Do you love games made with love?
Enslaved's story is founded on a simple, ages old premise – two friends go on a journey and learn something important about each other and themselves. However, it's how the friends become friends and how the journey ends that sets Enslaved apart. Enslaved takes place in a dystopian future where, in like the Matrix, machines have taken over the world leaving humans to run from slave ships. Where these humans are taken and why is not revealed until the end (and boy it is some ending). On this ship are the game's two initial protagonists: Trip and Monkey. We know nothing about either character as the game gets underway. Trip, who is a tech whiz, finds a way to escape her cell and sabotage the ship; Monkey, who had been caught is accidentally freed. Monkey attempts to escape the ship as it crashes. Upon landing, he finds that Trip has placed an band around his head that will enslave him until he helps her get back to her home safely. Thus the journey begins.
To put the game's virtues into context, let me first enumerate the many complaints others have raised. First, my own – a woman "enslaves" a man named "Monkey." ….Really, Ninja Theory? Do you folks not know that slavery was once a serious moral problem in the west and that blacks were often called monkeys? Really? This gaffe turns out to merely be unfortunate as the story is based on an older Chinese tale in which the main character was called Monkey because he really was a monkey. Nonetheless, NT might have thought better about their preferences in naming practices.
On to others. The combat is overly simple – this is one of the more unfortunate critical truths about the game. You begin with very simple options, and though you can earn a few new moves, the strategies that work in the beginning, work just as well as at the end. The game is one big escort mission - ….not quite. Thought Trip is almost always by your side, you have to watch out for her safety far less than some would have you believe. Monkey is often left to his devices, though some missions have you provide covering fire for her, and these are always fun. The game is overly linear – the game is very linear, but this matters not, which I shall discuss below.
I think these are the main ones that have been out there. There are a couple of more I'll address shortly. Now, I think the above concerns are spot on, yet I think the game is worthy of a 9. Yes, I think so because what NT have accomplished is simply amazing.
Enslaved presents one of the most realized visions of a game world I've ever seen. Moreso than Mass Effect 2, Uncharted 2, Final Fantasy XIII (what an overhyped mess), and even Batman: AA. From the minute you begin your first stretch of platforming, you will appreciate the incredible detail in the game world. And this detail matters as the main structure in the gameplay system is to have Trip and Monkey partner in finding ways through areas littered with mines and mechs. This basic setup is what highlights one of the game's two core strengths. The game is not a platforming game in the strict sense, for you often cannot fail (another major complaint). The game is a lesson in absolutely beautiful and smart level design and artistic appreciation. As just noted, it is hard to fail, and this is on two counts. All handholds glow slightly so 95% of the time you know exactly where to go. Second, it is nearly impossible for Monkey to fall off of a ledge, so death is actually a difficult thing to come by. However, when you first enter a stage, you get a large overview of the level, and you will time and again wonder, how on earth do I get to the other side. To platform in Enslaved is to move through a beautifully dilipadated world. Maybe the most apt way to think of it is that the game does not so much require skill as the capacity for art appreciation. For even as I went through all the motions wishing I could display my skill as a gamer, I never once resented NT for they had given me an incredible gift. For example, one level requires you get across a bridge, but you cannot travel it's surface for the most part. Instead, you clamber across its undercarriage surfacing at key moments. Ninja Theory has quite literally constructed not merely levels, but worlds that once lived. And in many senses, the most important character in the game is any given level for each expresses an aspect of human achievement that has been superseded by destruction.
On this last note, NT has achieved something else quite amazing – art design. For a world in ruin, this is the most beautiful post-Apocalyptic world you ever have or will see. Rusting metal rests alongside lush fields, and abandoned shipping containers block access to semi-natural valleys verdant with life. It is jaw-dropping.
The game's second major feat are the realization of its characters. Physically, each character moves and looks wonderful. Monkey is visceral yet agile. Trip is simply beautiful – I mean really, beautiful. More importantly, the interaction between the two is better than acting in most real movies. This depends on two things. First, NT gained a reputation for animating realistic facial expressions in their last masterpiece, Heavenly Sword. When characters look anxious, you feel it, and when Trip lets out the chuckle of a person who has fallen in love after the person they love has finally noticed them, you will be happy for her. Second, this indicates the wonderful writing in play here. This is in many senses a love story. The game asks the question: is it possible to be wronged deeply yet be able to empathize with someone else's plight enough that that person gains your devotion and affection? The game's answer is a resounding and convincing yes. While you will go into this game knowing that something must develop between Trip and Monkey, it will startle you the subtle ways NT unfolds their budding relationship. Yet this relationship is one founded on true affection for (SPOILER!!) their affections are not consummated in insomuch as a kiss on the cheek. Now that is great writing.
Then there is Pigsy. He is an ally Trip turns to about ¾'s of the way through and he is easily one of the best characters in videogame history – period. There, I said it. I would like to say more, but what he brings to the game is such a wonderful surprise, that I will leave it for you to experience.
So, to my mind, all that I have said above over-rides the typical critic complaint. Now, is the game perfect even for someone like myself who values different aspects of a game than the typical critic. No? For example, for all the great writing, Trip's voice performance and sometimes the lines she is given ring hollow. For all the love and gratitude she shows Monkey, her commands sometimes come off as very grating if not simply brat-ish. Other times her pleas for Monkey to come save her sound like an 8 year old in trouble. These are not common but the game is so well executed otherwise that it can be jarring. The conrols are not as responsive as one would want. I played a couple of stretches multiple times because I could not get my hoverboard (the Cloud) to activate when I wanted it to. On this topic of the Cloud – it is one of the game's few obvious contrivances, for your ability to activate it is highly selective although Monkey always has it with him. Very bizarre. Last, NT's scripted platforming comes with consequences – Monkey can only fall from a ledge if that ledge has been scripted as one that he is permitted to fall from. So, during one intense battle, I kept wanting to drop from various ledges to grab ammo or health or to simply dodge enemy fire and the game refused to let me do it – highly frustrating. Last gripe. The enemy design is superb, but there simply is not enough variety. Once you've seen about 5 different mechs, you've seen them all.
So, do I recommend Enslaved? Absolutely. Is it the perfect blend of mass-market appeal and high-level execution as Uncharted 2 was? Absolutely not. Enslaved ought to be for everyone but in reality, it won't be. Is it for you? Enslaved is a work of art wrapped in incredible technology. In the final analysis, it is a labor of love that realizes the one vision it sets out. Whether it is for you depends on whether the most important thing is whether or not a game is made with love.