Before
Naughty Dog and Sony Santa Monica released their action titles for the
PlayStation 3, a studio in the United Kingdom brought an action game to the
system. The title showed promise of what the developers at Ninja Theory were
capable. I was pleased to hear that the next title from the company would be a
multiplatform action adventure title based on an ancient Chinese epic. While
the acting and story engaged me during the first few chapters I played, my
experience with other action titles of this generation left me thinking that Enslaved: Odyssey to the West was a good
but not great video game in its genre.
This
video game excels in presenting a unique story and environment. While adapted
from Journey to the West, this game
takes on the post-apocalyptic genre with a visually stunning environment.
Unlike the gray and brown surroundings of shooter series like Gears of War and Resistance, Enslaved
takes placed in the New York Metro area with lush plant life overgrowing the
ruins of a city ravaged by wars far in the past. Andy Serkis fits well as the
protagonist Monkey, a self-sufficient loner who escapes from a robot slave ship
only to discover that a young girl on the ship has installed a crown on his
head and is forcing him to escort her back to her family – the penalty for
failure is Monkey’s life. The interplay between Monkey and Trip is interesting,
and Trip’s mechanical abilities help tremendously to establish her as not an
escort in distress but a partner to fight the robotic menaces you encounter in
the game.
The
problems with the game only surface because of other similar games I have
played this generation. Enslaved
starts with Monkey finding his way out of an aircraft, and I enjoyed the
setpieces encountered while climbing inside and around the ship. However, when
I would move Monkey to a platform edge to make a jump, I found that Monkey
would not leap unless he was near the correct spot. In a game like Uncharted, I was allowed to fail a jump
and start over nearby. Enslaved also
has blocked me from jumping down from a ledge as I was exploring, making me
reluctant to check every nook and cranny. At least I am still motivated to
explore to find Tech Orbs, the currency of this game that allow you to upgrade
character stats and unlock abilities. Variety in combat is nice, but the presentation
is inferior to other action titles like God
of War. It makes sense in the story to show enemy and mine placements as
Trip is demonstrating her technical abilities, but then the game won’t surprise
me when I’m back in control. The variety in combat and platforming could
improve over time, as I enjoyed the challenge of the first boss battle against
a giant robot and the sequence that followed.
Someday
I should really get back to Enslaved:
Odyssey to the West just to experience the story and environment of a
refreshing post-apocalyptic adventure. The title recently came to PC with all
of the downloadable content included, so you can buy the game for whichever
platform you prefer. The developer’s next title was from a franchise I was not
too interested in, but I should complete this game in order to get a sense at
what the next original output the studio could be working on.
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