Enslaved: Odyssey to the West (Xbox 360)

It’s 150 years in the future and the human population is on the brink of extinction. A war between humans and mechs has changed the world for the worst. Buildings are completely covered by vegetation and left-over mechs still roam the cities. The few people that have managed to survive in the post-apocalyptic world are taken as slaves. Monkey, a gifted strong human, manages to escape a slave ship along with a woman named Trip. After the pod they escaped in crashes, Monkey awakens to find that Trip has placed a hacked slaver headband on him that will send shock-waves of pain to him if he disobeys her orders. Trip has enslaved Monkey for one simple purpose, she wants him to get her back home. If he does that, she will free him. Asked why he doesn’t just kill her right then and there, Trip explains that if at any moment her heart stops, his will too. This sets them off on a journey back to Trip’s village, one where the two must become one as a team in order to survive in a future left uncertain.

Enslaved: Odyssey to the West is a platforming action-adventure developed by Ninja Theory. In the game, the player controls Monkey in his escorting mission of Trip. Monkey is equipped with an extend-able staff which he uses in battle. As the name implies, Monkey has acrobatic skills like a monkey that he uses perfectly to climb on poles and escape from enemies. Combat is tied exclusively to Monkey’s staff, delivering light or heavy blows and even shooting out plasma shots. While Trip does not help in the actual fighting, she can help in other ways like distracting the enemies or even unleashing a stunning EMP if she is attacked. Trip also uses a dragonfly camera that will scour the surrounding areas for mechs and mines. If any are found, they will show up on screen thanks to it being programmed into Monkey’s headband. Tech-orbs found scattered throughout the levels are used for upgrading purposes. These include things like increasing Monkey health, adding more ammo for his staff shots, and even getting new moves. Platforming elements and level design are similar to those seen in Uncharted 2: Among Thieves.

There are three difficulty settings that can be chosen. Playing on the hardest one will greatly increase enemy damage against you. The game contains a chapter select mode to replay any chapters that you have previously beaten. This allows you to do levels over again to get more orbs or even unlock certain trophies/achievements that can only be gotten in that certain chapter.