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In the spirit of Prince of Persia and Ico, Enslaved is an epic adventure in a futuristic Garden of Eden.
Concept: 9/10
I didn't get this game when it first came out because I heard it was a "platformer." This conjures images of you trying to jump across chasms, falling, and starting over. The title of the game is Enslaved, and who really wants to be enslaved? But I picked it up for $10 and it turned out to be a sleeper hit.
Story: 10/10
You play a nomad adventurer named Monkey in a futuristic world where mankind has been enslaved by a mysterious entity called Pyramid, who is armed with an army of war mechs specifically designed to hunt down and capture humans. The story begins with Monkey waking up aboard a slave ship and a beautiful saboteur / tech genius named Trip trying to escape and blowing up the ship in the process. The couple survives the crash and Monkey wakes up wearing a slave headband, which forces him to obey Trip. She needs his help to return to her homeland and promises to release him once they arrive.
World: 10/10
This is a post apocalyptic world, but instead of ruins and dust, the planet has been overgrown with lush vegetation. The ruins are actually beautiful. Scattered all over the ruins are tech orbs that Monkey can use to upgrade his abilities and there are also holographic masks, that give some insight to Pyramid's mysterious function.
Gameplay: 9/10
There are four basic types of gameplay: Environmental Navigation, Combat, some hoverboarding, and a bit of Stealth.
I say Environmental Navigation instead of Platforming because you can't fall by accidentally jumping in the wrong direction. Money jumps from acrobatic prop to acrobatic prop as he works his way through beautiful environments. In the later levels, there is some timing involved, but the navigation elements are actually fun and you can explore the ruins for hidden items.
The Combat is limited in terms of moves, but each move has a tactical function. This isn't one of those games where you get 50 xxxyxyxxyyyyx, attacks and they all pretty much do the same thing. You get a wide arcing XXX attack, a linear damaging YY attack, a block, a counterattack, an evade, an evade attack, a charge up stun attack that stuns enemies or temporarily removes shields, a 360 knockback, and a super attack that charges up by hitting enemies.
You typically fight 1-4 enemy mechs at a time and their attacks and defenses perfectly match your attacks and defenses. Enemies have states when they are blocking and they are vulnerable. Their position around Monkey determines if it's best to use XXX to damage a few of them or YY to heavily damage one of them.
Attacks can either be blocked or evaded, and a few more powerful enemies have a glowing red unblockable attack that Monkey must dodge. Some enemies have glowing shields in front of them, so Monkey must either use a stun attack to remove the shield, or quickly evade behind the enemy and strike it from behind.
Monkey's staff can also be used to shoot two types of ammo. Blue, stuns and removes shields, and red damages enemies.
This simple system forces the player to constantly make decisions about their attacks and defenses, which makes combat engaging. There isn't one all powerful move, instead there is a `best' move for every 2 seconds of gameplay.
There are a few levels where Monkey can use a hoverboard and explore or chase bosses. The controls feel like a loose skateboarding game, which is fine most of the time. There are 2 levels in the game where Monkey must chase after bosses over difficult terrain while gliding over speed boosts. If he misses a few of them or misses a jump, he dies and must start over. These two levels are frustrating, especially on HARD Mode, where you have to be perfect.
There is a bit of stealth in the game, where Monkey has the option to either fight mechs head on, or navigate around them, by finding the right path through the environment. There may be a partially hidden hand hold somewhere that leads to rooftops. Most of the time, I just fought the enemies because it was fun.
Graphics: 10/10
The environmental graphics are great, but where the game really shines is in the facial animations. The same facial capture technology that was used in Avatar was used in this game. As a result, the acting is the best that I've seen in a video game. The scenes are also mo-capped, so the character's body language isn't just a bunch of recycled animations.
Sound: 8/10
There's some good acting, some decent ambient music, and the explosions bring the action to life.
Maturity: Teen
There are a few appropriately placed swear words and some fantasy violence when the main characters get killed, other than that, it's really just a guy and a girl navigating through environments and smashing robots.
Replay Value: 3/10
Aside from harder difficulty levels, there really is no reason to replay the game. It takes 8-10 hours to finish the game on Normal Mode, depending on how much you explore and search for items.
Overall: 9.5/10
Enslaved really captures the feeling of a romantic fantasy adventure with action, suspense, and comedy. The gameplay is streamlined but engaging, the graphics and sound bring the world to life, and the acting is great. For $10 you can't go wrong!
Buy this game if you like good adventure stories.
Buy this game if you like Prince of Persia or Ico.
Buy this game if you like adventures with dynamic melee combat.
Rent it if you just want to blow through the story in 8-10 hours.
Avoid this game if... You know, I can't think of a reason to avoid this game, especially at $10. This is a first for me.
If you enjoyed Enslaved, you'll like the Prince of Persia games, the Batman Arkham Asylum, Batman Arkham City, and probably Castlevania: Lords of Shadow.
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Enslaved: Odyssey To The West
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Enslaved: Odyssey to the West--Trailer
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Reviews with images
First Impressions - Enslaved: Odyssey to the West
Enslaved: Odyssey to the West is a game that has been on my radar for some time now. Not only is it one of the only non sequel or non remakes of Q4, but it's a story driven game. The game actually has a writer who is known for such movies as The Beach and 28 Days Later. Not too shabby, especially in the video game world. So, it's to be expected that I was really excited about this game, the story buff (in video games at least) that I am. Did Enslaved live up to it's high hopes during the first few hours of gameplay or is this game destined for B game bargain bins? Read on to find out in my first impression.Enslaved: Odyssey to the West takes place about 200 years or so after a nuclear holocaust in the United States. Vegetation is beginning to overtake structures and the world is beautiful in a despairing kind of way. You play as Monkey, a strong brute of a man who was captured by slavers and stored on a slave ship. In transit to wherever it is they were taking you, a girl breaks out of her cell and continues to sabotage the ship in her hasty attempt to get free and sets you loose. The ship is coming down and you need to make it to an escape pod. After some platforming, you eventually make it to the last escape pod, which is taken by the girl who caused the commotion. You hold on for dear life to the escape pod as she ejects and you land in a desolate NYC years after a nuclear war. Upon awaking, you find that the girl, named Trip, has fitted you with a slave headband that shocks you if you don't do her will. She can issue commands to you and you must do them for her. If she dies, you also die. So Monkey is a rough spot, but Trip isn't bad. She did this because she knows she would never get home without Monkeys brute strength. Her proposition to him, take her 300 miles to the west to her sanctuary village made by her father and she'll remove the collar. With no choice in the matter, Monkey agrees and the two set off on their Odyssey to the West.And with that, Enslaved begins. The opening sequence is very epic and the graphics in the game are some of the best I have seen on the 360 this side of Gears of War 2. If you aren't familiar, the game is actually loosely based on Journey to the West, an old Chinese story that is apparently pretty popular in the UK due to some tv shows about it. I wasn't familiar with it until I googled it. Regardless, you don't need to know about the book to enjoy the game. They use some of the same names and try to leave subtle clues to the book, but it's really a different beast altogether.The story so far is top notch and I'm really excited to see how Monkey and Trip make it to the west, but there are other things besides story in a game. Namely, gameplay. The gameplay is sort of reminiscent of a platformer like Prince of Persia. There's a lot of climbing and swinging, but at the same time combat plays a huge roll. You're going to be doing a lot of computer AI co-op to outsmart enemy mech's, the games most prevalent enemy. For instance, Monkey is the strength, Trip the brains. In one scenario, Monkey needs to make it across a huge area to take out an automated turret, less they be shredded to bits. So, Trip uses her armband to create an electronic diversion that draws their fire. That leaves you to circle around flank the enemy. In doing so, you rip the arm off the mech and use it to finish off the remaining turrets. But, the path you took here required a lot of jumping and swinging, something Trip can't do. You need to go back and carry her on your back across hazardous areas and throw her to places she can't jump to. At first, I thought it would be a pain in the ass, but I found I enjoy the times you have to carry her. During these times is when the next thing I loved about the game begins to shine...The talking between the two characters is key in the game. You never know when it will start or end, but they talk a lot. It's in these times you learn the stories of the two travelers and what worlds they come from. Without spoiling anything, they come from two totally different backgrounds so relating is a little rough. Their banter is almost flirty in some regards so if you're into the chemistry between two co-op partners, you'll enjoy this portion of the game. I found it refreshing and a nice diversion. The world around them is crumbling but they have each other in rough times.I already mentioned it but the graphics are amazing. The vistas and backdrops are truly breathtaking, especially when your ship crashes in the beginning. Take a long look at the NYC skyline and be sure to keep your jaw from hitting the floor. It's amazing and a true sight to see in a video game. Plus, this is a post apocalyptic game that isn't brown. How many games are out there that automatically equate post apocalyptic with brown, but in reality, after the fallout (if any) the world would be overtaken by nature. It's nice to see this in a game.So far, I haven't had many complaints about the game. If I had to point out anything I'd say that maybe the gameplay could get repetitive, but that's just me trying to find gripes where none exist. There's an upgrade system that Trip performs that allows you to learn new combat options and new moves (as well as health and shields) that have the ability to keep things fresh. If you like platformers though, you already know how those games can get after a solid gaming marathon. It's something that comes with the territory, but most good platformers get around this by having varied level design, which Enslaved has in spades.So, should you buy this game? Depends...do you like platformers that have heavy combat and some stealth scenarios? If so, I'd say yes. How about story? I'm a sucker for a good story in a game so this one was a no brainer. Enslaved could be a rent if you aren't too thrilled on the idea of platforming but be sure not to miss it. This has the possibility of being a sleeper hit of 2010. It won't compete in sales with the Call of Duty and Medal of Honor games, but it's a new IP in a world of sequels and remakes. Give it a shot so we can tell the industry we want to see new games, not just sequels.
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James
Arrived early and looks new!
Reviewed in Canada on July 15, 2020Platform For Display: Xbox 360Verified Purchase
Michael Rice
Better than expected
Reviewed in Canada on December 24, 2014Platform For Display: Xbox 360Verified Purchase
Trent Dawson
I'm ding dong diddily happy bout my purchase
Reviewed in Canada on September 16, 2020Platform For Display: Xbox 360Verified Purchase
Caleb
Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on December 22, 2016Platform For Display: Xbox 360Verified Purchase
