In 2010, "Enslaved - Odyssey to the West" came out for consoles and sold a little less than half of what the publisher had hoped for. Reasons quoted for this were that it was overshadowed by a number of other AAA titles and that there were quite some glitches. But reviews praised it, especially for its story. With a delay of 3 years, it has now been ported to PC.

"Enslaved" is very loosely based on a classic Chinese tale, "Journey to the West", and plays 150 years in the future. The planet has been ravaged by a brutal war the remainders of which are ruined desolate cities and hostile mechs that attack anyone they encounter. Humanity has scattered far and about, not only threatened by the mechs, but also by mysterious slave hunters that kidnap people without so much as a clue as to where they're taking them. Onboard a ship of slaves-to-be, Trip, a young woman with tech skills manages to escape her cell. This also opens up a way out for fellow prisoner "Monkey", a muscular loner who has subsisted in the wilderness on his own for most of his life. They manage to flee from the crashing slave ship on the last remaining escape pod, but Monkey loses his consciousness. He awakens to find that Trip has put a slave headband on him that will kill him should her heart stop. She wants to return to the community where she came from and knows she would never stand a chance all alone. So Monkey is forced to cooperate: He is the muscle that takes on all hostiles they meet, Trip is the brains with her knowledge of technology.

Gameplay consists of combat, climbing and some mini puzzles. Monkey has a staff he uses to fight with mechs and later on also shoot at ranged targets. The weapon can be upgraded in various ways using energy orbs found in the levels. Considering myself a mediocre gamer, I found fighting to be at an okay-ish difficulty once I had figured out how to block (others said combat was too easy - obviously, your mileage may vary on that). There could be more help with the controls though, special attacks are still described by giving console control pad keys.
Climbing is rather easy since one cannot fall or miss a grip point, all of which are highlighted relatively obviously. Also, in some sequences Monkey steers a hovering disc called the "cloud" over water and ground surfaces - these segments add a little speed to the otherwise pedestrian experience.

The changing relationship between the two main characters is at the centre of the plot. Thus, it's fortunate that voice acting is very good. And when, at times, not a lot is said (Monkey is not a man of many words), the finely motion-captured facial expressions convey all one needs to know. Story, characters, acting - this is where the game really shines and becomes a "page turner". Okay, well, I won't spoil the ending to you, but I think that was the one part where they could have done better. It just left me with "Hmmmmmmmmm."
Other than that, a captivating journey and definitely recommendable.

Helpful notes in case you get the game:
Note 1: Others have reported graphics problems. There are quick INI fixes mentioned on the Steam forums: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=188863412
With those tweaks I didn't have any issues.

Note 2: You can skip cutscenes with the Backspace key (didn't find that mentioned in-game).

Note 3 (since I've seen this problem pop up in several threads, to the point that people called it game-breaking, but hey, the solution is already in-game, so no need to get stuck): For some jumps during climbing, you have to move diagonally, not straight up/left/right. That's possible by pressing two direction keys at once, e.g. W+D http://steamcommunity.com/app/245280/discussions/0/648811670597314811/

Based on the ancient Chinese story 'Journey to the West'

This has got to be one of my top favorite games. It has a brilliant storyline, engaging characters and character development. Beautiful scenery, funny moments within the game between Trip and Monkey. It's just overall a amazing game to play.

I'd recommend playing it on hard though, and to tweak your graphic settings in the ini file to improve the game a lot more better.

Disclaimer: Do not buy this game if you do not own a gamepad. The mouse support is about as bad as it gets. I use kb/m whenever possible in third person games and I had to use a gamepad for this one.

Enslaved is a well-written and satisfying-but-simple spectacle fighter with a heavy story emphasis and some minor puzzles. It is a post-apocalyptic adaptation of a classic Chinese novel "Journey to the West." There are several nods to the original story, such as the names of the main characters which may interest those who have read the book.

The writing is excellent for the most part and acted very well. The game manages to be both serious and humorous while telling the story and rarely feels out of place. My one issue is the way that the two main characters Monkey and Trip meet. The meeting should be the biggest source of conflict in the entire story, yet it is glossed over and forgotten within a minute. It reminds me a lot of the criticism aimed at Tomb Raider 2013 and Far Cry 3 for how quickly those main characters got used to killing people after leading normal, peaceful lives up to that point.

Gameplay is pretty simple and definitely nothing groundbreaking. The game is a simple yet satisfying spectacle fighter with simple one-button traversal mechanics. You also need to solve a few basic puzzles to make it through some levels. It is quite easy even on hard difficulty. Unfortunately the game makes use of seemingly randomly-placed fixed camera angles that can easily confuse the player and will sometimes make your character immediately walk back through a doorway after entering a room. The other big issue with the camera is during combat itself. It likes to jerk the camera around randomly every time you attack and zoom way in so it's impossible to keep track of enemies other than the one you're attacking. It may also cause motion sickness. It's a stupid design decision chosen just to make the combat more flashy, as seems to be a common problem with spectacle fighters.

The game has a nice art style, but average last-gen console-quality graphics. I find that this is enough to hamper the art style in what should be a very beautiful game, which is very unfortunate. It still has its moments, but it would be an absolutely gorgeous game if the developers had put any effort into the PC port.

Speaking of the port, it's just about as lazy as it gets. The mouse is treated like a joystick and is given a deadzone when you go into aim mode, just like Dead Space. It's basically useless and I found it unplayable. Graphical quality is limited to low/medium/high though it thankfully has a separate toggle for motion blur which looks even more fake and ugly than most games. There are no graphical enhancements for the PC version. Button prompts always show controller buttons even if you don't have one plugged in. The game has a custom mouse cursor, yet the mouse doesn't work in menus. The one good thing about the port is that the game uses Unreal Engine 3 so it runs very smoothly and will handle 120/144 Hz flawlessly with only a minor config tweak.

So while it's far from a perfect game, mostly due to poor and outdated design decisions and a lazy port, it's quite fun and a great story experience.

The Premium Edition on PC also includes the Pigsy's Perfect 10 DLC. It turns the game from a simple-but-satisfying story-focused spectacle fighter into a sub-par stealth/cover shooter starring a fat, disgusting, misogynist pig on his quest to build a robot girlfriend. Seriously what were they thinking? Thankfully it was short.

English:
The game is cheap, enjoy! It's really fun, a little dated, given the time, but it's peaceful.

But I have a tip, the game has some excessive blur, distortion and bloom filters, if you want to disable them, just follow the following path:

Documents/My Games/UnrealEngine3/MonkeyGame/Config/MonkeyEngine.ini
Open it with a text editor and look for the following options:
MotionBlur=False
MotionBlurPause=False
Bloom=False
UseHighQualityBloom=False
Distortion=False
FilteredDistortion=False
DropParticleDistortion=False

By default, these options are set to "True", change them to "False" without quotes and save.
The game will start cleaner and more beautiful.

Português do Brasil:
O jogo está barato, aproveitem! É bem divertido, um pouco datado, pela época mas é tranquilo.

Mas tenho uma dica, o jogo tem alguns filtros excessivos de blur, distorção e bloom, caso queiram desativar, basta seguir o seguinte caminho:

Documents/My Games/UnrealEngine3/MonkeyGame/Config/MonkeyEngine.ini
Abra com algum editor de texto e procure pelas seguintes opções:
MotionBlur=False
MotionBlurPause=False
Bloom=False
UseHighQualityBloom=False
Distortion=False
FilteredDistortion=False
DropParticleDistortion=False

Por padrão, essas opções vem setadas como "True", mude-as para "False" sem aspas e salve.
O jogo iniciará mais limpo e bonito.

8/10

genre : action/adventure

Enslaved is a sci-fi tale, set after an apocalyptic war, where only a remnant of civilisation remains and a hostile robot army prevails. You take the role of Monkey and you are captured and compelled to aid Trip by use of an electronic slave headband in order to escort her to her home.

+ Very solid presentation, with care and attention paid to its lush environments, the character models are very well done, detailed motion-captured animations. Configuring the .cfg file can improve the results (see the forum), since the graphics options are limited.
+ Excellent atmosphere, sci-fi post apocalyptic setting, original and complelling story and likeable main character , sophisticated dialogue and character development way more than one might expect from an action/brawler.
+ Gameplay wise it's an action game with some platforming and exploration elements, simplistic puzzles, cooperation with the main npc in order to advance, some tactical options like distract etc. It never becomes boring. It's kind of a game that we don't see often on our pcs.
+ Melee which is the main element of gameplay feels very satisfying , don't except variety like in dmc, but still it's done right.
+ Fluid controls ,also remappable, runs smoothly.

+/- Highly scripted and very linear.

- Platforming and puzzle elements are functional, but both lack any imagination and act as little more than a distraction from the combat zones
- Some camera problems when platforming
- The combat is initially frantic and exciting, but soon it becomes clear it lacks any sort of depth.

This was a surprise for me , since i don't play on consoles and didn't know the game before, straightforward action-adventure game with a detailed and involving story , refreshing and at times stunning setting. Two thumbs up.

Update 24/03/2024
This game needs fixing, on modern hardware. Here’s what you need.

• editing – MonkeyEngine.ini
• dxvk-gplasync by Ph42oN
• 4GB Patch from ntcore . com

==========Step 01==========
got to this location
\Documents\My Games\UnrealEngine3\MonkeyGame\Config

open > MonkeyEngine.ini w/ notepad

find and edit the following settings
then change the values

MaxAnisotropy=16
UseVsync=FALSE
AllowD3D10=True
LightEnvironmentShadows=True
DetailMode=5
ShadowFilterRadius=5
ShadowFilterQualityBias=8
MinShadowResolution=256
MaxShadowResolution=4096
ShadowFadeResolution=256
ShadowDepthBias=0.175
MaxMultisamples =16
bSmoothFrameRate=FALSE
MaxSmoothedFrameRate=60
ResX=1920
ResY=1080

(this one is optional)
MotionBlur=False
MotionBlurPause=False

then save it and set properties to
“Read-only”

==========Step 02==========
Do not use ingame Vsync, it’s broken in latest version
use force GPU Vsync

==========Step 03==========
download 4GB Patch from > ntcore . Com
extract the file > 4gb_patch.exe
open it
find your game > Enslaved.exe
SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\Enslaved\Binaries\Win32
click open
then you’re done.

==========Step 04 (stay with me, almost there)==========
donwload dxvk-gplasync-v2.3.1-1.tar.gz by Ph42oN
and then copy " All " files from \dxvk-gplasync-v2.3-1\x32
to SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\Enslaved\Binaries\Win32

> next (optional)

No need for " environment variable "
click on Environment Variable...
at " System variable " section

Delete all DXVK Variables

then click ok then close it

> next

make a file " dxvk.conf " using text document
paste this command line

dxvk.enableAsync = true
RADV_PERFTEST = gpl
dxvk.gplAsyncCache = true

(this one is optional but very helpful)
dxvk.hud = full

save it > SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\Enslaved\Binaries\Win32

==========Step 05==========

then play the game

Correct me if I miss something on the comments.

A journey through a desperate mind.

Enslaved is an adventure game overlooked by a majority and (rightfully) loved by most who played it. It follows the story of the great classical Chinese novel, although is set in a post apocalyptic future where seemingly armed robots are enslaving people.

Armed with a staff and some sweet climbing skills, you play the enslaved warrior Monkey. Tasked with helping your captor, Trip, get home to her father. Throughout most of the game, you will be jumping, climbing over obstacles and mowing down mecs in either brawling close combat or shooting plasma bolts long rage style.The game is designed in such a way to keep this recipe fresh and not feel repetitive. Smart enemy placements contribute to this as mixing ranged and melee enemies in fights makes you think before you act. Boss fights are a sweet bonus.

Weapons, shields, health and combat techniques are all upgradable and a must to get past the later chapters.

Contrary to what you may believe, the post apocalyptic setting in Enslaved really does its art justice as the environment and visuals are just gorgeous. The greenest of trees, bluest of skies and warmest colors of explosions are visually pleasing. The art is well complemented by the ambient sounds and music.

After about half of the game, you are joined by Pigsy who is, although a disgusting pig, easily the most exotic and colorful of characters. He livens up the game to a high degree and counters the somewhat reserved character of Monkey.
Pigsy is playable in the included DLC and offers a different kind of play style by scrapping the melee combat in favor of a rifle and four kinds of cooldown-based items (distraction device, EMP, ally bomb and damage based bomb). Accompanied with the joyful Truffles, Pigsy goes on his own little adventure. The extra content is a must play and Is just as good if not even stronger in some parts than the main game.

The only weaknesses I found in the game was the overly scripted camera that takes camera controls away from you to show objects of interest in an overly obvious way. Sometimes the camera becomes fixed in a static position for portions of the pacing through the level. This can sometimes become a bit distracting. I was also annoyed with how some animations take to long to complete. While fighting (bosses especially) I found it very difficult to evade after attacking due to the attack animations not completing yet. Similarly when climbing pipes jumps to other objects would not register.

So, linear post apocalyptic action adventure brawler with ravishing visuals and interesting characters. Action, drama and humor packed into an adventure with a deeper meaning. It has completionist potential and took me 12 hours to beat with the must play extra Pigsy campaign. Sit back, plug in that controller and go on a fun adventure.

Played it for the first time. Graphics hold up surprisingly well, but I highly recommend playing it with a controler. Considering you can get it now for 75% off I would say it is a fantastic buy and hideously underrated.

Shame it didn't get enough sales, deserves a sequel but the story is self contained.

Pros:
-Meaty and satisfying combat
-Great Story
-Great charachters
-Good length (Long enough that I was ready for it to end just as it ended)
-Good gameplay variety (Bosses, Combat, An unexpectedly fun Jack and Daxter 2/3 esk hoverboard component)

Cons:
-While the graphics are good enough they aren't great
-Camera can be a bit of a perv...on the main character...got some reeal close ups on him occasionally. (Translation: Camera is occasionally glitchy, fine the vast majority of the time though)
-A couple of glitches but nothing serious
-Combat can be a bit to easy, but I still had fun playing with chaining together attacks.

Ninja Theory! These guys should make more great single player games. I fell in love with this game from the first seconds.
Enslaved Oddysey to the West is an action game with beautiful graphics, amazing characters and gorgeous locations.

You play as Trip - a beatiful red haired girl and Monkey - a strong and angry man in an postapocalyptic world. And you witness how from hating each other they become friends and start caring about each other throughout the game. The story pacing is perfect, there engaging cut-scenes and between action and jumping/climbing sections. Every scene shows how relations between these two characters evolves into friendship. Ninja theory knows how to make good cut-scenes, they;re master at that.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=330656778

Gameplay is pretty basic from the first sight. But when you start playing you realize it's complex enough to not get too repetitive and somple enough for everyone to master. There's a lost of fighting which by the way looks awesome. Controls are responsive and most of the time combat sections are no too long. Besides combat there are climbing is light puzzle sections where you need to find a way over obstacle by working together. There's a usual skill tree where you unlock new abilities to be able to smash bad guys more efficiently. It never gets old because you constantly learn some new move or skill.

another thing i love about action game is when chapters take place in different locations. I mean completely different locations. Game takes you through destroyed city, factory, there's even waterboarding section. Each new locations feels fresh and there's always something different to do. You don't just run in straight line eradicating enemies.
Oh and did i mention a third character you meet later? Pigsy! Design of that character is something only Ninja Theory can do. You'll fall in love with him as soon as you meet him.

Don't forget this is a complete edition and it has all the DLC, one of which is dedicated to Pigsy. DLC to me seemes much harder and unfortunately worse than the main. There's much more more fighting and fhight takes a bit too long and becomes repetitive.

Graphically the game looks great. Keep in my mind i base my opinion on how this game looked when it released. But even now it doesn't look too bad. As always with Ninja Theory games facial expressions and animations are of highest quality. Of course this time they probably had less advanced tech than making of Heavenly Blade, but it still looks very good. The character feel real and believable. And great voice acting lets you immerse into the game even more. Games like this makes you care about the characters, it's like watching a good movies with good acting.

Do i recommend this game? Didn't you understand already? Buy this game, doesn't matter if it's old, it's still better than many other newer game.

Pros

• Good story
  
• Good graphics
  
• Good voice acting
  
• Outstanding character design
  
• Each location feels fresh
  
• Satisfying combat
  
• Awesome cut-scenes
  
• Pigsy

Cons

• I don't really know

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⚖️ Grade = B. Worth a buy, if you enjoy platform climbing, stealth mode, fighting robots. However, if you want a non-linear, hardcore puzzle, don't play this

✔️ Combat Finishing + Slow Motion
✔️ Platform Jumping challenges
✔️ Puzzle Challenge
✔️ Exploration for Orbs collection
✔️ Silent kill mission + Sneak Pass Enemies
❌ More setting option
❌ Customization
❌ Score/Time Attack for replay value

👉Reveal long version checklist


🕘 2013: Game released
🕘 First 1 hour, interesting & enjoyable tutorial!
🕘 After 2 hours, repetitive encounter :/
🕘 After 8 hours, same enemy again? where is the other survivor?
🕘 After 10 hours, I think fighting mini-boss is more fun than the final boss.

🔊 Game world timeline: 150 years in the future
🔊 Cannot check or rebind key during gameplay
🔊 Community Rating: Very Positive

⚠️ Linear gameplay
⚠️ Platform climbing is too easy

💎 Many facial expression
💎 Melee combat is well animated
💎 Excellent cut-scenes
💎 Health & Shield regen
💎 Extra costumes

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