PlayStation 3

Enslaved: Odyssey to the West

Framför allt uppskattar jag Ninja Theorys känsla för dramaturgi och deras förståelse för att ögon, kroppsspråk och en vag darrning på rösten är uttryck som säger oss mer än vad bara ord kan förmedla. Det må vara rena självklarheter inom exempelvis teater eller film, men är fortfarande något som man kämpar med i spel. Här är Enslaved ett steg i rätt riktning, och om Ninja Theory får fortsätta arbeta efter sin egen vision kommer de att förändra sättet spel berättas på i grunden. Enslaved är inte bara en försmak av det, utan dessutom ett av årets vackraste och mest underhållande äventyr.

Like I stated in the opening, I knew very little about Enslaved a week ago. I've been caught up in waiting for this season's huge releases and counting the days until Fallout New Vegas's release, but Enslaved has turned out to be a welcome distraction. If you love a good science fiction tale wrapped around a gorgeous, post-apocalyptic world with some decent gameplay thrown into the mix, you should give Enslaved a try.

All in all, Enslaved is a wonderful game. Ninja Theory seems to have produced a well-paced, inventive action-adventure game with great cast and scripting. It is a shame then, that it doesn’t seem to have received the kind of praise and recognition it should have. However, the upside to this lack of praise is that you should be able to pick it up pretty cheap. If you want a game that is a little different, beautiful in its attention to character animations, scripting and graphics, then Enslaved is for you.

As a reviewer, it’s sometimes hard to assign a number to an experience, and Enslaved presents that challenge. It has flaws for certain, from dodgy controls and limited combat, to a conclusion that feels less like an ending and more like the story just ends. At times, it feels like the developers struggled to find the gameplay substance to completely support their narrative style - but it still manages to hold together. As a trip through an interesting, beautiful world covering ground that hasn’t been effectively tread in games, with a strong narrative and engaging, believable characters, it provides something unique this Fall. If you can look past its flaws, Enslaved might surprise you as much as it did me.

Enslaved: Odyssey to the West is a great example of how a gripping story and strong artistic design can overcome slight gameplay problems. Your movement is rough around the edges and you have to get through half of the game before the combat really shows off its true potential, but those are minor blemishes on this fine package. The well-realized characters are incredibly lifelike, using subtle animations and believable voice acting to make these digital beings feel almost real at times. Watching Monkey and Trip grow during their journey is eminently satisfying, and the link you create with them makes all of your actions carry that much more weight. Enslaved: Odyssey to the West is a great adventure that has just enough excitement and diversity in the gameplay to keep you engaged, while the striking visuals and memorable story push you through to the ultimate conclusion.

Enslaved is more than the sum of its parts, because despite its flaws and issues it’s still a fun game to play, and presents a fantastic big-budget adventure in a wonderfully unique gameworld inhabited by superbly realised characters. The whole production feels like it could do with a little more depth - outside of the narrative, it feels like there’s nothing going on below the surface - but this is still a fun, awe-inspiring and lavish eight hours of game that delivers plenty of its own style and flavour and is a fine addition to a busy genre.