Enslaved is fun and looks really god for its age. Monkey's facial animations are particularly outstanding.

As many other people highlight, after a strong opening the game does get a bit repetitive on the later half. The same fights with the same enemies get old and you quickly start to see that the exiting ultra-mobility of your character is all a ruse.

Jumping in this game is more or less a glorified quick time event. You stand or hang somewhere, point in the general direction of one of the few specified placed you can land, press the A button and your character jumps to the next place. Sometime Monkey can jump a 5-meter chasm, sometimes he doesn't depending on whether the game decides to let you.

All that agility goes out of the window when you are on solid ground too. Suddenly you cannot jump over even the shortest of obstacles.

But my biggest problem with the game is the way that the exploration goes across purposes with the rest of the game. This is clearly a "cinematic" game that benefits for always moving forward, maintaining momentum and having a precise pacing. But then the devs decided to place all these collectable "tech orbs" hidden all over the place. Combing and backtracking through each area to get all the orbs is the antithesis of what this game ought to be doing. These orbs are the in-game currency you use to purchase upgrades, so you are actually punished with a weaker character if you try to ignore them for the benefit of pacing and excitement.

But still, Enslaved is a fun short game.

Enslaved was under my radar until I heard about the interesting way they designed Trip, the supporting character that is both an escort mission and a powerful ally in her own right. Entirely inspired by the classical legend of the Monkey King, Enslaved gives it a modern spin, in a post-apocalyptic context. The characters are well rounded and quite relatable. Gameplay wise, it blends platforming and combat, that gets a completely different treatment.

At first, platforming feels great (especially with the fake time pressure at the beginning) but after a while you realize that it's mostly impossible to fail (except while associated with time limit or timing) because graps are highlighted and kinda "magnetic"; plus you have invisible walls that prevent falling. On the other hand, the combat feels okay at the beginning but quickly ramps up, forcing you to learn how to combine moves, staff punches and shots.

Even if the game is some kind of a "story-playing", I think there is a missed opportunity. Monkey is a strong and agile character that can climb almost anywhere but during combat, he's suddenly way less agile. It's not possible to exploit the environment or even jump over an enemy to take him from behind - to do that, you'll have to perform a ground roll with slow recover. For me that's the lowest point of the game, that is otherwise really enjoyable.

This videogame is a visually rich and emotionally engaging action-adventure game set in a post-apocalyptic world reclaimed by nature. Loosely inspired by the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West (same base as the Dragon Ball anime series), it follows the journey of Monkey and Trip, two unlikely companions forced to rely on each other for survival. The game shines through its strong character development, the best part for e is really the characters themselves, even more than the story, impressive motion-capture performances, and cinematic presentation.

While the combat and platforming are fairly straightforward and sometimes repetitive. The heartfelt narrative and unique setting make it a memorable experience despite some technical flaws on the PC port. I highly recommend not skipping this one, took me a while to finally give it a chance, and after playing it I knew why it was so praised, truly one of the best action-adventure titles of all time.

The world design deserves special mention, with crumbling cities wrapped in vines, rusted machines half-buried in grass, and quiet moments where you’re simply taking in how nature has reclaimed everything humanity left behind. There’s a strong sense of melancholy but also beauty in every environment, and it is at its best when it slows down and lets you absorb that atmosphere. The OST complements this perfectly, shifting from subtle and emotional to tense when needed, reinforcing the bond between the characters and the weight of their journey.

What really stuck with me, though, is how human the experience feels. The two protagonists' relationship evolves naturally, with believable dialogue and moments of tension, trust, and vulnerability that feel earned rather than forced. Even years after its release, this title stands out as a game that prioritizes emotional connection over mechanical complexity. It may not reinvent action-adventure gameplay, but its heart, presentation, and characters elevate it far above average, making it a game that lingers in your mind long after the credits roll.

I am on a journey to beat 360 random Xbox 360 games. Here's my next adventure

Game number 40 was Enslaved Odyssey to the West. This game is a 3rd Person action game where you take control of a man named Monkey as he travels across a post-apocalyptic US. The game consists of fighting waves of robots, parkouring around environments, and solving some minor puzzles.

Enslaved’s story is one that is filled with action, dialogue, and a healthy amount of banter from the main characters. You start the game trapped on a slave ship and need to escape before the ship reaches its destination. Along the way, you repeatedly interact with a strange woman who is also escaping the ship. It is important to note that all the enemies in this game are robots. I spent most of the game thinking that the slavers that keep being referenced were actual people. The world is in a state of robots controlling the world and humanity living in fear.

After the first level, Monkey escapes the ship and wakes up with a slave collar around his neck. It turns out that the strange woman from before has put the collar on him so that he would obey her and help her cross the country to get back to her home. Her name is Trip, short for Tripitaka. (Kinda a weird name… imagine naming your character “Bible” or “Torah” or “Quran” …but okay I guess)

Trip and Monkey has a really good dynamic. It is clear that they are both apprehensive of each other and that they don’t exactly trust or like their party member in the early game. Over the course of the game, they grow much closer and its nice to see the relationship they create… but I absolutely hate the trope that happens near the end of the story. Trip frees Monkey after getting to her village (as she said she would) and Monkey shows his devotion to her by putting the slave collar back on :( Why does anyone think this is endearing? Wouldn’t it be more endearing to show that he has his own free will and will continue to stay with her? I hate this and its one of the reasons I can’t give this game 5 stars. Have I mentioned that I hate this trope?

The gameplay in Enslaved is great! Combat feels like DMC or God of War and you get to take down tons of robots with a good arsenal of attacks. The block is really good and should be used as often as possible to get yourself through battles. One thing that I didn’t realize until very late in the game was how good the projectiles are. Your staff, the thing that you do all your melee combat with, can also shoot damaging and stunning shots. These should be used as often as you find ammo! Don’t worry about needing ammo for story moments because they will always give you some if projectiles are absolutely needed! My biggest complaint here is that there is a very small variety of enemies in this game. 90% of the time you will just be attacking robots that feel the same or very similar to each other and these enemies can bring the excitement down significantly in the later chapters.

As you fight, you will get exp and then you can dump that exp into specific skills. This is pretty minimal and doesn’t do anything that hundreds of games have done before… but it is serviceable and kinda fun to see your attacks do slightly more damage or health go up by a little bit.

The rest of your time will be spent doing some platforming. You will climb walls, jump gaps, and float on a board. This is all pretty fun and Monkey moves so fast on these sections that you never get bored with things.

Overall, Enslaved Odyssey to the West is a fantastic game with great characters, a good story, and fun combat. There are a few problems, but the game is one of the best hidden gems on the platform. Nobody seems to remember this game, but anyone who is serious about the Xbox 360 should go check it out! (8/10)

I spent 5 hours, 53 minutes, and 38 seconds playing Enslaved Odyssey to the West.

I have spent a total of 402 hours and 51 minutes on the Road to 360 challenge so far.

Next game: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Journey to the West is a famous Chinese epic on a scale comparable to J.R.R Tolkein’s The Lord of the Rings. If you are unfamiliar with it, you’ve most likely experienced works inspired by it, such as the Dragon Ball franchise or at least heard of the staff-wielding Monkey King. Enslaved: Odyssey to the West is another work inspired by Journey to the West, but is not an exciting take on the source material. Outside of familiar names and characterizations, the game is a fairly generic action game with some light platforming elements.

Monkey, a muscular loner with a tough-guy (Brooklyn?) accent, wakes up to find himself on a slave ship bound for an unknown destination. A mysterious red-haired girl named Trip is in a cell across from Monkey. She escapes but inadvertently releases Monkey’s cell as well. Monkey chases after Trip and the two eventually escape. While Monkey is unconscious, Trip straps a slave crown on Monkey’s head rendering him subservient to the girl. Trip explains that she wants to return to her village and that if she dies, Monkey dies as well.

There’s nothing remarkable about Enslaved’s gameplay. Monkey has light and heavy attacks, a ranged photon cannon attack and the ability to dodge and block. Combat never feels daunting as the game provides numerous opportunities to execute “Take Over” maneuvers such as causing a mech to self-destruct or emit an EMP pulse. Other than combat, the platforming is easy and brainless. Most of the platforming only has one right direction and I found myself mashing on the X button. It is impossible to fall off platforms because the game does not allow Monkey to climb up or drop off from ledges except at designated points.

Despite the game’s age, Enslaved still looks rather nice. The game does a great job at conveying a post-apocalyptic world ruled by mechs. Buildings are dilapidated and overgrown with nature. The mechs have this gritty look to them, partially rusted, yet still incredibly menacing. The facial capture, while not exactly phenomenal by today’s standards, still portrays emotions very well, such as the look of rage on Monkey's face when he lands the killing blow on a mech.

Pigsy’s Perfect 10, the DLC for Enslaved (and packaged with the game nowadays) is a more interesting take on the base game. In this DLC, you play as Pigsy, whose name completely matches his body and mannerisms. Unlike Monkey, Pigsy is a sharpshooter and deploys various gadgets to defeat the mechs. The DLC employs numerous comic book style cutscenes which is a nice touch. I think Pigsy’s Perfect 10 does a better job at conveying its story than the entirety of the base game. Unfortunately this content is significantly more challenging than the base game since Pigsy can only take a few hits before falling so he must rely on stealth and trickery.

Enslaved: Odyssey to the West is built with a limited budget; enemies are heavily recycled and there are only three notable characters. Be sure to come into this game with the right expectations. The story is serviceable, the action is fun and the characters are likable. Enslaved will not blow your mind, but delivers a competently made action game and is a great buy if you can get the game on sale.

Очередной «недооцененный шедевр», который на деле просто «не шедевр».

История — нормальная. Ну то есть постапокалипсис, диалоги нормально написаны, а в конце выясняется, что в рабство людей сгоняет ИИ, на основе воспоминаний рандомного чувака с внешностью Энди Сёркиса, рисует им светлое настоящее. Но исключительно виртуально. Поэтому мы всё это вырубаем и куча народу погружается во тьму титров, вместо счастливого стояния на месте. Вот такая вот борьба с матрицей.

Жаль только что на вопросы почему вообще началась война? Кто построил ИИ? Почему он решил, что сгонять выживших в матрицу полезнее, чем восстанавливать цивилизацию? — ответов не будет. А кроме этого в игре есть только отношения Трип и Манки (стандартное «мы вынуждены сотрудничать, но со временем подружимся»), и комичный персонаж Пигси. И он, сука, не смешной, а раздражающий и мерзкий. «Трип, ты только что потеряла отца, который был моим старым другом, но так выросла и стала такой горячей... замутить не хочешь?» — блять, какие эмоции у меня должно это вызвать?! Смех?!

И самая большая проблема в том, что это игра. Потому что играть очень скучно.
По большому счёту игровой процесс состоит из драк и платформинга. Драки — простой слэшер: блок, уворот, слабый и сильный удары. Никаких новых комбинаций ударов по ходу игры не дают — как дрался в начале, так и будешь драться в конце. Прокачка из серии «чтоб была». Увеличение здоровья, щитов и урона от выстрелов из посоха. И всё. Какая-то программа минимум, которая не цепляет совершенно. Вначале драки ещё разбавляются недостелсом: прячемся за стенами, приказываем Трип отвлекать турели, чтобы успеть забежать турелям в тыл. В остальное время система взаимодействия это приказы в духе «вот тут меня подкинь» и «вот тут дёрни рычаг».

Платформинг в игре настолько беззубый, что я такого никогда прежде и не видел. Маршрут всегда один единственный, при этом цепляться можно только в определенных местах, которые ещё и мерцают. И упасть с края нельзя. Почему всё сделано настолько для тупых?

Спасает всю эту геймплейную дрисню только то, что игра проходится максимум за 8 часов. Но терпеть такую скукоту даже 8 часов, ради неплохих актёров (в роли Манки — Сёркис) и приличных диалогов — я бы не рекомендовал.

P. S. А, игра яркая! Для 2010-года, а это время поколения «коричневых игр», такое очень даже тянет на плюс.