Enslaved: Odyssey to the West

Loosely based on the traditional Chinese novel Journey To The West, Enslaved dictates the tale of Trip and Monkey as they traverse a dangerous post-apocalyptic world. Set some 150 years after the Earth's collapse, human life has all but been eradicated. The overgrown, dilapidated skyline of New York city greets the couple's arrival in the Western world and marks the start of their journey. Naive and fragile, Trip imprisons Monkey as her safeguard. With the incentive of avoiding death should he keep her safe, the duo enlist on a journey across the sparse Western world in search of Trip's father...

So what does that all mean in the end? It’s a tricky one: without Enslaved’s inarguably spectacular bells and whistles, you’d be left with a fun, if undoubtedly flawed, action adventure, nudged ever so slightly up the recommendation scale by its compelling structure and smart sense of pace. Of course, it’s impossible to ignore the game’s glossy production and, for better or worse, these elements carry Enslaved beyond its slightly anaemic core and deliver a genuinely engaging experience. Its rich imagination, restrained narrative and charming cast of characters place it a significant step above...

There are certainly better hack 'n' slash games on the market, built around deeper combat, but few games can match Enslaved's excellent fusion of gameplay and storytelling.

Despite the game's evident shortcomings, Enslaved: Odyssey to the West is still a fun action adventure game that unquestionably shines through its remarkable storyline and unforgettable characters. It's unfortunate that the game is riddled with technical problems that do more harm than good, and the gameplay could've been much more enjoyable if it was given some extra attention. But with an intricately designed post-apocalyptic world, larger-than-life cinematics, great voice acting, and well-written dialogue, this game is one that definitely deserves a try.

Minimal input and little to no consequences for mistakes make Enslaved a stress free romp that is absolutely gorgeous and somewhat interesting and entertaining.

Enslaved: Odyssey to the West is all about its setting and characters, taking the ancient Chinese novel, Journey to the West, and transposing the story to a post-apocalyptic setting unlike any you'll have seen in games before. Typically barren, brown and grey, Enslaved's demolished post-apocalyptic America is bright green with ferns breaking through cracks in the concrete and vines wrapping themselves around bridges and skyscrapers.

Enslaved’s one of the best new IP’s to come out this year. There are some problems but it’s strengths easily makes up for it’s downfalls and then some. It’s not one aspect of the game that makes it stand out, it’s how it embodies everything into a great experience from start to finish. You may feel like it’s just simply taking you on for the ride, but who’s complaining when it’s this entertaining. Ninja Theory are a developer to look out for. You’ll be a sucker not to miss out on this grand adventure or will I have to enslave you?