Ninja Theory has taken its first step in the design of multiplayer games
with this Enslaved: Odyssey to the West where they take us on a journey
to the West revisited. It’s not quite by chance that Namco has
partnered with the UK Studio Ninja Theory for delivery of this famous
Enslaved. Indeed, the editor does not hide seek more Western audiences.
In these circumstances it is always so meaningful to propose a rereading
of the very free travel in the West and not to place the action in
China’s medieval romance but in a futuristic America. This starting
point is all the more surprising that the universe before us is a
thousand leagues from the traditional post-apocalyptic worlds.
While a disaster has totally ravaged civilization and humanity is likely
on the brink, but in the ruins of our society nature gradually returns
to its rights and offers us the landscape at once devastated and
bucolic. The last survivors live in small communities trying to protect
themselves as best as possible onslaught of mysterious mechanical
creatures. Indeed, these robots kill or capture the humans they are on
their way. They even organize real raids to enslave them.
Enslaved is a journey in a post-apocalyptic world, ours, but is
characterized by an unusual beauty in their surroundings. Instead of
showing a desert world, dead, we find that nature has conquered the
ancient cities. It tracked the great buildings that created humanity,
but they belong to a period so distant that the wild life has been
recovering the cement space had stolen. What about humans?
Humanity is a civilization that can be almost considered lost. Water, in
fact, is fatally contaminated and mechanically patrols robots attacking
everything that moves. Old mills are still armed with his old routine.
We know a Monkey and Trip, which are but two slaves fleeing to the
shelter looking for a course, which is the only hope of all those
survivors. As we see, the plot has traces of Logan’s Run and Twelve
Monkeys, to name a few popular examples, but the fact is that the two
basic proposals have appeared in dozens of novels and science fiction
films, which does not stop winning certain personality and offer a good
development, although much of this task lies with the original character
design (with some pretty bizarre side), and settings, all to tell an
epic journey toward the hope of freedom and a better life.
In Enslaved, there are again two characters that are totally opposites.
It is not under the best auspices that this couple will get acquainted.
Indeed, after both escaped from a slave ship where they were detained by
robots, they will fail in a New York nightmare where there are only
traces of human presence. Therefore, to survive, the frail Trip will,
taking advantage of his ignorance, his companion in misfortune dress up
an electronic device that will bind their fates. Therefore, they are in
constant communication and if one of them had to die, the other would
immediately follow in his doom. The player controls only Monkey, so it
will accrue to him that the task of ensuring that Trip can proceed
safely in this universe.
In the field playable, that translates into sections of platform, combat
and exploration with a touch of puzzles, a very common combination that
looks cool with the presence of two characters … except for the fact
that the truth is something increasingly novel. Therefore, in a market
that is more mature, which may interest us is that things you do do them
well. The adventure begins when Trip gets triggered an explosion that
will allow the young escape from the transport of slaves who ended up
being a prisoner … but not alone, because Monkey is the other side of
this coin. Trip is weak, but intelligent, Monkey is strong, but does not
seem a very smart guy, very.
The relationship between the characters, we see, not exactly the
standard adventure games in these two bands, and the progress of it is
part of the advance of history. In addition, we can see the
relationship, in fact, change over time through the careful attention
that has been in areas such as facial expression or body of the duo, not
only among themselves but also their reactions to the environment, and
what happens. In fact, the animations are part of more elaborate aspects
of the title, perhaps a legacy of its original link with cinema.
That brings us to another major aspect of the game: the scenes. It is
difficult to excel in this area, either by the spectacle of the most
cutting-edge graphics engines, or for the good work of artists in
today’s blockbusters, but Enslaved manages to surprise again, and
without resorting to pyrotechnics. The scenes not only provide a clear
narrative component, but tell us much about what happens in the minds of
the characters, what they feel … There is something more than
dialogue and image together, it is a truly cinematic concept that is not
always well understood in the design of these scenes in video games,
and help understand the actions of Trip, and create an emotional bond
with both characters.
It is in a transport of slaves, a giant flying ship that begins your
adventure. You play as Monkey, a loner who compensates for his lack of
courtesy and common sense by colossal strength and agility uncommon. All
his muscles do it not of great help to escape the capsule in which it
was contained. Fortunately for him, a pretty redhead named Trip has
managed to hack his cell and to trigger the destruction of the vessel in
which they are located. The adventure begins as an explosive running
forward in the hope of escape from the carriage before he left
completely shattered. Trip to the beautiful not to be very cooperative,
you will come anyway to leave the ship narrowly in his company. Your
troubles do, however, that since the first lady does not find anything
better to do than to enjoy a moment of weakness for you dress up a slave
ring. This strange device forces you to obey his orders and intimately
binds you to it: if his heart stopped, comes immediately discharge you
grill neurons. You are therefore obliged to protect and help him regain
his focus.
The combat system is perhaps the least bright of the game, because it is
very basic and poorly designed. It may have been deliberately sought so
as not to unbalance the other aspects, but gameplay is dull. Monkey has
a couple of moves at first, and then we’ll unlock more, as we go, but
in practice it is certain that there is no need to resort to many
resources. A couple of hits, evasive movement, and back again. He has
good pace and is spectacular on the screen usually, but lacks much depth
gameplay to be offset by other aspects.
The spectacular is achieved not only by the effects and enemies, but
because the camera is placed very close, perhaps too much, and sometimes
difficult peripheral vision. It does not give many problems, but would
have felt better playable farthest position to facilitate things and not
give just any nasty surprises. Visual effects are added, as the
appellant slow at times, and can be enjoyed either of them because,
unfortunately, rarely pose a real challenge. When they do is once we
have come a long way, and that the difficulty curve is evident, but the
feeling is passing through a very slow initial rate and stagnant at
times. Once the enemies are smarter, numerous and strong, the experience
improves substantially.
You’ll understand the game revolves around the relationship between
these two characters. This is not the first time a title puts forward a
duet for us to attach ourselves more with the protagonists. Also note
that in this case a third robber also invite each party in the second
half of the adventure. As its name suggests, Pigsy is a character that
looks like pig whose charm is nowhere near that of Trip, but it gives
you some significant raids using his sniper rifle. Note nevertheless
that this joker will keep a secondary role in your small group and that
the heart of the game will lie still in the relationship between Monkey
and Trip. In fact, you can directly give orders to it by pressing the
left trigger. You can ask him to perform some basic actions as you
follow, stay put or actuating mechanisms … It is somewhat more useful
if it creates a hologram that entertains instant enemies. Finally, it
can heal you have provided valuable bulbs health, or enhance your
features thanks to tech-orbs that you collect in levels or on the
carcasses of your mechanical adversaries.
The platform sections are quite interesting in Enslaved, as they have a
major puzzle component because, although the environments are quite
open, there is really only one possible path by which they can go and
Monkey Trip (remember the limitations imposed). So you have to think,
move, and be careful with environmental hazards and traps that will
surprise us. It was feared the worst since a close relationship also
bound Trip to Monkey. Do not worry, the gun should never be transformed
into the ball and made sure the lady is not a handicap in terms of
gameplay. In general, the girl knows how to avoid trouble and she has
all ways a transmitter EMI who will stun the robots trying to tickle a
little too close. Stages where you must play the bodyguard are quite
well fed and constructed so as not to undermine your patience. Note that
you still need to occasionally take on your back to help them through
difficult passages or to engage in corners raised.
Most of the time the girl is doing well enough alone and you will just
have to juggle and to calm the ardor of some robots open the way for
him. Moreover Monkey spends most of his time to cling to ledges or beams
to move in the ruined buildings of this post-apocalyptic world. These
phases a platform strongly suggests that one might find in a modern
Prince of Persia, specifically in the episode simply titled Prince of
Persia. These antics are well attended and you see the first glance the
doodads that you can hang. Indeed, they are represented highlighted. In
these final stages are particularly easy, but we will not complain
unduly, since this does your progress as more fluid and impressive.
The handling is not intuitive at least combat phases. Indeed, when
Monkey engages an enemy in hand-to-body, and it automatically locks
every time you wear it will in his direction. In these conditions you
can even overcome some camera problems that sometimes have trouble
following the action. Reference to Journey to the West obliges Monkey
fights with a retractable baton. When he is in contact with the two
basic commands are a single shot and a powerful blow. By combining them
or by long pressing the buttons you get a range of combos relatively
conventional scans or even charges destabilize your enemies for a short
time. You can also use a shield to block or parry blows while driving
fast on the ground.
In short you’ve got a classic battle system that benefit but effective
camera movement’s dynamic gain in intensity. Monkey is not taken by
surprise when his targets are not directly at hand, it can also use his
stick to throw projectiles. You can get two types of ammunition: some
are explosive, while others will cripple your opponent. Use them
sparingly as you only have a stock rather limited. Note again that it is
possible to take control of fixed automatic turrets, machine guns to
pull the arm of some enemy, or to transform others into real bombs. The
only regret is the lack of diversity of robots that you attack; it also
falls several times on bosses like.
In addition, several bosses scattered throughout the adventure, and are
an interesting and fun challenge, without exception, although usually
not a significant increase in the difficulty. The moments of pure puzzle
stop development, but it is when we most need to take out the duo of
characters, using the qualities of both, so they are also fun and
entertaining. The tension is maintained during the ten hours of game
that will give us both narrative developments as playable. Missing, yes,
some incentives to enhance replayability.
Visually, Enslaved manages to be attractive and have personality, with
environments that vary more than one expects in its early stages to
traverse distinct scenarios, but always beautiful. Forms a variety of
art that also manages to be coherent and functional, with a technical
section that does not disappoint at all. In addition, the evolving
relationship between Trip and Monkey, as mentioned, can also be seen
visually, by the body and facial expression, showing great attention to
detail by the developers. The animations are also of great quality, but
playing against them is the instability of the frame rate per second,
resulting in frequent failures in it.
The pace of the adventure aspect and its razzle-dazzle, however, take
care of us quickly forget such minor defects. Indeed Enslaved is not in
half measures quickly immersing ourselves in a city of New York both
sublime and totally unrecognizable. This is not so much a technical
standpoint the graphics prove bluffing, if we look closer we notice that
even the textures often lack finesse. It is rather the overall design
and exquisite detail in the sets that leave no voice. In the ruins of
the city, we meet both a beautiful old tree and many wild animals that
run away when we arrived, as posters or tags that give us some details
about the disaster that was because of our civilization. The adventure
is also served by a particularly dynamic staging that will leave you
little time to breathe. It is indeed not very appropriate to do
somersaults in half collapsed buildings and it will often happen that
you’ll suddenly take. The game is then to climb to safety before the
decor does parte crumbs.
The sound has a soundtrack that accompanies us to create appropriate
atmosphere of tension and areas we cover, highlighted by his style and
personality, but have neglected the effects and voices. We feel
undoubted influence in this film directed muscular. It is therefore not
surprised to find an actor confirmed, Andy Serkis, behind the movements
Monkey or a renowned writer, Alex Garland, behind the twists of the
adventure. Similarly the whole is supported by a superb music signed
Nitin Sawhney. Unfortunately the soundtrack is not as perfect as one
would hope because the level of voice and some sounds are strangely too
low. Similarly progress will sometimes be marred by a few bugs. Trip
poor example may be found wedged into the background, forcing you to
restart from last save point. Ultimately these defects deprive some
Enslaved to perfection but not prevent some players enjoy this engaging
and dynamic way that is worth trying.
Conclusion:
Enslaved is a game with obvious charm, worn by a duo, a world and an
atmosphere well above average. It has some weaknesses in its design, as
none of their styles get playable dawn, and there are unsatisfactory
aspects evident. However, the set works very well and is a rewarding and
fun title, with a good story told with unusual success. Frankly,
Enslaved is not a title that is conspicuous by its originality: it takes
up recipes that have already proven in Prince of Persia or Uncharted,
but he does it well. In the end, despite some minor technical flaws, one
is amazed at its staging dynamic and we are seduced by its refined
design.
