Enslaved: Odyssey to the West

Review

Common Sense Media says

Excellent fantasy adventure can get violent and suggestive.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Not yet rated

Kids say

AGE
11
QUALITY
 

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that Enslaved: Odyssey to the West is a violent game -- a third-person adventure that's placed in a brutal post-apocalyptic world. However, its protagonists are clearly good guys fighting against evil, and the enemies are machines and monsters instead of humans. That said, the hero, Monkey, uses weapons to slice, smash and impale creatures. Some of the finishing moves are particularly violent, such as jumping up and smashing down on the enemies.

  • Positive messages2
    The game is a fantasy romp, but some of the themes woven throughout the game are good vs. evil, survival, trust, love and companionship. Monkey is gentle to Trip and the two develop a respectful love over time.
  • Positive role models2
    Monkey, an ex-slave who fights against evil creatures, relies on his physical strength and agility to get through a wasteland peppered with enemies and puzzles. Trip, on the other hand, is a tech whiz. The two rely on each other equally. They are decent role models, though Monkey is quite violent.
  • Ease of play3
    Despite some camera issues that can make the jumping sequences more difficult than they should be, the game is fairly easy to play. The controls are taught to the player gradually near the beginning of the game.  
  • Violence3
    The violence is both weapon-based and hand-to-hand, as Monkey, the hero, attacks creatures big and small. Some are killed dramatically with slow-motion close-up camera views. Some show some sprays of blood, too.    
  • Sex3
    Monkey's attractive female sidekick, Trip, shows cleavage, a bare stomach and tight pants. There is also some outwardly sexual dialogue, including that which references the touching of certain body parts.
  • Language2
    In addition to the sexual references in the dialogue, the game also has a few swear words including "sh*t," "damn" and "hell."  
  • Consumerism0
    Not applicable.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking0
    Not applicable.
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What's it about?

Set 150 years in the future, ENSLAVED: ODYSSEY TO THE WEST tells of a Monkey, a strong warrior who escapes a slave ship and teams up with Trip, a technologically savvy young woman. The two work together, venturing through a wilderness to find the oppressive force that imprisons the remaining humans on this desolate world. Their adventures include battling mechanical creatures big and small and using the environment to traverse dangerous obstacles. The game is played from a third-person perspective and includes many memorable action sequences, platforming and puzzle-solving elements. Loosely inspired by the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West, the script was co-written by famed novelist and screenwriter, Alex Garland (The Beach, 28 Days Later), and is one of the game's greatest strengths.

Is it any good?

 

For a game that didn't have a lot of buzz leading up to its release, Enslaved: Odyssey to the West shines with intense gameplay, high-production values (including great graphics, convincing voice talent, and a good soundtrack) and a story worth getting into -- not to mention evolving character development, especially the relationship between Monkey and Trip. The controls are fairly easy to pick up, but the camera angles can prove frustrating at times, especially when it's too close to Monkey's back and you don't get a sense of where the enemies are or where you'll have to jump next in a platforming sequence. But overall, this game is a surprising and gratifying pick for fantasy fans.

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What families can talk about

  • Families can talk about the violence in the game. The enemies that are battled and sometimes graphically killed are robots and fantasy creatures, as opposed to human beings. Does this make the violence more palatable?

  • Trip, the female protagonist of the game, appears scantily clad -- but so do many of the male characters. Does this make the sexualized appearance of the heroine less troubling?

This review was written by Marc Saltzman
Kid, 13 years old
June 28, 2011
AGE
11
 
Iffy for tweens
Great game with violence, language. The violence is against robots, but the finishers are in slow motion and show oil spraying from them. On the first level a human slave is killed. There is some ocassional swearing, on the first level Monkey says "Open the door you mother-", the rest is shown with angry mouthing and pounding through a thick door. During gameplay and cutscenes Monkey says swears when in peril.
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Kid, 13 years old
January 20, 2011
AGE
8
 
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Adult
October 9, 2010
AGE
14
 
um
boring
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Kid, 12 years old
November 23, 2010
AGE
13
 
neat video game
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This review was written by Marc Saltzman
Platforms:Xbox 360, PlayStation 3
Available online?Not available online
Genre:Action/Adventure
Developer:Namco Bandai
Release date:October 5, 2010
Price:$59.99
ESRB rating:T for Blood, Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
This review was written by Marc Saltzman

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.
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