Enslaved: Odyssey to the West

Enslaved: Odyssey to the West is one of the few original games that have appeared this fall season, in the midst of blockbuster franchises like Halo, Fallout, Call of Duty and other such things. But even if it doesn't have some sort of number or subtitle attached to it, it doesn't mean it shouldn't be on your radar.

The game promises to deliver a third person experience, with acrobatic gameplay, intense combat and a story inspired by the famous Chinese novel Journey to the West.

With all these things, is Enslaved: Odyssey to the West worthy of your money? Let's find out.

The heroes ...	... and a villain

Story

As I've said above, Enslaved: Odyssey to the West is inspired by the Chinese novel Journey to the West, and follows the adventures of an outlaw named Monkey as he is forced (enslaved) by a young girl called Trip to take her home after the prison airship with which they were transported crashed.

Their adventures take them through a post apocalyptic American landscape, with New York City at the front, but don't expect any washed out gray colors or different shades of brown. Instead, Enslaved uses the Unreal Engine to render some of the vivid environments ever seen with the technology.

The game's apocalypse came and went, and now nature is taking back what it lost in front of humanity. The remains of buildings are covered with green plants while the background is also dominated by sharp red flowers and the sky is a clear blue.

During the story, you are introduced to only a handful of characters, and the end will certainly make a lot of people think. Also, the bond that is created between Monkey and Trip is one of the most real ones ever to be seen in the game, as you really care what happens to the two of them. They have genuine reactions and don't resort to witty dialog to fill the time.

Explore beautiful locations ...	... and battle in them

Gameplay

The game's developer, Ninja Theory, made its debut years ago with Heavenly Sword, an impressive title with a great story but really lacking in gameplay coherence. Now, the British studio shows it has matured, and Enslaved offers a really great experience.

You will be in control of Monkey the whole time, which is forced by Trip to protect her from dangerous robots (mechs) that have remained active since the world's apocalypse, and help her get back to her home.

The combat is very simple, yet quite polished. Monkey uses his extendable staff to take on the mechs, through simple and heavy attacks, and can create combos. He is a bit exposed when enemies attack, as when they start their combos, they can hardly be stopped. You get to upgrade some of his abilities, and the staff grows more powerful over time.

Speaking of upgrades, there are four sections of available things, the shield, health, combat and weapons. You can enhance Monkey's shield, add regenerative health, enable new moves or enhance the shots fired from Monkey's staff.

Enemies are pretty diversified, and the boss robots are very interesting, ranging from huge dogs to rhinos and demolition ones. Monkey's staff also allows him to shoot plasma bolts, but his ammo capacity is pretty small, so don't go thinking the game is actually a shooter.

The platforming is also pretty polished. Monkey moves freely from ledge to beam to other ledge, and everything that can be used is highlighted by the game, so that you know where to go even in trickier levels. Enslaved also doesn't allow Monkey to jump to places he can't do so, meaning you won't be jumping into oblivion or into instant deaths.

While this sounds pretty useful, it also means that some of the commands won't register properly, as Monkey isn't in the right position to reach jump to a ledge, or to help Trip make a difficult jump.

Speaking of helping Trip, the game's isn't actually a feature length escort mission, as the girl can take care of herself most of the times. She can also use her nimble dragonfly robot to scout ahead and to create diversions so that Monkey can flank enemies or turrets.

If she is attacked by enemies, she can emit a short EMP blast, deactivating the mechs until Monkey gets to her and beats all of them up. You'll also need to help her make jumps at certain moments, but having Trip there isn't any bother, like in other games with AI companions.

You'll also get a few breaks in gameplay when Monkey can use his "cloud", a sort of energy-based skateboard, which he can use to glide around the level extremely fast and reach special places. The controls are top notch and you can even hope that Ninja Theory will go on to make skateboarding or snowboarding simulators. Sadly, the use of the Cloud is only allowed in certain levels, so you won't be able to enjoy it all that often.

The level design is top notch most of the times, and given the great visual design, going through Enslaved is something you won't forget that easily. While your path is pretty linear, there are still small enclaves hidden with energy spheres, which you can use to upgrade your powers thanks to Trip, and special masks that unveil parts of life before the apocalypse.

Protect Trip ...	... and use all your tricks

Visuals and Audio

  As I've said above, the visual design of Enslaved is one of the best I've seen using the Unreal Engine. Instead of "gritty" colors you get rich, powerful ones, not limited to a few variations of gray or brown, but extending to red, blue, green or yellow.

The characters are well designed, and their movements are extremely fluid. The mechs also look pretty good, and they are all differentiated with subtle things from one another, depending on their main weapons.

Audio-wise, the game is also very good, as the voice actors, Andy Serkis for Monkey and Lindsey Shaw as Trip, flesh out their characters and give them a real personality.

The orchestral score is great, motivating you during intense battles and set-piece moments, especially towards the end of the game, when things get extremely serious.

Conclusion

Overall, Enslaved: Odyssey to the West is one of the most impressive titles to appear this fall, and if you want a fresh experience, you should really consider this title.

The game delivers a great story, with memorable characters, stunning scenery and reliable gameplay.