Review: 'Enslaved - Odyssey to the West'

There’s no apocalypse quite like this one…

In a genre positively gagging upon grim, archaic wastelands dominating endless sprawls of brown, Enslaved: Odyssey to the West is such a massive breath of fresh air in the world of post-apocalypse that you’ll be temporarily struck dumb by the sheer amount of gorgeously bright colours popping up all over your screen. Even more surprising, however, would be the fact that this vibrant action-platformer also plays host to such a thumpingly good story, expertly crafted by the likes of The Lord of the Ring’s Andy Serkis and following the exploits of thuggish slave Monkey as he attempts to get his technological whiz-kid captor home. It’s the sort of tale that has been told a thousand times before but is approached with such heart, charm and phenomenally brilliant, subtle acting that it’s almost impossible not to become completely mesmerised once again as you race through a game that (though still rough around the edges), is undeniably compelling.

Hypnotic

As in most like-minded titles, you’ll largely be dividing your time between hefty brawls, free-run platforming a la Prince of Persia and the occasional, brain-teasing puzzle for good measure, and in an overall sense this works out pretty well; the combat, for instance - while a mite on the shallow side and lacking some variety both in combo and enemy type - is rarely short of hypnotic due to frequently overwhelming odds forcing you to utilise enemy weakness rather than a desperate hammering of buttons to survive, ludicrously nasty boss-fights very capable of pounding you into dust and an unexpectedly useful, appealing AI partner who will lend a dash of tactics to proceedings as you struggle to make it through a game that absolutely nails impressive set-pieces and great, whip-crack pacing. What’s more, it’s to the developer’s credit that even if the accompanying parkour never really takes off (rarely tasking you with anything other than leaping dully from illuminated handhold to handhold), things are still engaging due to stunning animations and challenges that require quick reactions - not to mention spot-on timing - when avoiding the myriad traps, foes and environmental dangers that will be thrown your way in abundance toward the end of the game. That’s without mentioning the multitude of other activities providing suitable distraction, of course; you’ll often find the pace freshened considerably by the likes of vehicle sections putting you in control of a nippy little hover-craft or in the turret of an on-rails shooting gallery.

Wonky

To be honest, the only place in which Enslaved really falls down at all would be with a wonky camera that repeatedly attempts to get you killed by diving behind scenery at the most inopportune moment and overly sensitive controls that mean it’s almost impossible not to tank into the nearest wall every two minutes until you’ve gotten used to a particularly finicky system.

If you’re in the mood for one feel-good action game buoyed up by a story that will stay with you far beyond the credits, though, then don’t hesitate in picking up Enslaved; it’s the perfect remedy for an over-abundance of familiar, FPS online leviathans despite it’s flaws and, in a nutshell, is exactly the sort of heart-warming title you need when the bitterly cold Holiday season sets in.

The Bottom Line

Proving to be one of the biggest surprises of the year so far by quite some way, Enslaved - Odyssey to the West is a amazingly engaging, touching and thrilling title that aptly shows just how effective story can be in a game. The script is fantastic, the acting is spot-on and the direction is superb, but when it’s mixed with such mesmerising set-pieces and utterly spell-binding action, the end-result is immensely hard put it down. Well worth a look.

Rating: 84%
(Great)