Enslaved is nothing new in the gameplay department, but its storyline and character development make it worth playing.
Basically, Enslaved is a post apocalyptic future concept were deadly robots called mechs rule in numbers over mankind. Very few humans remain, and the ones who do are captured as slaves and possibly executed. We follow a guy known as Monkey, who is in this very situation. As he awaits death on an airship, luck comes his way as it crashes and he escapes his cell. Here is where he can put his acrobatic skills to test, defying impossible stunts to keep himself from being killed. When an oppurtunity like that comes along, why wouldn't you try your hardest to survive? He comes across an incredibly intelligent woman called Trip who also plans to escape. But with no trust and little time at her hands, she doesn't sieze the oppurtunity to help Monkey to escape in the pod, thus making things much harder for him. When it turns out they have crash landed side by side, Monkey awakes with a slave crown on his head. Trip placed it on his head to ensure he doesn't kill her, or he dies to. But mainly, because she wants to seek out her family and with all the mechs roaming she doesn't have the combat skills to survive if anything goes wrong.
Sounds like the recipe for an ultimate disastrous partnership doesn't it? While the first hour or so show two strangers who are bitterly hostile towards each other, the rest of the game develops a relationship no one could predict to be so beautiful and believable. They feed off each others talents to make it through a journey of blood thirsty mechs and mind bending puzzles, with Monkey's incredible strentgh and agility, and Trip's technologically adept mind. While the storyline is nothing original, its real plot lies in how the two protagonists bond and Enslaved makes damn sure you care about them.
So the gameplay itself is its pitfall. There is actually nothing at all wrong with gameplay, it's just nothing specail. And it feels we've done it many times before. I like to say there's three elements in this sector: the platforming, the combat and the stealth. The platforming alone feels so epic at times it's cinematic (look no further than the superb first chapter), but while it does charm in that aspect, it esentially feels like Prince of Persia or Assassin's Creed clone.
The combat... well even the combat feels like its ripped straight from God of War. There is original ideas like every now and then, an icon will flash over an enemy's head which depending on which variety it is, it will perform an execution which will help dispatch surrounding enemies with ease, such as using a torso as a detonating bomb or an arm as a gattling gun.
The stealth however, is suprisingly the highlight. The concept of how you go about feels like it has been done before (run to cover from enemy bullets, run to the next cover etc.), but it's never been done to this depth. As well as getting yourself closer to the enemies to rid of them, you have to make sure Trip gets across safely. To do this you must perform distractions, and here you control both Trip and Monkey. At first it seems too confusing for it's own good, but I eventually came to love these scenarios more so than any of the other elements of gameplay.
There's a great variety of enemies on store here, everything from combat mechs, demolition mechs and ninja like mechs. Every two levels or so, it will introduce a new form of enemy, which keeps it fresh. There's also a few bosses thrown in the mix. The individual bosses are used various times throughout the game, and at first look terrifying and offer a good change from God of War gameplay against the mechs. But because of the number of times a certain boss is used, it detracts from the experience. You get sick off seeing the same mech dog and it made me think of the creators as a bit lazy. However, minor complaint aside, there's little to complain in this sector.
The graphics are truly stunning. Everything from the wonderful effects, level design and character models. It often feels like a hollywood movie, its done to that much detail. I haven't been this amazed by visuals since Prince of Persia. I also love the facial movement. It's rare you cancome across a game that you can truly pick out emotions on characters faces, but Enslaved pulls this off brilliantly. The voice acting as expected is second to none. Only other that competes in this department are RPG games. Although there's essentially only two characters to work on here, it's still amazing considering the amount of dialogue. Sound is another great feat, including all the background noises you expect to here to make platforming more immersive. While in battles, the sci-fi sound effects never feel forced, and often sound brutal in such a pretty game. The score is sublime, one of the best in recent years and whoever that composer is, I'd love to hear more from him.
There's a good 15 hours here, not to mention a new game plus, and collectibles. If you ask me, thats quite good for a third person adventure. By around three quarters in, the multi layered gameplay gets suprisingly old, but luckily the story remains consistent and keeps you hooked to the superb climax. Overall, you owe yourself to get this little known gem, the more sold the more likely a sequel! If you love games that rely on storylines, this is easily one of the highest recommended on the XBOX. Don't let Enslaved drop from your radar, as it has done from many others.