The 2010 Xbox 360 and PS3 game Enslaved delivers a compelling re imagination of an ancient Chinese fable called Journey to the West. Set in a distant future where Earth’s humanity is spread thin and is in constant peril; and where menacing rogue robots (called mechs) dominate the land and terrorize its inhabitants.
The game is executed brilliantly in virtually every important facet. The game’s writing, voice over performances, pacing, visual aesthetic & overall art style, facial animations & overall character animations, and the gameplay itself are all outstanding and come together to deliver a memorable experience.
Despite it’s appeal though, the game is unequivocally an under appreciated title. Odds are that you’ve never experienced it yourself. Perhaps the relatively short game length hindered it. Maybe it wasn’t marketed adequately. Whatever the reason, it failed to attract a large enough audience, leaving in its wake little more than a blip on the radar.
To celebrate the release of the game, Namco Bandai (the game’s publisher) commissioned a pair of sculptures inspired by the game. The sculptures include a statue of the game’s protagonist (Monkey), and a diorama of a mech threatening Trip (female counterpart to Monkey.) These statues were limited to 250 each and were given away to some lucky fans, members of the press, and to people that worked on the game’s development.
Examples of both of these statues have now resurfaced on eBay and can be found here:
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Enslaved is one of those games that gets your attention, and does not let go until the very end. If you haven’t tried it yet, do yourself a favor and pick up a copy.
