Enslaved: Odyssey to the West Review

Do you like Uncharted?

How about The Matrix?

What about ancient Chinese poetry? Does that float your boat?

If you've checked at least two of those three boxes, then Ninja Theory's first non-exclusive IP Enslaved: Odyssey to the West is the game for you! Written by the mind behind 28 Days Later and directed by and starring the man behind Gollum and King Kong (literally; not Peter Jackson, unfortunately), Enslaved is a fun, beautiful, challenging game -- that unfortunately just doesn't satisfy completely.

Resisting "Monkey's hanging around" joke 

Released this past October, Enslaved has a couple of factors working against it. The most obvious issue is timing: Enslaved hit shelves at the forefront of the holiday release blitz as developers are throwing out wave after wave of triple-A (and quadruple-A, like Black Ops and Halo: Reach) titles to capture the ever-shortening attention and ever-tightening wallets of consumers. The day Enslaved went on sale also saw Konami release Castlevania: Lord of Shadows; a game that, while stylistically and mechanically different on many levels, falls into the same action-adventure genre as Ninja Theory's baby.

The second issue, and more critical, is the game's performance. As I alluded to, Enslaved is a beautiful game, but has a few quibbles. Set for much of the first act in a lush, vibrant post-apocalyptic New York City (if you've read Alan Weisman's The World Without Us or saw the Discovery miniseries of the same conceit, you'll get an idea of the setting), the game's environment is top notch, matched by the fantastic facial animations -- and acting abilities -- of our unlikely travel buddies, bruiser Monkey and tech-savvy Trip. The game's animations are based almost entirely on the motion capture work by Andy Serkis, who also served as one of the game's directors, and Lindsay Shaw. In fact, the interaction between Serkis and Shaw is one of Enslaved's strongest points, which does help immerse you in the world they inhabit and the conflicts they face. However, behind the facial rendering and sprawling set pieces, the game has some unfortunate limiting factors.

The slave and the slaver

The combat mechanics in Enslaved are fairly straightforward. And when I say that, I mean they're about the same as every other third-person melee-based fighting system out there. And beyond your basic quick and heavy attacks, blocks and dodges, and interaction with objects, there isn't a whole lot of advancement. Sure, you can unlock more powerful attacks, a few counters, shield upgrades, and even add to your energy staff's ranged arsenal, but these additions are limited in scale and effect, and you'll find yourself more often than not wailing away on the attack buttons, mixing in a block/counter, and then going back to light attack mashing.

Didn't I just fight you guys?

Among Enslaved's other faults is, sadly, some occasional texture popping and screen tearing. For a game as beautiful as this one can be at times, these issues are extremely unfortunate, and occur far more than I would have liked. Add in a few instances of dialogue not matching the lips moving on screen, and at least one time where Monkey completely disappeared from a cut scene (audio and all), and you have some very disappointing technical problems within and otherwise gorgeous game.

While I've highlighted a number of the shortcomings of Enslaved, please don't mistake me here -- Odyssey to the West is a very good game, with an engaging story, memorable and likable protagonists, and a unique take on the world after humanity's fall. Mix in a wonderful orchestral score that hits the right notes at the right moments and you have an unforgettable atmosphere punctuated by high-tense boss battles and quiet, dramatic conversations between two very different individuals.

Unfortunately, the game's technical issues, unengaging combat, and a dearth of other high profile titles available may leave Enslaved at the bottom of many peoples' purchase list. Really, the only people who will definitely buy this game are fans of post-apocalyptic literarily allegorical platforming action-adventure relationship buddy dramas. And c'mon, how many of us are there out there?