Enslaved on sale October 5

Namco Bandai has nailed down the release date for the next outing from Heavenly Sword developer Ninja Theory. The publisher today confirmed that Enslaved: Odyssey to the West will launch in North America on October 5.

Set in a postapocalyptic America, the game tells the story of slaves forced to work together for survival. The game's protagonist, the muscular Monkey, is captured by slavers along with the techno-savvy woman Trip. The pair escape, but Trip hacks a slave headband to tie her life to Monkey's, forcing him to protect her as they search for refuge.

The game is inspired in part by Chinese mythology and includes elements common to many such treatments in popular culture, including the staff-wielding, cloud-riding Monkey King escorting a youngster on a journey westward. Gamers may be familiar with facets of the story through games like Capcom's SonSon, the highly regarded Saiyuki: Journey West, or the Dragon Ball series.

Like Heavenly Sword before it, Enslaved: Odyssey to the West will feature Andy Serkis (Gollum in The Lord of the Rings films), with the actor providing voice work and motion capture for Monkey. The studio has also enlisted Hollywood talent to handle the game's story, with 28 Days Later writer Alex Garland penning the script. Previously, Garland had been the screenwriter behind the scuttled Neill Blomkamp Halo film.

For more on Enslaved, check out GameSpot's previous coverage.