Unbalanced Journey with some Bright Spots
Ninja Theory has put together another unbalanced, hit and miss game. Much like Heavenly Sword, there are some very nice things in Enslaved but there are also some major missteps.
On the plus sides, the music is good though I wish it were better integrated into the game. The theme music that plays on the PS3 XMB is quite haunting. The story also has some touching moments between the two lead characters. However, there is little character development or really meaningful conversations during the game to set up that relationship. Due to this lack of background, It comes off a bit cheesy at times. Despite this, the story and characters are done pretty well as a whole and are one of the better reasons for playing Enslaved.
The combat starts out decent but gets old, fast. There is a bit of strategy in taking down the enemies but there is a lot of lather rinse repeat feel as at each new level area, you are greeted by a new group of robots that look pretty much like the last group. They do add a bit of puzzling by using alternative routes and stealth but it never feels that well put together.
The traversal is where is really starts to appear weak. It looks like the traversal is taken right out of Drakes Fortune but dumbed down even further. There is simply no platforming because jumping is all scripted. You could not fall to your death if you tried :) Now, that may sound like a good thing but it removes all tension, skill, and any sense urgency. You simply push forward and mash the X button or if you can't tell where to go, try left, right and mash the X button.
The graphics are another area that feels a bit unpolished. While the color palette and art are beautiful, the lighting is nearly flat and it makes the levels hard to look at. Things just don't have any depth and have a very rough jaggy look.
But, even with these complaints, there is a pleasant game experience to be had with Enslaved. Its just not that memorable an experience. I would give this game a RENT but not recommend a BUY.
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