Review of the game enslaved odyssey to the west. Enslaved: Odyssey to the West - the bright colors of disaster. Review. ⇡ Romance of emptiness
The harsh world after the Third and Fourth World Wars - a world immersed in the realm of wilderness, buried under layers of soil and wild palm trees. You will find out what challenges the world of Enslaved is preparing for us in our review!
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Ninja Theory, a studio with six years of experience and three big games in the track record, thanks to the status of an independent British company and excellent, even at the start of the current generation of consoles, it was not a shame to equate with well-known fellow countrymen - if not Lionhead, then at least until Evolution Studios(authors of the series) they have grown up.
In 2010, the British finally outgrew their own status as talented “catching up” players, and they did it extremely in an original way. Now, as you read this text, in the bowels of the studio with an eerie noise, accompanied by the howling of hundreds of thousands of fans of the infantile blond Dante, the process of creative rethinking of the legendary Japanese series is taking place (in particular, a change in the appearance of the hero as directed by Capcom). At the same time, everyone who managed to distract themselves for a minute from premature angry attacks against the eastern publisher is probably already getting to the credits. The great hero’s new hairstyle doesn’t smell shocking here, but the creative handwriting of herself is clearly visible Ninja Theory.
Unlike, a kind of blank slate (unless, of course, you remember the uneven Kung Fu Chaos), behind there were mountains of ideas that were just asking for circulation. But it was also worth understanding that old developments will shine only if there is a powerful script foundation: three years ago, the developers literally made a fortune on the theme of Eastern mythology, and this time they needed something no less original. For example, the apocalypse. Yes, not simple, but “green” - with the complete burial of civilization under the thick of the tropics.
Clearly sensing the thin ice under their feet (lately the theme of a complete return to nature has not been really explored even in films), the people responsible for the plot built the most textured background possible. Events take place in the distant future, after the Third and Fourth World Wars. Humanity is oppressed by intelligent killer machines, while the world around them is a giant, impenetrable jungle. A radical split in society is included: typical muscular savages and scientific intelligentsia live in different territories, while slave traders stand apart.
Our heroes first meet aboard a majestic slave ship. They leave the air prison, as expected, by escaping, after which they begin to selflessly make plans to overthrow the “iron” oppression. Everything is normal, except for one detail: Trip is a representative of that same intelligentsia and is also a computer genius, while her newly-made travel companion Monkey is a student of the wild, who in all appearances resembles a Neanderthal. Without each other, of course, they are nowhere, so the girl decides to play it safe and installs a cruel slave control system for her “friend”: as soon as Monkey takes the wrong step, his head begins to split under the influence of an iron hoop.
There are only three full-fledged characters for the entire game, so nothing prevented the writers from focusing on the piquant relationships of the main characters. Protagonist played and voiced by longtime partner Ninja Theory Andy Serkis, is demonstratively angry and constantly jokes - you rarely meet such living characters in games, and for the mere charisma of a witty savage with a two-meter spear, you are happy to forgive a lot for a not-so-original plot. And most importantly, almost all the dialogues are strictly functional: both humor and drama are skillfully dosed in the replicas, respectively, discussions are conducted strictly to the point, for the sake of the general plot.
Plus, of course, the spark of a magical adventure, which we were waiting for in the first place. When the characters are at the start new mission discussing a plan of action and scouting out the area, and somewhere in the distance you can see a leaning rusty tower with a windmill, the path to which is paved with concrete slabs on top of thickets of wild bushes with a lake nearby - you feel completely indecent delight. I want to forget about everything and go there, to the West. It’s a pity that by the end the developers still don’t present us with anything interesting - there are fewer and fewer amazing sunny views, and more and more stupid multi-story metal structures that brazenly violate all ideas about what a real fairy tale is.
However, it is the complexity and ramification of the scenery that are the keys to the success of the gameplay. Much more situations are built on the interaction of heroes than a modern console action game can afford without the possibility co-op playthrough. The most depressing thing is that Monkey is a much more universal character than his red-haired girlfriend and the hero’s notorious addiction is nothing more than a simple convention. For us, this fact turns into a real routine: during the passage of particularly spacious levels, Trip needs to be thrown over chasms and placed on ledges almost every minute. Disobedience is often punished by injury to the skull.
The girl, in turn, diligently studies the data on her favorite computer, occasionally distracting herself from the holographic screen in order to hack the security system for the passage to the next location or politely hint to her partner where to run/climb/jump next.
From a gameplay point of view, this is where the usefulness of a tech-savvy young lady, however, does not end. The point is in the original pumping system: the purchase of new techniques and investments in physical characteristics are made, it seems, with the help of the same ill-fated computer that helps Trip control the “reluctant volunteer.” All upgrades are tied to a special menu, which, by the way, is quite logical - they won’t be allowed to play as the owner of the ingenious device anyway, and the protagonist himself is unlikely to know how to use something more complex than a toaster (and even then in the form of a throwing weapon - approx. editor).
This same menu, by the way, stores options for enabling context-sensitive instructions: while running under heavy fire from a turret, we can, by lightly pressing a button, transfer enemy fire to a comrade in a skirt (who, meanwhile, begins to actively distract the enemy with all sorts of screams and waves) and calmly move towards goals. In a similar way, it is not difficult to “tell” the heroine that it is time to run further, while at the same time drawing the shooter’s attention to herself. Such tactical maneuvers are executed without a single hitch, and there is almost no need to criticize the clumsiness of the characters. And, to be honest, there is no time - robots are impartial and tireless creatures, they strike on the spot, you just have to stick out the top of your head.
Especially when you consider that the tricks described above are the main and only echo of the “strategic battles”, about which Ninja Theory so kindly sprayed in every second pre-release interview. The battles with the robots themselves - the worst part. The situation is very reminiscent of the absurd discrepancy that arose two years ago between presentations and the game itself: terminators, in theory complex mechanisms, with dozens weak points, were destroyed monotonously and without unnecessary thought on our part. It’s the same here, only with a discount on the genre (slasher) and fatalities (very spectacular tearing off of limbs; in some cases you can tear a machine gun off a half-dead carcass). There are two monotonous types of strikes, purchasable techniques (of which we recommend purchasing only one, but the most expensive), rolls and block. It is noticeable that the developers, by tradition, took a course on European slashers (like ), but instead on Japanese ones - high jumps and agility for Monkey are definitely more familiar qualities than picturesque, leisurely brutality.
Fights with ordinary robots, with which the game torments you in a surprisingly inventive way at first, quickly flow into a mini-sandbox with the search for the optimal path. minefield. Afterwards - covering your partner with a heavy machine gun, escaping from a giant mechanized dog, surfing on a glider over the life-affirming ruins of a bridge and... the methods of seducing the player practically dry up.
Something not very pleasant needs to be explained here. Ideally, this is not an odyssey at all, but a two-hour set of extremely juicy action sketches, crowned with a minute-long battle scene between a gigantic metal colossus and an equally impressive scorpion robot, who came here for a glimpse from “.” But in a very obvious mistake (do you think it's easy to make a budget on a two-hour game?) all this turned out to be a humiliatingly thin layer spread over eight hours of gameplay. Thus, the main thing we have to do in the breaks between contemplating the dazzlingly beautiful world and watching brilliant cut-scenes with gorgeous dialogues is to yawn, waiting for the next burst of designer imagination.
Yawn and jump. The acrobatics are most reminiscent of the corresponding part, freed from the insipid direction. On the one hand, thanks to the masterful camera, which captures extremely adrenaline-fuelled angles, even during modest jumps on beams you feel like an acting star of circus sketches. On the other hand, we are very limited in our actions (for example, it’s almost impossible to break loose) and in fact we only choose the direction of the hero. All this makes acrobatics extremely spectacular, but completely unnecessary entertainment, the existence of which outside the scope of the task may not even be remembered.
The game turned out to be modest enough to give it a little less than 70% with a clear conscience. But the diligence and talent of the developers, coupled with a powerful cast, sometimes work wonders. Before us is the best way to escape from the gray autumn reality - with sun, humor and Andy Serkis.
Publication date: 10/11/2010 19:44:20
After the release of the dynamic action Heavenly Sword from Ninja Theory, many gamers were waiting for the continuation of the story of the warlike Nariko, but the developers decided to direct their efforts to create an absolutely new game- . Unlike the studio’s previous creation, in this project crowds of opponents will no longer await us at every turn, but defeating an individual enemy is no longer so easy.
If I die, you will die too
Game plot Enslaved: Odyssey to the West based on an ancient Chinese novella, Journey to the West, published in the 1590s without attribution. In the 20th century, the opinion was established that the book was written by the scribe Wu Cheng'en. Only the directors game project moved events to a futuristic post-war world, replacing evil demons with robots.
In the future, the vastness of which is revealed to us by the guys from Ninja Theory, almost the entire population of planet Earth was destroyed. The remaining people have to constantly fight for survival, because after the end of the war there were many combat robots left all over the earth. Their main task is to kill people, which they try to do when they find them in the immediate vicinity.
By “riding” a stationary turret you can easily riddle enemies.
The main characters of the game are Monkey and Trip- two completely opposite personalities. Monkey is a huge guy who grew up wild and learned to survive in an aggressive world. Trip is a fragile girl from a peaceful settlement who is very knowledgeable about electronics and computers. They were both captured by "slave traders", but the ship carrying them was wrecked. Miraculously, the heroes are saved, but Trip has to put the “slave hoop” she specially reprogrammed on the guy. He forces Monkey to carry out all her orders, and if the girl dies for any reason, the guy's death will occur at the same moment.
It is in the role of the enslaved Monkey that the main character plays, who, in addition to caring for his life, will have to constantly monitor the safety of his companion.
And who said that without humanity, life on the planet will die?
Most games set in a post-war world where almost the entire human population has perished depict desolate, gray landscapes with ruins. Only the developers Enslaved: Odyssey to the West decided to move away from this trend, and for most of the game you can enjoy colorful landscapes filled with flowers and other green vegetation. It’s clear that the ruins of the former civilization have not disappeared anywhere, it’s just that nature has slowly but surely begun to restore its order everywhere, absorbing the gray houses of megacities.
Graphically, all this is done on the highest level. The landscapes are breathtaking - destroyed New York, the remains of a huge bridge, a robot dump, Trip's native settlement. Looking at everything up close, you can see the smallest details, and in the destroyed houses there are even photographs of their former inhabitants.
Attack of the Clones, or Invasion of Conveyor Robots
One of the main disadvantages Enslaved: Odyssey to the West is a small set of enemies. Although they don’t appear here in the hundreds, as in some projects released recently, the monotony simply kills the interest in fighting after just a couple of hours of play. The developers only had enough imagination for a few modifications of robots - there are only four types, except for the fact that each of them can be with or without a shield. The meager “robot fleet” is supplemented by stationary turrets and four types of bosses.
Very unusual for modern games there seem to be moments where the player has to fight the same bosses multiple times. Moreover, this is not done in the form of “beat and beat the boss, but didn’t finish off”, but after destroying one huge dog there is a chance to meet another one exactly the same at the next level. And this can be repeated several times, which causes even more negative feelings than ordinary enemies of the same type.
Anyone who gets in the way of this giant will have a hard time.
The same monotony, as in the case of enemies, awaits all players in the combat system. Main character Enslaved completely refuses to learn various combinations. To the standard short series of attacks from a weak and exiled attack, as you level up, only the possibility of a counterattack, a strike after a successful dodge, and a special series of attacks are added after Monkey’s “cane” lights up. By the way, the weapon received at the very beginning will not be allowed to change at all. Unless you can take the machine gun away from the unfortunate robot for a couple of minutes - you simply cannot keep it for yourself to further transform walking pieces of iron into a sieve.
Trip is in charge of improving Monkey's equipment, although for this he will have to collect technological spheres scattered throughout all levels. In addition, they drop out in sufficient quantities from defeated robots. Improvements available include: increasing health, regeneration speed, developing shield power, unlocking additional attacks, and upgrading ranged weapons. The most useful thing is a shield, which is simply necessary when running across zones under fire from robots.
The name Monkey completely suits the main character
In addition to quickly boring battles with a few opponents, to complete each level you need to cover the distance from point A to point B. Of course, you won’t be able to run on flat terrain - you’ll have to jump over ruins, solve puzzles with sliding bridges and even ride on the blades of a huge windmill . Distinctive feature The acrobatic part of this game is that it is almost impossible to fall and crash. The hero simply will not want to jump off a cliff if there is nothing below to grab onto. This may upset some gamers a little, but it will seriously save nerves because you don’t have to try to cross the gap several times in an attempt to get to a place where it’s basically impossible to get to.
Acrobatic abilities of the main character Enslaved: Odyssey to the West so well developed that any tracer would envy him. Monkey (or “monkey” in English) easily jumps over gorges of a good ten meters and is able to climb steep walls with holds at a distance of several meters from each other. Trip is not endowed with such abilities, so she will have to literally be thrown over particularly large chasms and thrown onto high ledges.
Having disarmed the enemy, the hero mercilessly shoots off his head.
As for the animation of the characters while performing all these acrobatic stunts, the author really did their best here. Both during jumps, fights and simple movement around the location, and during story cutscenes, the movements of the characters look natural, and the emotions on their faces are worked out to the smallest detail. Combining this with good acting during voice acting, the creators achieved an incredible level of player immersion in virtual world, forcing him to experience everything that happens on the other side of the screen along with the main characters. Only at the same time they managed to spoil all the impressions received with an ambiguous ending.
Enslaved: Odyssey to the West evokes mixed feelings. After starting the game, you want to quickly get to the next storyline in order to know the further story. While destroying a crowd of conveyor robots, you constantly ask yourself the question: couldn’t the creators make a few more models or at least repaint the existing ones for a change. But, despite all the similarities, you continue to move on, worrying about the fate of the main characters and wanting to find out what will happen to them. The game can be recommended to fans of straightforward action games with a fascinating plot, but nothing more - good story and beautiful graphics, unfortunately, are the only serious advantages of Enslaved.
Graphic arts: 4.8
Gameplay: 3.0
Plot: 4.8
Sound and music: 4.5
Game rating: 4.3 /5
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After the release of the dynamic action Heavenly Sword from Ninja Theory, many gamers were waiting for the continuation of the story of the warlike Nariko, but the developers decided to direct their efforts to creating a completely new game -. Unlike the studio’s previous creation, in this project crowds of opponents will no longer await us at every turn, but defeating an individual enemy is no longer so easy.
If I die, you will die too
Game plot Enslaved: Odyssey to the West based on an ancient Chinese novella, Journey to the West, published in the 1590s without attribution. In the 20th century, the opinion was established that the book was written by the scribe Wu Cheng'en. Only now the directors of the game project moved the events to a futuristic post-war world, replacing the evil demons with robots.
In the future, the vastness of which is revealed to us by the guys from Ninja Theory, almost the entire population of planet Earth was destroyed. The remaining people have to constantly fight for survival, because after the end of the war there were many combat robots left all over the earth. Their main task is to kill people, which they try to do when they find them in the immediate vicinity.
By “riding” a stationary turret you can easily riddle enemies.
The main characters of the game are Monkey and Trip- two completely opposite personalities. Monkey is a huge guy who grew up wild and learned to survive in an aggressive world. Trip is a fragile girl from a peaceful settlement who is very knowledgeable about electronics and computers. They were both captured by "slave traders", but the ship carrying them was wrecked. Miraculously, the heroes are saved, but Trip has to put the “slave hoop” she specially reprogrammed on the guy. He forces Monkey to carry out all her orders, and if the girl dies for any reason, the guy's death will occur at the same moment.
It is in the role of the enslaved Monkey that the main character plays, who, in addition to caring for his life, will have to constantly monitor the safety of his companion.
And who said that without humanity, life on the planet will die?
Most games set in a post-war world where almost the entire human population has perished depict desolate, gray landscapes with ruins. Only the developers Enslaved: Odyssey to the West decided to move away from this trend, and for most of the game you can enjoy colorful landscapes filled with flowers and other green vegetation. It’s clear that the ruins of the former civilization have not disappeared anywhere, it’s just that nature has slowly but surely begun to restore its order everywhere, absorbing the gray houses of megacities.
Graphically, all this is done at the highest level. The landscapes are breathtaking - destroyed New York, the remains of a huge bridge, a robot dump, Trip's native settlement. Looking at everything up close, you can see the smallest details, and in the destroyed houses there are even photographs of their former inhabitants.
Attack of the Clones, or Invasion of Conveyor Robots
One of the main disadvantages Enslaved: Odyssey to the West is a small set of enemies. Although they don’t appear here in the hundreds, as in some projects released recently, the monotony simply kills the interest in fighting after just a couple of hours of play. The developers only had enough imagination for a few modifications of robots - there are only four types, except for the fact that each of them can be with or without a shield. The meager “robot fleet” is supplemented by stationary turrets and four types of bosses.
Moments when the player has to fight the same bosses several times seem very unusual for modern games. Moreover, this is not done in the form of “beat and beat the boss, but didn’t finish off”, but after destroying one huge dog there is a chance to meet another one exactly the same at the next level. And this can be repeated several times, which causes even more negative feelings than ordinary enemies of the same type. 
Anyone who gets in the way of this giant will have a hard time.
The same monotony, as in the case of enemies, awaits all players in the combat system. Main character Enslaved completely refuses to learn various combinations. To the standard short series of attacks from a weak and exiled attack, as you level up, only the possibility of a counterattack, a strike after a successful dodge, and a special series of attacks are added after Monkey’s “cane” lights up. By the way, the weapon received at the very beginning will not be allowed to change at all. Unless you can take the machine gun away from the unfortunate robot for a couple of minutes - you simply cannot keep it for yourself to further transform walking pieces of iron into a sieve.
Trip is in charge of improving Monkey's equipment, although for this he will have to collect technological spheres scattered throughout all levels. In addition, they drop out in sufficient quantities from defeated robots. Improvements available include: increasing health, regeneration speed, developing shield power, unlocking additional attacks, and upgrading ranged weapons. The most useful thing is a shield, which is simply necessary when running across zones under fire from robots.
The name Monkey completely suits the main character
In addition to quickly boring battles with a few opponents, to complete each level you need to cover the distance from point A to point B. Of course, you won’t be able to run on flat terrain - you’ll have to jump over ruins, solve puzzles with sliding bridges and even ride on the blades of a huge windmill . A distinctive feature of the acrobatic part of this game is that it is almost impossible to fall and break. The hero simply will not want to jump off a cliff if there is nothing below to grab onto. This may upset some gamers a little, but it will seriously save nerves because you don’t have to try to cross the gap several times in an attempt to get to a place where it’s basically impossible to get to.
Acrobatic abilities of the main character Enslaved: Odyssey to the West so well developed that any tracer would envy him. Monkey (or “monkey” in English) easily jumps over gorges of a good ten meters and is able to climb steep walls with holds at a distance of several meters from each other. Trip is not endowed with such abilities, so she will have to literally be thrown over particularly large chasms and thrown onto high ledges. 
Having disarmed the enemy, the hero mercilessly shoots off his head.
As for the animation of the characters while performing all these acrobatic stunts, the author really did their best here. Both during jumps, fights and simple movement around the location, and during story cutscenes, the movements of the characters look natural, and the emotions on their faces are worked out to the smallest detail. Combining this with good acting and voice acting, the creators achieved an incredible level of immersion of the player in the virtual world, forcing him to experience everything that happens on the other side of the screen along with the main characters. Only at the same time they managed to spoil all the impressions received with an ambiguous ending.
Enslaved: Odyssey to the West evokes mixed feelings. After starting the game, you want to quickly get to the next storyline in order to know the further story. While destroying a crowd of conveyor robots, you constantly ask yourself the question: couldn’t the creators make a few more models or at least repaint the existing ones for a change. But, despite all the similarities, you continue to move on, worrying about the fate of the main characters and wanting to find out what will happen to them. The game can be recommended to fans of straightforward action games with a fascinating plot, but nothing more - a good story and beautiful graphics, unfortunately, are the only serious advantages of Enslaved.
A couple of months ago something terrible happened: the producer Capcom Keiji Inafune has publicly announced his company's intentions to "reboot" the Japanese series - this time with an eye on Western players, who, according to the publisher itself, are not enthusiastic about the gothic scenery and not too masculine blond metrosexuals. Following this statement came the announcement of a new DmC(the name is spelled this way) and a short video in which the updated Dante, with his fresh image, shocks all fans of the original. Of course, you can grab your head and blame Inafune for killing the legendary game - the situation is favorable. But it’s better not to rush to conclusions. The development of a new project will be carried out Ninja Theory, the creators are not bad and... Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, for which you can issue an unlimited credit of trust - this is so great game, that it must be set as an example for all other developers of adventure projects.
Enslaved In some incredible way it makes you think that it was made ten years ago, when games were treated as works of art. The developers managed the incredible: based on the simplest and most primitive mechanics, they built a project that you would like to recommend to your friends and endlessly play through again and again. They don’t make games this high quality anymore – with rare exceptions, of course.
Drama of futurism
The main character is a huge criminal with the telling name Monkey, who, during his own transportation from one prison to another, suddenly finds himself in the center of sabotage organized by the second heroine of the game, Trip. The latter puts a miracle helmet on Monkey, which allows him to control a person with the power of thought, or, well, kill him. To free herself from slavery, Monkey needs to deliver Trip to her home village. It's important to clarify something: the action takes place in the distant future, where almost all the dirty work for people is done by mech machines. They will stand in the way of the heroes. A drama that develops between two characters as it progresses and contains main feature Enslaved, even though nothing fundamentally new happens on screen. However, you can’t help but listen to the characters’ conversations, and it’s very difficult to be indifferent to the whole situation - the game’s characters are so well developed. It is with their help that the screenwriters masterfully attract attention to what is happening on the screen, although the plot hardly develops. Well, two characters are running from one point to another, and along the way they are attacked by various dogs, including giant dogs. They also encounter aquariums with fish and urban landscapes of destroyed New York.
It’s impossible to tear yourself away: here Trip talks about the advantages of a closed ecosystem, which, in her opinion, can survive even in the conditions of a collapsing surrounding world. Here she learns to drive a real tank - and this is perhaps the most memorable comic episode in the game. And the further you move through the plot, the more attached you become to the characters, the more you worry about them. The magic of the local plot is not surprising, it was worked on by professional playwright Alex Garland, responsible for the scripts for the films “The Beach” and “28 Days Later”. The actors also did an excellent job in their roles, professionally conveying the mood and characters of the characters through dialogues. Andy Serkis gave his voice to the thug Monkey, he also voiced Gollum in The Lord of the Rings (), and he was also responsible for directing Enslaved. We can’t help but mention the excellent music, for which the British indie composer Nitin Sawhney is responsible.
In terms of gameplay, the developers again do not offer anything new. In fact, we have before us a very colorful and spectacular platformer, which is based on the experience of developing games of the last five years: we jump on beams and ledges. Periodically, acrobatics are interrupted by fights with enemies.
Robot appendage
Despite the fact that playing Enslaved It’s still interesting, the gameplay itself is more of an appendage role and exists only to introduce the player to the characters and the stunningly beautiful world. It’s impossible to get lost here and it’s always clear where to go, it’s impossible to fall off a cliff, it’s impossible to run away somewhere simply because the cunning Trip, in the event of a solemn disappearance from the location, will blow up Monkey’s brain with the help of that very helmet. Here, of course, there are tricky puzzles using levers and switches, there are also not at all tiring jumps on beams, cornices and other ledges, but it’s not difficult to play at all, and more convenience The route is also helpfully highlighted. Gameplay in Enslaved It doesn’t bore you or distract you from the plot, but it gives you a reason to once again admire the brilliant work of the artists. Many levels are designed in such a way that you want to replay them just for another opportunity to enjoy the local beauty. What is it worth, for example, a level with an air prison collapsing right during the flight, which in certain moment knocks down the statue of liberty. Or, let's say, the Brooklyn Bridge, rusty and looking like a landfill.
Even local combat system– and that one seems to have been made only for decorative purposes. Monkey has a catastrophically few techniques, but he works out his limited arsenal with the grace of a Bolshoi Theater soloist. For most of the game you will have to fight in close combat, hitting enemies with a stick. The only enemies are mechs, which come in several types. Some fight with blades, others fire with automatic weapons. The fights themselves are divided into three types: close combat, skirmishes and boss battles. Of course, there is more of the classic massacre, but you only have to shoot at the robot turrets installed in the levels. There are few cartridges here, and therefore the shots are mostly spot-on and single - there is no crazy firing.
Just in case, the developers added Enslaved leveling system: as Monkey progresses, he develops his melee and possession skills firearms, improves your own shield, which for some time saves you from enemy blows and shots, and learns new techniques. In principle, all this does not make fundamental changes to the gameplay, but it does make the game easier to complete. Although it would seem much easier...
In the end, I want to go back to where we started: Enslaved– the game is exceptional, although it slows down a bit towards the end. However, this is yet another example of how adventure games should be developed, and what approach games should be made with in general. Correct and professionally written script, amazing work of artists, style and fashionable gameplay - all this extols Enslaved to height. All that remains is to replay the most memorable moments and torment yourself with the question of why such high-quality projects are released no more often than once a year. Now all hope is for a new one DmC?
Gameplay: 8.0
Graphic arts: 8.0
Sound and music: 9.5
Interface and control: 8.5
Author's rating: 9.0
If you saw Heavenly Sword, previous work Ninja Theory, then in Enslaved: Odyssey to the West You can easily recognize their handwriting. These games have a lot in common. Andy Serkis (also known as Gollum among the hobbits) is in place. The facial animation is a sight to behold. History - again with an eye to ancient Asian literature: this time we were inspired by the classic Chinese novel "Journey to the West", moving all the events to the 22nd century. Lots of close-ups in cut scenes. Again, we have to fight.
But the main similarity is different. Both of these games are very easy to criticize - for unfinished mechanics, dampness, boring bosses... but it’s still impossible to tear yourself away. Everyone would have such “problems”.
Petal by petal
If you didn’t particularly follow the development of Odyssey to the West (which is not so difficult: the game was actually shown only at the last E3), then at least you are aware of the scenery in which everything happens here. After the “green apocalypse,” nature took its toll: skyscrapers were entwined with vines, bushes broke through the asphalt and grew up to the tenth floor, every first wall blossomed with buds and poppy sprouts, mighty trees can be found in the most unexpected places. Meanwhile, people have survived a major war and are huddled in protected bases, while mechanical robots roam around and shoot at random moving targets.
The story, however, starts without further explanation: during the crash of an airship, the hacker girl Tripitaka and a nameless big man who asks to call himself Monkey are saved on a capsule. Trip, who could never reach her father's base alone, resorted to a trick - she put a special helmet on her new acquaintance while he was unconscious. The rules are simple: The monkey will die if it moves too far from its owner or if its heart stops beating. The word “please” went out of fashion in the 22nd century.
Enslaved, like Heavenly Sword, emanates some kind of mystery, legend, epic adventure, although there are only two people in the frame. From a generally simple story (a man helps a woman unwillingly, but they soon develop sympathy for each other), the British have again created a cinematic adventure mixed with a cozy book adventure. For developers, characters and scenery are still more important than anything else, plus they know exactly which people to invite from the outside. So, Andy Serkis not only acted for motion capture, but also acted as a director, helped in developing the plot, and the music was written by Nitin Sounay, an unusual composer of Indian origin (please listen to his melodies for the film “ Namesakes"), fortunately capable of composing something different from the usual adventure "pa-ra-ra".
The script itself is the work of Alex Garland (“28 Days Later,” “Inferno”), and of course you can feel it: Enslaved goes from dialogue to dialogue, or at least to a silent scene in which Trip bats his eyes. Garland managed to very subtly avoid the classic script construction “acquaintance - adventure - transformation of heroes - romantic happy ending” (we obviously won’t tell you exactly how!), and in the second half of the game, when the old heroes get a little bored, Pigsy appears, a fat-bellied pig-man, about some of whose character traits we will also keep silent.
Lots of wild monkeys
While you're caught up in the futuristic odyssey, you might not immediately notice that Enslaved is also a button-mashing game. If we continue to compare with Heavenly Sword, the new mechanics are certainly simpler. The monkey you play as is trained in just two strikes and several spectacular finishing moves, plus he shoots plasma and electromagnetic pulses from his baton. Considering that there is only one type of enemy for the entire game (not counting bosses), there are few uses for such a modest set. “Naked” robot - we shake it with our hands. It's far away - let's shoot. He covers himself with a shield - we neutralize him with a magnetic beam and finish him off.
But you don't have to fight very often. In terms of the design and pace of the levels, Enslaved is more of a spatial puzzle than an action game. The fact is that (remember about the helmet) the Monkey cannot run far, he constantly has to pull Trip along with him, and she is a fragile girl. Therefore, the normal situation here looks like this. You are left at some part of the location where you need to, say, get to the hatch on the roof. Trip scans the area with the help of a dragonfly stuffed with electronics, protective turrets, mines, pits and those same robots are found around, and then it begins monkey's work. Jumping like an orangutan on platforms, climbing pipes and ledges, lowering bridges and ladders, breaking automatic guns and dumping entire trucks onto impassable potholes, the Monkey eventually clears the way, calls his friend to him (or drags him on his hump) - that’s all, Next is the next set of obstacles. Trip's interference is kept to a minimum: you can ask the girl to use a hologram to distract enemies and turrets while you run past.
There are only two bosses, but both have to be killed multiple times. |
It is important to understand that neither the puzzles, nor the action, nor even the acrobatics of Enslaved can be called hopeless, but at the same time they do not add up to a coherent picture. Ninja Theory just doesn't have a clear understanding of how to put it all together adventure a game, not a set of interactive scenes. Remember Uncharted 2- there the script is inseparable from the gameplay. A robbery of a museum, exploration of temples, chases in the mountains, a tank attack on a village - you personally participate in everything. There are exactly two bright moments in Odyssey to the West: in one, Monkey catches a dragonfly, in the other, Trip learns to drive an armored car. The rest of the time, the authors simply place robots and traps to force you to run forward, and in the end they also drive you into a dirty, stinking factory. But as soon as control is taken away from you, and the characters finally open their mouths, you don’t regret half an hour of monotonous jumps one bit.
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Putting aside the inevitable Heavenly Sword analogies for a moment, it's easy to conclude that Enslaved feels like the first Uncharted game. Just as cute and just as uneven. But for the sake of spectacular fights you can buy Bayonetta. It's interesting to jump on rooftops inFamous. For fans of action puzzles, it's just around the corner Portal 2. But Enslaved is all so bright and warm - one in a million, like Edita Piekha’s song about the orange sun.
