Before we get started, I think I'm going to call these reviews "A Look Back" instead of "Belated Game Reviews". Let me know what you think.

Enslaved: Oddyssey to the West

Enslaved tries to do every possible thing an action game can. It's got shooting, cover-to-cover bullet dodging, hand-to-hand combat, a GodOfWar-style upgrade system, jumping around on ledges, puzzles, racing sections, free-roam vehicle sections, bosses, and combinations of all of these. Surprisingly it does most of them kind-of well.

The shooting (aiming) is kind-of wonky at times, the puzzles are just sequences of obvious lever pulls, and the platforming is very linear.

The combat is great and feels very Assassin'sCreed'y with some GodOfWar mixed in.

The vehicle sections feel very good and going from on-foot to your little floating disk thing feels very natural.

Now, when you read the synopsis of the story you may say "oh no, it's a giant escort quest". But don't fear, you don't have to babysit the girl, she is just another mechanic they use in the platforming and puzzle sections, well, besides moving the story along. There were only two parts of the game that felt like an escort quest where the girl was actually in danger and they were easily dealt with.

If the gameplay doesn't keep you playing, the story might. It is a great story (well, most of it is) and there are less contrivances than you might expect from an action-adventure game.

My only real big complaint is that it is too easy. The upgrade system can trivialize the game if you aren't careful. For a good challenge on normal mode, don't buy any "health" upgrades. Buy the combat ones (they are cooler anyway). That said this game is an excellent time for what you'd end up paying for it now. (8/10)