Originally pitched to studios as an idea for a Unreal Engine 3 powered feature film,Enslaved has instead landed on the PS3 and Xbox 360 in an unenviable position: an unknown game from a formerly console exclusive developer, in a sea of high profile sequels. At first blush, Enslaved might seem doomed to obscurity with minor control issues and the lack of a major first party push behind it. However, while Enslaved lacks some of the polish of its blockbuster competition, a strong script, great level design, and a unique look help Enslaved bring something different and interesting to the table.
Enslaved's story is set in a future after most of humanity has been destroyed. This is never really explained, but clues in the environment and off handed bits of conversation imply that there was a war involving mechs, and humans lost, one way or the other. You play as Monkey, a loner who grew up alone in the wilds of the post-apocalypse. After being captured by a group of slavers, Monkey is freed in the midst of another prisoner's escape. After crashing to the ground, Monkey finds himself enslaved - a young woman named Trip has bound Monkey to her will using a control headband, demanding that he help her find her way home. Monkey's fate is tied to Trip's. If her heart stops, he dies. And their journey begins.
Enslaved is a beautiful game, for the most part. Set in the post post-apocalypse, Ninja Theory has nonetheless filled the world of Enslaved with bright greens and reds, evoking a sense of a world moving past the end of humanity. Its character design is also strong and distinctive, though there is a certain amount of love it or hate it involved. Personally, I enjoyed the Chinese-fable-meets-Road-Warrior costumes and the animalistic mechs that feature prominently, and Ninja Theory manage to present destroyed but recognizable landmarks, barely skirting heavy-handed territory.
There are problems though. There are some bizarre graphical glitches and hiccups throughout the game. Occasionally cutscenes will break, leading to characters' voices acting without their bodies and other bizarre moments. There's also some major framerate issues throughout the game, particularly on the PS3. These range from distracting to debilitating from a gameplay perspective, but luckily, they're uncommon.
It's a SCARF, not a TAIL.
Less avoidable are controls that feel overly loose for an action game. Monkey takes much longer to respond to input from the controller than he should. We're talking visually noticeable delays in response for most actions. Heavenly Sword had a similar problem, and there's a learning curve as you grow to compensate for it.
Luckily, Enslaved's extensive platforming errs on the charitable side. In the post-post-apocalypse, there are massive obstacles that impede Trip and Monkey in their travels, and it's typically up to Monkey to get them past it. Monkey is capable of deft acrobatic feats, jumping from handhold to pole to ledge and back again, but there's never any danger involved (well, almost never). Instead, traversal tends toward puzzle more than platforming. Levels are designed to be figured out, save for scenes that will require Monkey to quickly find a way to Trip before Mechs can. Monkey is also responsible for moving Trip at times, whether that means throwing her up to ledges, or carrying her on his back when things become especially dangerous.
Enslaved's combat is less interesting. Monkey doesn't have much in the way of versatility with his energy-charged staff, though he certainly has enough skill to take care of any challenges thrown his way. There's just not much to mix things up or experiment, and the only real difference that rears its head in standard battles is the number and type of enemies you fight - and even those don't change up much.
There are exceptions. Certain areas require you to navigate acrobatic platforming sections while timing Trip's holographic distraction to allow you to make it into cover by the time it runs out, and others will see you engaging in ranged combat using Monkey's staff. These scenes are welcome deviations, as are the boss battles. It's as if Ninja Theory accounted for the sluggish response of their controls by making these sequences about strategy more than twitch gameplay - they tend toward setpiece spectacle.
And spectacle is Enslaved's greatest asset. From beginning to end, the next well orchestrated moment or event is never far away. Enslaved manages a steady pace of interesting experiences for approximately 11 hours, and its story pacing almost matches it. Whether through cutscene or incidental dialogue as Monkey and Trip navigate from place to place, Enslaved builds its characters methodically and organically as they struggle to survive and understand each other.
Quiet moments in Enslaved remain powerful.
Perhaps surprisingly, the relationship does develop. It begins as a perverted take on cooperation as Trip rigs Monkey's headband for command and control, linking her fate to his. Over time the story allows them to build a relationship that deftly avoids the easy cliches the setup would typically stumble into, instead allowing something believable and even moving at times. While the voice acting in Enslaved is excellent, this has just as much to do with some of the best facial animation in a game this generation. Characters emote convincingly, and allow Enslaved to explore their discovery, loss, and revelation effectively as a result - when you see someone cry, it's not presented by a shiny drop running down their face, it's shown in the way their whole face falls and turns.
Much has been made of Alex Garland's (the writer of movies like 28 Days Later and Sunshine, as well as the novel The Beach) contributions to Enslaved, and rightfully so. Enslaved's script is strong, humming along without either getting cut off at the knees by bizarre gameplay divergences or becoming overly bogged down in extended scenes of exposition. Kudos to Ninja Theory for bringing their writer into the design process and crafting game and story around each other, rather than shoehorning one into the other. Whenever the gameplay in Enslaved started to feel monotonous or I felt exhausted by its setpieces, its story kept me moving, kept me wondering, and kept me interested and playing.
THE VERDICT
As a reviewer, it’s sometimes hard to assign a number to an experience, and Enslavedpresents 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.
IGN RATINGS FOR ENSLAVED (PS3)
Rating
Description
out of 10
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