A Refreshing Suprise

I'll say this off the bat when it came to the game Enslaved i had no real interest in it i had seen some screenshots and a few things here and there but nothing that really jumped out at me as something i would want to play or spend my money on but that totally changed after playing the demo that was recently released. I don't recall a demo being this good and actually 100% selling me on the product.Ninja Theory have done a hell of a job with this one.

Now for a demo it does exactly what it should do gives the player a great sense of what the game is about in terms of the game play and plot and packs in a great opening section that at moments leaves you thinking 'damn i wasn't expecting that'. The game play mixes up the hack and slash style with some fluid platforming which are great if a little confined or guided it never really feels like you wont make a jump but this is early on so things might change. The combat is nice and responsive and has a really nice feel to it, blows have a nice impact to them matched with some nice sound effects and animations they look slick and stylish, and when a move is pulled off which has that extra bit of kick on it everything will slow down the camera will zoom in to give a nice look of a mech being broken apart with the main character Monkey looking adequately angry, simply put its great.

I think the thing that sold me along with the great game play was the story the pacing of it and the whole presentation package it is phenomenal cut scenes look superb with facial animations being the standout it just helps make the character and their goals a whole lot more believable in the context of things in the game, the strong writing helps to it is beyond what you would regularly expect from games and for me it is a great step and more games should follow in these footsteps of what Ninja Thoery have been doing.

The graphics in this game are really something, i wouldn't go as far to say they are the best but the scope of some of the set pieces like being on an aircraft jumping between the wings as the whole things is falling out of the sky looks spectacular added to that the great animation and the attention to detail it just sucks you in, the screen shots don't do it justice seeing it in motion is really something.

I love the art style the colour palette feels very rich and vibrant it stands out from the crowd of current generations expectations of the dark and brown gritty look and for this to have sort of a post apocalyptic setting in these vibrant colours it really shows of the tech so much more the game is eye candy.

Overall as a package it feels like a breath of fresh air from the games Ive played in the past few years, it has the feeling of being stuck in on a hot day and opening a window to let a cold breeze in it just has a great feeling to it.

The game also sparked my interest in Ninja Theory which whom it was revealed they are now working on a reboot of the Devil May Cry series and it looks like the game is sharing the same engine. My thoughts go to this game shares elements to the Devil May Cry games and has elements that could vastly improve that series such as the platforming and set pieces, i was unsure at first but i am really looking forward to see what Ninja Theory pull out of the bag with the new game. I highly recommended checking out the demo this game deserves attention.