Every once in a while a game comes along that is so much fun that despite obvious flaws I would gladly recommend it to anyone.  For me Enslaved: Odyssey to the West is one of those games. The guys from AGErocks.com kept staying how great it was so decide to give it a try.  I initially kind of ignored it because the videos for it make it seem like a platformer which I’m not a big fan of.  However it definitely an action/adventure game that lets you traverse like a platformer.  You can’t accidentally jump the wrong way and fall to your death.  You can only jump to places where you can safely land.  There are few cases where you have to time your jumps to miss hazards like fire, but there are not too many of those.

When you’re not climbing and jumping there are a bunch of mechs to fight.  Most of the time this is done up close and personal with melee attacks, but your staff also has an option to fire shots. There is limited ammo for the staff but when you have the ammo using it to quickly down enemies is nice.  The camera takes getting used to, but once you get the hang of the the combat is not too hard.  However, as the camera angle always seems to be changing it takes a lot sometimes to get it where you want it.  Plus, your attacks always go the way your character is facing and not the camera.  These camera issues would have been nice to see worked out.  The game is not overly hard but it is not a breeze either. I just had to remeber to use the block option as I tend to always try and attack the whole time.

Enslaved is really about playing through this awesome story.  You play as Monkey, who gets a pretty raw deal at the start of the game, but you come to find that without the help of Trip (who has enslaved you so that you will help her get home) neither of you would have survived. The dynamic between these two main characters is awesome as it changes throughout the game. Monkey starts off, understandably, really mad at her, but by the end has come to understand and even respect Trip.  This dynamic is played out in the game not just through the dialog but in the fact that Monkey has to help Trip get through the levels.  For me it is the story and the great voice acting that made Enslaved so enjoyable.  Additionally, the games graphics are gorgeous.  The game takes place in the partially destroyed world that is starting to become overgrown. There is a lot of color throughout the world.  It is nice to see a game set in a post-apocalyptic setting that still uses the full color palette.

When I got to the end of Ensalved I was a little sad to see it end.  I’m really hoping for a sequel, but in the meantime I decided to buy the Pigsy’s Perfect 10 DLC and play it as well.  One of the first things I thought when you meet Pigsy in Enslaved was “I hope I get that grappling hook soon”.  While you never get it during the main game in the DLC you actually play as Pigsy. He is quite different from Monkey’s acrobatics and up close fighting.  With Pigsy it is all about the sniping, stealth and gadgets. He is not fast and he has no melee combat ability.  While I thoroughly enjoyed playing through the game as Monkey it was a lot of fun to play a completely different way in the same game world.  Pigsy’s Perfect 10 tells a side story to the main campaign that shows Pigsy in the days leading up to when Monkey and Trip meet him.  There are some really fun tie-ins that happened through the DLC that only would be noticed after playing the campaign. Even though the DLC is a little on the short side for $10 I completely enjoyed it and don’t regret the purchase at all.

If you have not played Enslaved yet you really should download the demo.  It is one of the best stories in a game that I’ve played in a very long time. Plus, the game world is beautiful while still looking war-torn, and the voice action is excellent. The camera controls do take a while to get a handle on, but even with that the game is way too great to miss.