Enslaved Review

Okay, so I've never written a review before but I had enough to say about Enslaved that I thought I should. Keep in mind that I wasn't planning to review it at the time, so this is more retrospective than in-depth. Thanks also to the reviewers at Gamespot, IGN, Joystiq and Kotaku from whose styles I am trying to learn.

For the score, I will give each section a rating between -5 and +5, where 0 is unremarkable, -5 is terrible and +5 approaches perfection.

Enslaved

To give the game its full title, Enslaved: Odyssey to the West is a single player tactical-action-adventure game from Ninja Theory, the developers of Heavenly Sword and Kung Fu Chaos.

Story

Enslaved is set in a future where humans are all but an endangered species. Deserted cities are being reclaimed by nature and abandoned mechs from a forgotten war litter the countryside. The plot concerns Trip, played by Lindsey Shaw, a tech-savvy girl taken away from her isolated home by slavers, and Monkey, a rough, lone survivor played by Lord of the Rings' Andy Serkis. Monkey's survival skills come in handy when Trip sabotages the ship that is transporting them cross country.

During his attempt to escape with Trip, Monkey is knocked out. Trip re-purposes a slaver's headband and attaches it to Monkey, who is now forced to do everything Trip says lest she cause him immense pain. If Trip were to be killed, Monkey would die as well. Trip then orders Monkey to take her home, over 300 miles away. So begins a tale fitting for a grand road-movie adventure in the tradition of Children of Men or Half Life 2 and its episodes.

Much has been made of the way that Enslaved approaches its story. The actual screenplay is fairly unoriginal – it borrows from the ancient Chinese novel “Journey to the West”, and the dialogue includes cinematic clichés (not necessarily bad). The way it is told, on the other hand, is outstanding.

The actors' portrayal of the characters (and for most of it there are only two, with a third later on) carry the story by their entire performance, not just dialogue. Eyes wander, lips quiver and arms shake to contribute to a multi-layered depiction of emotions. Because of this, the actual verbal exchanges in cut scenes are fairly limited. To someone who plays games often, it may at first seem anaemic, but compared to the bloated writing of otherwise great games such as the Metal Gear Solid series it is refreshing.

The lean storytelling contributes to the indie sci-fi feel of the game. This is not a world-saving mega epic, but a character study that happens to take place in a great speculative setting. It shows how well the characters were realised that when the – admittedly abrupt – ending came along I wanted to know what happened next.

As for how the story works in the video game medium, things are a little more mixed. Comparison to the Uncharted series is inevitable given its success in the action-adventure genre, and perhaps if Enslaved had been released before Among Thieves some of what it does would seem more revolutionary. The bulk of the narrative is told through cutscenes only, which is fine when the gameplay is cinematic enough, but often during Enslaved the game will hand you the controls back as if to say, “pause the movie, get past these enemies.” This isn't to say that Uncharted didn't have these moments, or that Enslaved doesn't have exciting in-game set pieces. The issue is that the “gamier” elements on display can counteract Enslaved's cinematic aspirations.

A Brief Digression

To make things clear, I do not hold it for or against a game if it tries to use the language of film as a way to tell a story. When I use the word “cinematic”, I am speaking positively of a game which uses that language.

This is not the only way to present a game though, and a game which doesn't attempt to be “cinematic” is not automatically less engaging than one that does. Enough of that for now, I'll leave this topic for a later article.

Gameplay

To compare Enslaved to the Uncharted series is not entirely unfounded. Both games feature vibrant environments, cinematic cutscenes and a propensity to break up the action with mostly linear but attractive platforming sections. Unfortunately, direct comparison is unfair to Enslaved, which doesn't have the polish of a first party title but has an interesting variety that lets it stand on its own.

The action mechanics of Enslaved have perhaps more in common with Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. The fighting is mostly button mashing with a few tricks to keep in mind when attacking certain enemies, and the bulk of Enslaved will be spent with an AI partner whose banter with the main character sets up an interesting relationship. However, where Farah was a strong woman who helped the Prince fight, Trip is more likely to cower in a corner. This is where the tactical elements come into play – Monkey can communicate with Trip to tell her to set up distractions and operate switches from hiding while he takes out the mechanical enemies. Some portions early in the game will require Monkey to pick Trip up, such as a memorable sequence where a boss chases the duo through the city ruins. Other sections will have the player commandeering turrets, firing Monkey's plasma staff at waves of mechs or moving machinery around to solve puzzles. There are also a few fun levels where Monkey can zoom around on his hover-board-like Cloud, though the difficulty of these is increased on occasion with timed objectives.

The aforementioned platforming sections are not very challenging until late in the game. There is generally only one way to go and the next handhold will have a shimmer in case you can't see it. Monkey obediently snaps into place after you press “jump” and the right direction. They are nice to look at and not boring, though they did make me wish for a time not too long ago when completing such a traversal was more complex and rewarding (see the Jak and Daxter series, the Ratchet and Clank series or the 3D Zelda games).

Enslaved is very linear except for some items that require focused hunting to find. It is also quite short, but its length is still commendable for these days: it took me about 12 hours to complete Enslaved on Normal difficulty and I'm sure a more experienced player could complete it faster.

Visuals

The art design of Enslaved is fantastic. From the overgrown ruins of New York to an abandoned mech factory in the wasteland, the game is always giving you something new to look at. Enslaved avoids the “real is brown and bloom” trend from yesteryear, instead opting to include many shades of green. Though the ancient-technology-surrounded-by-foliage look is far from original, the game does enough to distinguish itself almost by excess alone. Enslaved uses the Unreal Engine 3, presenting complex geometry and incredibly detailed textures that seek to pull you into the world.

Additionally, the animation is top notch. The motion capture experience that Serkis brought over from playing Gollum shows in his direction, all three central characters often saying more with body language than with their voice. The facial expressions are probably the most realistic I have ever seen in a game.

Enslaved as a program is not always apt at displaying these wondrous sights. Texture pop-in adds a plastic look to the beginning of some scenes. The frame rate isn't smooth, but by no means unbearable, and the audio can get out of sync with the animation. At times it seems like the game's excellent look is too ambitious for its performance.

Sound

The voice acting in Enslaved is very good. Considering the motion capture process used, it is hard to separate the actors' voices from their performance as a whole during cutscenes. The points in the game where the player is in control but Monkey and Trip are verbally sparring are well voiced.

Enslaved's original soundtrack is subtle and evocative to reinforce both the strange future in which the game is set and the lean but remarkable story. When it is found in gameplay sequences it moodily hums along in the background. During story sequences, mournful and striking strings complement computerised, electronic tones and driving percussion. There are also several repeating motifs such as a solemn melody, first heard on the main menu, and a more light-hearted theme for the connection that grows between Monkey and Trip. The presence of a wordless female singer in a few tracks links into the song that plays during the end credits.

Enslaved's environmental sound is also very good but inconsistent. A few times while I was playing, a scripted event (such as an explosion) would be set to silence. Otherwise, when it is working, the sound does its job and helps to increase the immersion into this beautiful post-apocalyptic world.

Satisfaction

The Odyssey to the West is not free of problems but is worth taking, thanks to the engaging world and the pioneering story. It is easy to lose oneself in Enslaved, and the “small” narrative with well rounded characters is a great reason to push to the end. I actually found myself thinking of Half Life 2, Beyond Good and Evil and Jak II whilst playing – it should be no small feat for a game to remind me of such a great list. The problem with comparison is that much of the “game” part of Enslaved has been done better elsewhere. I sincerely hope Enslaved can get a sequel to continue its brand of storytelling and improve on those parts that are playable.

Scores

Story: Despite an ending that seems typical of the speculative fiction genre, Enslaved's story is well told and a step in the right direction for cinematic storytelling in games. +3.5

Gameplay: The robot-bashing action of Enslaved may be uncomplicated for action game aficionados but it doesn't get stale over the course of the adventure. The environment traversal is also good example among modern action-adventures, but the real fun is to be had with the variety that the game throws at you. +2.5

Visuals: Enslaved has a stunning design that is marred by technical hiccups that break the immersion. +2

Sound: With a musical score that sits apart from traditional heroic adventure and soundscapes that draw you in, Enslaved's audio is well applied when it works. +3

Overall: Enslaved cannot compete with super-budget first party titles for its polish, but for what it means to the game industry, as well as it being just plain fun to discover, the game is very successful. +3