Enslaved: Odyssey to the West (PlayStation 3) review "I’ve had my sights locked on Enslaved: Odyssey To The West ever since I heard about it. That was a year ago. Granted, it’s somewhat of a long time—especially for a brand new franchise—but given that it was developed by Ninja Theory, the masterminds behind Heavenly Sword, such a wait seemed trivial. And as the months went by, Enslaved received even more praise, including a very highlighted video at E3. I was even more excited for it. But I’m also a cynic, and between my momen..."

I’ve had my sights locked on Enslaved: Odyssey To The West ever since I heard about it. That was a year ago. Granted, it’s somewhat of a long time—especially for a brand new franchise—but given that it was developed by Ninja Theory, the masterminds behind Heavenly Sword, such a wait seemed trivial. And as the months went by, Enslaved received even more praise, including a very highlighted video at E3. I was even more excited for it. But I’m also a cynic, and between my moments of dazzle-eyed anticipation I began to wonder: is everything they’re saying about it—brilliant, captivating story, unique design, startling originality—is that all just hype to try and shine a halfhearted effort or is it a prelude for a game utterly worthy of the praise?

Truth? It was worth all of it and more.

For reasons that I won’t mention, I was immediately enamored and hooked on Enslaved…okay, fine it was because Trip—your female lead character—is perhaps the most well designed (hot) and charming girl I’ve seen in a game. She’s also a brilliant hacker and can be incredibly compassionate. Yet Monkey—your main male character—is totally oblivious to all of that. Yes, it’s probably because the opening scene depicts her skittering about a massive slave ship while you watch on from your holding pod completely helpless. In her haste to unlock the doors and re-wire the system, she inevitably causes irreparable damage to the ship, inciting an explosion that sets you free. Around you, the transport vehicle begins to collapse, explosions become more frequent and entire walls rip away from the shift in cabin pressure. Your only option is to find one of the last remaining escape pods and ride it to safety.

Though you know not who this girl is, you continue to chase her—all until she enters ship’s main hull and locks the door, leaving you on the other side cursing and slamming your fist into the glass. Without another option, you scale to the side of the huge aircraft and begin leaping around its casing, using broken girders and long pipes as handholds, each one glinting so you know where to go next. This is the introduction to the first of Enslaved’s many interesting aspects. And though you may initially enter into it thinking you’re playing Assassin’s Creed with a caveman, it’s not to last. Without warning, the plane turns 90 degrees and the wing you were easily walking across turns horizontal, aimed directly at a huge building only a hundred yards away. In a panic you’re forced to ascend and back into the ship’s interior before the entire wing slams into the building.

And if you thought you hated Trip before, you’re in for a rude awakening. Monkey eventually makes it to the final escape pod except there’s one problem—it’s vacated by the gorgeous redhead. You cling to the outside and order her to let you in, but she ignores you and launches the pod—with you still attached—from three thousand feet in the air. How Monkey manages to stay on I’ll never know, but he does the entire way, until the pod crashes and he’s sent flying into a broken down wall. When he wakes, he finds Trip sitting across from him, in stunned silence and simply staring while Monkey grabs his head in obvious pain. Trip, nonchalantly, explains the cause: a slave helmet she’s reworked and forced you to wear. Monkey’s anger gets the better of him and he closes on Trip, ordering her to take it off. But he doesn’t make it far. With one command frail, meek Trip stops the massive man in his tracks, doubling over in pain from a poison released from the helmet. When he finally calms, and asks her why she’s done this, she tells him she needs his help to get home safely. Once she’s there, she will remove the helmet and allow him on his way. He threatens to just kill her and be done with it.

Poor Monkey…

That’s not an option for him either. If, for any reason, Trip’s heart stops the helmet releases a lethal dose of poison. As she says If I die, you die.

It is your job, whether you like her or hate her, to make sure she survives.

I had my reservations about Enslaved prior to that point. After it, I held not one ounce of regret in making this my one allotted game purchase.

Many a times has a love story been told, but not once have I seen one developing under the veil of necessity. Monkey absolutely hates her to begin with, and she’s not too fond of him either. But there is peril on the road and countless dangers that could end one or both of them. They learn to depend on one other and combine their skills to survive. Situations arise where brute strength is required to battle a mass of robots that won’t stop until they’re scrap metal. Trip tucks herself safely away while Monkey bashes them into obliteration with his energy staff. Other times you have to use that strength to hurl Trip across a long gap or high ladder that she couldn’t normally reach or to lift an obstruction so that she can crawl safely under.

Sometimes strength is not enough. You’ll encounter Gatling guns and armed enemies that are hundreds of feet away. Monkey can use his staff to fire plasma missiles to take enemies down but the ammo is often limited. The only other choice present is to close the gap and beat them down the old fashioned way. But they are many and you are two. Their gunfire rips through you before you’re even halfway. So Trip, while she’s safe behind an obstruction, will use her computer skills to project a digitized image of you above her head, temporarily drawing their fire and allowing you time to sneak up and take them down. When the enemies are too big even for Monkey to handle with brute force, she can scan them—finding that crucial weakness for you. She can point out objects in the environment that may lend a helping hand. She eventually even gains the ability to update your weapons—adding more ammo to your staff or increasing your strength and health.

I’ve played with partners before, but the co-op works here better than others simply because Monkey and Trip are on opposite sides of the spectrum. It’s not both of you shooting an enemy with the same gun or watching each other’s back in an open area. Each has their own strengths and weaknesses; hurdles that can only be overcome with help from the other. It’s highlighted even further by how wonderful Enslaved tells its story (one loosely based on a Chinese novel)—through detailed facial expressions, superb acting and an incredible balance between those moments that are light-hearted and others emotionally crippling. The bond between them grows both in danger and times of peace and Enslaved brings an intensity with it that only further cements that. Scenes where Trip is caught on the back of a raging mech, forcing you to chase it down in an all-to-small window of time and free her before it crashes. And as you watch this unfold, though the game doesn’t come right out and say it, you know the moment where it changes from needing to save her to wanting to.

Yes, a part of me was slightly annoyed that there was no real back story given right away and for a time I found myself wondering What is going on?, Why are there robots everywhere and no humans or the ever blaring one: Why am I a slave?. When the answers were finally given, it was well worth the wait and something I can easily look passed. The controls are slightly sluggish at times, but only when climbing. You really aren’t in a situation where you fall to your death. He remains on one handhold until you go to the next. In rare instances it can take a couple tries before he responds, but it’s only when exploring. During those intense, do-or-die situations they are incredibly tight. Trivial, again, in my eyes.

And though this may be blasphemous, or perhaps an utter sin, playing Enslaved: Odyssey To The West made me forget all about a sequel to Ninja Theory’s other project Heavenly Sword. Looking back on it now, that may have been simply a test run before they created their masterpiece. Enslaved is that—without question. Heaven may be closed—for good—but in its place something far better has risen; a much grander epic taken its place.

Staff review by Greg Knoll (October 10, 2010) A bio for this contributor is currently unavailable, but check back soon to see if that changes. If you are the author of this review, you can update your bio from the Settings page.