapters in,  as the game progresses you will find them warming to each other and eventually becoming close allies. An adventure game just wouldn’t be right without a twist, and there is a rather large one in Enslaved, but we will say no more of that for now. Anyway, as if the action and wonderfully crafted story weren’t enough, Enslaved is also a beautiful game. Every time there is a close up of a character, the quality of the motion capture shines through and whenever you walk into a new area, you can’t fail to be impressed with the sheer detail of it all. Everything about the game screams “epic.” The environments, the acting and the action will definitely have your jaw drop to the floor at numerous points throughout this wonderful tale. Although Enslaved is maybe not quite as polished as rivals, such as Uncharted, it does offer a compelling story from beginning to end and therefore shouldn’t be taken lightly. Sure it starts out slowly, but once the relationship between the two characters starts to blossom and the action hits full tilt, you too will feel part of its charms. As a reviewer I feel lucky, because sometimes a game comes along which you just shouldn’t miss and often with these titles, it lies undiscovered until one day people realise just how good it was. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen with Enslaved, because this is a game which should be played.

Rating: 9/10

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