June 2017 Playthrough - Enslaved: Odyssey to the West

[ericeskapade]

I played until Chapter 3 today. Had to finish the 360 Lost Odyssey (great game) until I could find myself dive into another world.
The First (Demolition) End Boss was stuck  running against a wall- so I had to reset from one Checkpoint. Running around for getting the "Bonus"-Points feels like playing a Sonic What did you guys invest them in at first? I bought the upgrade for  Shield and Health Skills.
 

[Crabmaster2000]

Catching up everyone. Made it to the start of Chapter 5 now.

Really love the opening chapter of this game. Might be one of my favorite openings from a game last gen. Escape from the exploding ship, fight some awesome mechs, explosions everywhere, cool fluid platforming, huge set piece level designs (ala out on the wings as the ship is about to crash into a skyscraper), cool sci-fi imagery/plot hints and when that slave helps you find your stuff and gets his brain fried almost immediately after...... so cool! It's like a summer blockbuster action sequence all mashed into one chapter!

As shallow as each part of the game is (platforming/stealth/fighting/exploring/shooting/running) I find that each part is done well enough and there is enough variety that none of them get over played, boring or too repetitive. The platforming movements are surprisingly fluid and enjoyable. Feels awesome swinging from bar to bar and sliding down poles.

Storywise it's also pretty cool. You've got your main story where Monkey needs to return Trip to her home. And as with any good roadtrip story the conversations lead to some backstory for both of our characters. But beyond that you get the weird glitched out "flashbacks" that Monkey is having when he finds the white masks which is intriguing, and it's been long enough since I last played that I honestly don't remember where that story ultimately leads. You also get little tidbits about the world you're traversing too though with it's own kind of story. Seeing the destroyed city, Trip mentioning the fish in the aquarium have survived for around 200 years in their closed environment and that the Dragonfly Robot has supposed "evolved" new abilities it didn't have in the past really help to make the world feel more real and alive and just interesting. How do robots evolve? What happened 200 years ago? Why don't people inhabit the cities anymore? How many people are left? Are most slaves? Lots of cool lore to dig into.

What's everyone putting their stats into so far? In nearly every game with the option I put my first few upgrades into things like extra health or armor. I find that it almost universally loosens up the learning curve that way. Afterwards I often hoard my stat points until I reach a point in the game that is giving me some troubles and then look through what's available and then decide what would be the most useful tool to attack whatever problem is slowing my progress.

This is something I didn't notice the first time I played and I'd love to hear perspective from others on it. Do you guys think that Monkey is a reference to Goku from the Dragon Ball? He's got the Saiyan style hair, he's got an extending power staff and the name Monkey could easily be a reference to when Goku turns into the Great Monkey during a full moon. He's looking for what sounds like a motor bike right now, and if it has even a passing resemblance in anyway to Goku's Nimbus Cloud I think that might just be too many coincidences to ignore.  Thoughts?

[Addicted]

@Crabby: A lot of anime and games borrow from the Chinese novel Journey to the West including Dragon Ball.

https://en.wikipedia.org/..._the_West#Main_characters

https://en.wikipedia.org/...ns_of_Journey_to_the_West

[singlebanana]

Well, I finally buckled down and finished the game today. As I've said on the show before (and maybe even here..), I'm not the greatest modern gamer.  I got bogged down in a few areas, but managed to persevere through them after multiple tries.  I had my frustrating moments (i.e. controller thrown in the air like a pizza), but it felt good to mark it off the list.  If it's one thing I have as a retro gamer, it's the willingness to try, try again....and again....and again. 

I agree with Crabby in that the opening scene is one of the best I've experienced in a game.  It really throws you right into the action and assures you that the platforming will be precise and action packed.  I agree that the areas are very diverse throughout the game, the scenery is beautiful, and the game is an appropriate length.  However, I do feel that the game does get slightly repetitive after 14 chapters.  Platform, slay mechs, platform, slay mechs.......maybe boss battle.  I would have liked to have maybe had a few chapters of story and platforming minus the battles. I dunno, just something to mix it up a little. A very minor gripe.

The story is very good and is one of the stronger, if not the strongest, parts of the game. There are some pretty great unveilings, including a great new character, but sadly, I find myself really disliking Trip more and more as the game goes on.

Spoiler (hover to show)

Especially when she doesn't stick to her contract with Monkey and uses him for her revenge plot.  I also get tired of the way she bosses him around.  I can see his affection for her, but I never know if it is reciprocated, and that makes me a bit uneasy. There is one touching scene near the very end, but otherwise, her character gets too close to being overly annoying and simply despicable, which is a shame. I really want to like her.

As far as stats go. I started off with health boosts mostly, but the one I regret not getting until the end was the evade and power boost combo attacks. The evade allows you to roll under those awful shielded enemies and throw a quick upper cut that really helps with beginning a combo. The power boost gives you an array of awesome overpowered and unstoppable combos after putting several hits together. These would have really served me well had I gotten them earlier, especially as a more novice modern gamer. I'd also put a point into staff ranged effectiveness, better to have to one than two shot.

@Crabby - Also makes me think of Cloud Master, where the cloud rider is also a monkey.

[singlebanana]

I hate Trip. I really dislike games that make me escort a useless character around. This is why I disliked Ico. At first, Trip was alright (if you can get over the whole enslavement bit) - she provided some good distractions and felt like she had a purpose in the game. However, by the 10th time I heard "Monkey, help!" when she couldn't make a jump, I wanted to punt her off a rooftop.

YES!  Sorry Pam, catching up.  Please see my thoughts on her above.

[Crabmaster2000]

@Crabby: A lot of anime and games borrow from the Chinese novel Journey to the West including Dragon Ball.

https://en.wikipedia.org/..._the_West#Main_characters

https://en.wikipedia.org/...ns_of_Journey_to_the_West

I've heard the story (Journey to the West) referenced before and for some reason never looked into it. I read your links and it's crazy how much they take from the story not just in this game, but in a ton of stuff. I had no idea it was such an influential story. I've played like 8 (plus watched a few shows) other games that have taken direct influence from it and never linked them together in my mind for some reason.

So cool that Tripitaka, Monkey, Pig, their abilities and backgrounds and even the controlling headband was taken directly from Journey to the West. I need to read more books or something!

[Addicted]

@singlebanana: Congrats on beating the game 

[singlebanana]

@singlebanana: Congrats on beating the game 

Thanks!

[douglie007]

this game gave me a very

Spoiler (hover to show)

Matrixy

feel at the end.

[Crabmaster2000]

Just finished Chapter 9 and met up with Pigsy.

Totally forgot about Monkey's Cloud. Surfing parts are awesome. Really fun. The Tank cover part on the bridge was pretty cool too. Nice change of pace again.

Anyone else notice that Trip's Dad is Ringo Starr?

PS - I don't mind Trip to this point. Sure it's terrible what she's doing to Monkey and not something I think I'd ever be desperate enough to do, but even so I can kinda see where she's at. And whether he can't show it or simply chooses not to, Monkey never really seems to mind their unusual relationship. Even when she welches on their original deal they both come to terms with it immediately and are right back into their regular grove.

[GrayGhost81]

Great conversation here, my friends!

One thing I don't anyone has addressed yet (besides a possible game breaking glitch mentioned early on) is the general technical performance of the game.

Sadly, it kind of sucks, doesn't it?

It's a shame because Ninja Theory did such a great job with the character modeling and facial animations (which were an improvement on the already awesome ones in Heavenly Sword), as well as the environments, that I found it to be quite a shame that screen tear, texture pop-in, and framerate dips were all rampant.

I've played on both the 360 and the PS3 and from what I've heard the PC didn't fare much better. I wonder if the game would've gotten more attention if it performed better at the time. Maybe I'm looking at it with rose-colored glasses, but even replaying it now I still believe the game looks amazing, moment to moment, for a PS3 game. The overall performance really hampers the overall presentation though.

Imagine this game with an HD remaster with all of that stuff corrected. 

[Crabmaster2000]

All done now. It sounds like many of us are done so I'm gonna talk about it up to the ending I'll just add a spoiler tag for anyone who is still playing.

Spoiler (hover to show)

The atmosphere of the game gets very dark almost immediately when Pigsy is introduced. The lush, bright environments are dark, dull and rusty metallic looking from this point on. Very cool change in feeling as the story takes a darker turn after finding Trip's hometown captured/killed.

The race against Pigsy to the top of the tower was a blast. Love it when games do areas like that mainly for the banter between characters as they egg each other on.

The platforming in the factory is among my favorite in the game. Really cool mix of platforming/puzzle solving. Very satisfying.

When heading to the Leviathan we get a penis joke out of Pigsy. Classy as always!

After getting control of the Leviathan Monkey obviously has the opportunity to leave, or to tag along without the headband. He very sternly tells Trip to "turn it back on!". I think that can be taken as one of two things going through his head. Stockholm Syndrome as they've spent so much time together and been in many perilous situations, but I don't think that's quite it. I think he's found a purpose and something to fight for finally. He knows he's gonna help regardless, but he also knows that he's gonna push himself a hell of a lot harder if Trip's life is on the line than if it isn't. I think he wants to keep the headband active to make sure he wont have a chance to slack off even a bit since at this point he cares deeply for Trip (maybe not even romantically, perhaps as like an older sibling or protector). What do you guys think?

Now climbing around on the Leviathan and fighting off the Scorpions was a really run final stage. I think as a climax it's maybe outshined by the wicked intro stage on the slaver ship though. It's big and grand, but the stakes just don't seem quite as high as the intro since you don't quite know what they are gonna find in the Pyramid at this point. Maybe if you had some solid suspicions about what they'll uncover it could have a bigger feeling of pressure, but as is I think it's just a fun big set piece. Not a bad final stage, but just some thoughts about how it could be more impactful.

Was anyone surprise or saddened by Pigsy's death? I know I wasn't. He seemed expendable almost from the get go, and wasn't overly likable.  

As far as the epilogue I really enjoyed it. It was a little out of place to have a human face thrown at me when I've been looking at CG faces the rest of the game. I get that it was to relate this character to the "glitches" Monkey had been experiencing up to this point. Maybe if they had used a completely unknown face I might have let it slide a bit more. I couldn't play him until the credits rolled, but I know it was someone familiar. Seeing that Andy Serkis was Monkey I made the connection to his face right away. After checking wikipedia it seemed that he was fairly involved in the whole process of the game. Definitely far more than a typical actor would be. Anyway Trip ruined Monkey's one chance to be happy forever, what a jerk. Am I right?

@GrayGhost81 - regarding technical issues with the game it has to be pretty egregious to hurt my enjoyment. I don't know if growing up in the era when slowdown, sprite flickering, unintended enemy respawns, texture and object pop ins/outs, mid gameplay loading, and all sorts of other problems just normal in a ton of really great games and popular games has left me nearly immune to tech issues, but it doesn't typically hamper my enjoyment of a game. When people complain about dropping framerates, or connection issues or whatever new technical problems pop up I often scoff and glaze past that part of the review. Things that completely stop progression obviously are upsetting. The worst offender I can think of that made me enjoy a game far less than I wanted to was Batman Arkham Origins where I ran into 3 separate bugs that stalled me and forced me to reboot and reload the game to get past them. Nothing in Enslaved got in my way or was frustrating.

[singlebanana]

I agree Crabby. The only real slow down that I noticed was before the first "DOG" fight. Other than that, nothing really stood out to me as far as frame rate or slow down issues. Now, not really being a modern gamer, maybe I didn't pick up on them as much. Like you said, those things just seem sort of common and normal to me often times.

[singlebanana]

Also, I saw some of Crabby's thoughts in the spoiler, but I want to hear about what others think of the late, introduced character, Pigsy.  If you want to talk about Pigsy and the ending, PLEASE spoiler tag.

[Pam]

There was one part of the final boss battle I got really stuck on and had to attempt a number of times. I think it was the second last phase? The camera zoomed way out at a weird angle that made it very difficult to control Monkey or even see where he was some of the time. Anyone else experience this?