Enslaved: Odyssey to the west is a modern platform game comparable, to a certain extent, with games such as Beyond Good and Evil, God of War, and Jak: Renegade. The story was written by Alex Garland (The Beach) with voice acting from Andy Serkis (Lord of the Rings), and developed for Xbox 360 and PS3 by Ninja Theory. Namco were the publishers. I have a love hate relationship when it comes to the modern platformer. Even back when Spyro first started to roam around a 3D environment it was difficult pushing away from the idea of platformers being 2D or stuck to set paths like in Crash Bandicoot. So when games like Enslaved crop up I find myself wanting to tear them apart before I've even looked at them, but I cannot deny, that I love a good story, and the journey is just a small part of that. I'd like to talk about all the aspects of this game, but I'll limit myself to just two thousand words, otherwise you'd be getting all my crazy crackpot theories. I'm too critical when it comes to certain games being similar and too quick to say, 'they've stolen that from...' when really I should be saying, 'that's an interesting way of using that.'

Story: We're starting with the tale told because I feel that story should come first before any other aspect of the game. Enslaved is lucky because two active and interested artists wanted to make something special, something that wasn't just a game but an experience. Most people are familiar with the tale of Monkey, especially those of my parent's generation. The Monkey with a Bo-Staff that can fly on a cloud who teams up with a pig, a water demon and travels to discover a new land and his purpose. And if you're not familiar with Monkey, then you're more likely to know Goku and Dragonball. The tale is an old Chinese legend which Enslaved has gladly adapted into a futuristic apocalypse set in a crumbling, jungle New York. The monsters and enemies have been replaced with robot creations (Mechs) from a strange Pyramid corporation still building these abominable automatons years after the war which caused Earth's downfall. It's a story of trial, of pain and fractured trust. 

Monkey becomes enslaved by the female protagonist Trip, who he must defend and obey. If he move too far away, he dies, if he attacks her, he dies and if she dies... he dies. At first this seems like a terrible game mechanic but rarely gets in the way, but she will end up getting you killed more than the Mechs, in the end it helps you to feel the same bond that Monkey might. Stockholm syndrome, perhaps, but still creates a strong and valid relationship which we see smoothly running together, rather than being simply hacked together like some films do to get cheap drama and motivation for their stories. The two begin at odds with one another. Trip does have Monkey's life in her hands, and she put him in that situation, but the relationship makes sense, especially given the landscape they live in. The slavers and the Mechs make a strange sort of sense too, certainly the number of these bestial robots is not up for question, they are recycled, remade, and simply ancient rusting hulks that have functioned for centuries. 

What perhaps doesn't make sense is the length of time it took to introduce the character Pigsy. Almost halfway though the game he makes an appearance, and suddenly is revealed, not only as a major part of Trip's past, but as a potential love rival. Strange since he was never mentioned up until a few moments before he needed to be found. Of course anyone who knows the tale of Monkey would be expecting a pig at some point, but I feel he was introduced just a little too late. That said, the relationship between Monkey and Pigsy is established quickly as a love triangle with Trip. With Pigsy keen to show off his superior survival abilities, and mostly getting himself into pain. It's clear, after an emotional point in the game, that Pigsy was introduced so late as a comedic ploy to help ease the tension away, but also to advance the final part of the game in a more realistic way. He is a mechanical expert after all. 

The main theme throughout the game is movement. Most scenes require constant movement to complete goals, most areas are falling and Monkey has to move if he's gonna live, the most dangerous opponents are too strong to simply stand still and bash away at and even when things seem to calm down and come to a rest, the crew are forced to move on again and again. Survival, keeping on the move, never stopping, never resting. In the end the story is tragically beautiful and has a surprising, difficult but satisfying ending.

Graphics: The character Monkey was well designed. Even if his shape is somewhat oddly proportioned he at least has a look which makes you think Ape, if not Monkey, his crouched stance, fidgeting movements are familiar to out simian cousins, but the truly amazing aspect to his design is the little sash around his waist which flicks and twists in the wind much like a monkey's tail. Even his hair is styled in a way reminiscent to a Spider Monkey's.

Trip is actually well created for a female protagonist. It's remarkable that they managed to withhold the standard theme in games to dress them provocatively, enhance their attributes to impossible sizes and then make then super-confident, ultra-women. Trip is normal, sane, and a little naive. She isn't as worldly as Monkey, and it shows, she is also more vulnerable and this aspect of her design comes across well. She has dressed to survive, not to impress. Her collection of gadgets are delicate and pretty, which adds to her vulnerable attributes.

Pigsy is an exact opposite to Monkey. He's more direct, less thoughtful, prefers long distance to head on attacks and is short of stature and wide of stomach. His design is a little less subtle, but this works well because there's nothing subtle about this character; even his approach with Trip was direct. He has various wounds on his body which has resulted in mechanical enhancements. For some reason he decided to shape his missing nose and right ear into the same shape as a pig's. Obviously this has been done to keep in line with the original tale of Monkey, but even if I knew nothing about that story, I'd still be happy with the theme of animal attributes defining body shape and personality. However I don't think pigs are quite as perverse as Pigsy.

To suit the tragically beautiful story the game has some wonderful, sad areas for the characters to explore. My favorite had to be the abandoned theatre. There was something about the decaying glamor which seemed to suit the world the creators were trying to build. Everything which was once meaningful to the old society was now just a useless rotting building. No one sat in the hundreds of seats to watch plays, no one entered the building for there was no food or drink, the joy of acting, hearing stories of art was lost in this world. Other areas, such as the Mech Graveyard became another story all together, an unspoken story shown in the surroundings; If I look back at the game I would probably see that each area was made to tell a story in itself. Be that the destruction of the ecosystem, man's causing it's own downfall, life finding a way and the hazard of closed ecosystems.

Sound: The soundtrack is mostly otherworldly, gentle and soothing in some places, course and harsh in others. I don't have the vocabulary to describe how sounds make me feel but in this game I would say that the music is used to convey certain emotions to the player. I know that's the general reason music is used in games and films, but I don't think I've ever heard music which instills the feeling of curiosity so well as some of the scenes in Enslaved. The absence of music was also used well, sometimes to show safety, other times to enhance the feeling of dread, or suspense. I do remember a great feeling of joy the first time the game lets you properly ride the cloud, the music accenting the experience in ways I can't describe. It's not even complex music either, simple chords and the occasional rocking piece, there was no cop out, get a hip-hop track here, put some heavy metal in this part to make it seem scary and action packed, just well chosen, well placed music.

Sound effects are much easier to describe because, lets face it, they're a small but important part of the experience. What else can I say other than there's no glaring problems, no unexpected use of wooden noises when you expect a metal clunk. Pigsy's sniper rifle sound realistic, Monkey's Bo-staff makes satisfying smacking noises as it beats against the head of a Mech, and the Dragonfly has a distinctive sound that could only be described as somewhere between a camera and an insect, as one would imagine. The fact that Mechs don't make much of a sound when you beat them, is also a good thing. There's no repetitive cries, no last spoken words or annoying phrases being yelled at your character. Just almost silent assassins attempting to kill the player, the way you'd expect a robot to be.

Addictiveness: I would say there's very little addictiveness in this game. Not because it's terrible, not because combat is rotten and certainly not because the game is boring; because none of that would be true. The problem is that the story is too memorable and satisfying that you'll remember it even if you've left the game alone for a while. The lack of difficulty is also a problem, most players will be able to breeze through this game once they discover all the little tricks for each enemy. The fact that the game's upgrade mechanic is based on collectibles, which can be lost as you progress, means that it can be frustrating when you can't upgrade something later because you missed one or two orbs in a 'race' mission a while back. Really when it comes down to it, if you ever want to replay this game it'll be the same sort of feeling as when you want to reread a good book, or watch a favored movie again.

Difficulty: I wouldn't call this a hard game, perhaps a little difficult to begin with, but later quite easy once you're used to the attack modes the Mech offer, however the difficultly does progress at a decent level, while at first the environment offers little in the way of danger, later on it becomes just as equally problematic as the Mech hordes. The fluid motion of battle, which can be achieved with practice, really allows for this difficulty level to be stomped flat, however. I will say that boss battles are varied, but somewhat repetitive.

Depth: I cam to this game skeptical. Even though I had played the demo. The only reason I bought it was because it was in a 3 for £15 offer. I thought I was going to hate it, I never thought I'd find myself immersed in a slow burning, but gripping tale, of two people and their fat, loyal friend. The story is basically based on Monkey and Trip's relationship turning from Capture and Captive to friends and then... something more. The apocalyptic backdrop is just a setting to this story and not explained much. However there is a vibrant history, and hidden story, in each and every landscape. Even with the limited information given by the characters you're soon able to understand, or at least guess, what happened in the past, what caused the end of days. The environments draw you in just like the story. You find yourself wanting to explore, and getting benefits for doing so in the shape of experience and ammo. The characters too bring us deeper into the world, waiting for that moment when Pigsy will show up, wondering just what Trip's home will look like, and if Monkey will have the strength to get her there.

I recommend this game for anyone who's interested in Eastern history, good stories and Andy Serkis. This game is a brilliant blend of action and adventure, mystery and technology. This is a truly wonderful retelling of Monkey's tale, with a few happy surprises and brilliantly introduced aspects of the old story. There are wonderful visuals, the music is used to great effect and the characters have appealing traits that make you want to see their stories though. The environments and mechanical apocalypse make for an interesting back story to the main story. The creatures are well designed to instill fear, or aggression, depending on their use. While the game might be a slow burner, and maybe a little too slow for some, I still think Enslaved has a little something for everyone.