PixlBit

Enslaved: Odyssey to the West is something that will stick with me for a long time – it’s one of those amazing games that went past the sometimes gltichy gameplay, delivering to the player a story full of emotion and drama. The main protagonists, Monkey and Trip, each performed with such depth and character that you could easily imagine them being real people; well, real people in a post-apocalyptic future full of murdering robots.

It was with some surprise then that I found out the first DLC for Enslaved was about one of the non-mechanical NPCs met in the game; the Junkyard overseer, lover of food and ladies, Pigsy. Set before the events of the main game, Pigsy finds that the paradise he has been running his scrap heap in is a little lonely, and sets out on a quest to make himself a companion. Along with his downright awesome sidekick, Truffles, a flying TV that shows emotions through a pixilated face, Pigsy explores the far corners of his little kingdom looking for the necessary parts for a new companion.

While this game still takes place in the Enslaved world, Pigsy is no Monkey. Rather than slap a new texture over the same model and animations, and make the guy into something he isn’t, the developers have actually created something completely new, altering the gameplay into a stealth-sniper game - a very unforgiving stealth-sniper game at that.

Obviously never trained in the ancient art of staff, kick-ass Pigsy instead relies on his trusty rifle, Mona. This weapon has unlimited ammunition but unless you are facing down one mech at a time (and there is never just one mech) you can’t just let loose with auto-fire and gun everything down. To bring down a mech takes a ton of body shots and as soon as your weapon goes off they are alerted to your presence. Instead, your most effective tactic is to line up head shots in scope mode for a very satisfying one-shot kill. This is easier said than done as the mechs don’t exactly like to stay still. Once you pick off one of their friends’ heads, they will come charging at you, which can end poorly because a single swipe of their claws means game over.

To assist his ambush warfare, Pigsy collects several technological gadgets to aid him; a hologram generator for diversions, an EMP device to temporarily stun mechs, a device to briefly reprogram mechs and make them your ally, and a remote detonated bomb. If an enemy gets to close you have a final attempt at salvation with a cattle prod that will temporarily short out said mech, but the prod has a short recharge time and if there is more than just one opponent, it’s completely useless. Pigsy also has a night vision like device in his monocle that relays important information to him, like enemy movement patterns and the location of pinup models.

What all of this means is that each enemy section is almost like a methodical puzzle. You have to plan your movements, device locations, and order of shots to get through unscathed. A single slip-up can mean a reload and try again. Luckily, the game is incredibly generous with checkpoints, so you don’t experience too much frustration. There are some nice break points, including a somewhat hectic platforming moment that keeps things from becoming stale.

While I love the sniper-based gameplay of this DLC, I found myself becoming increasingly frustrated with Pigsy’s slow and clumsy movements, especially later on when you start to get spammed with opponents. With Monkey, a mistake or two was acceptable and you could easily recover. In this game, when you die because you couldn’t trot to cover fast enough, you start to grind your teeth. Clocking in at just over three hours in length, you will be ready for it to end, as things start getting too hectic for our hero and your deaths start racking up. Also, the button layout was not the most intuitive for a shooter, and several times I would deploy the wrong ability and be forced pay for it.

Even though this DLC is not similar in gameplay to what Enslaved was, it is still coated in the polish that Ninja Theory had previously applied. The voice acting and body animations are amazing, and Truffles is an awesome addition. This DLC is well worth the $10 for any fan of Enslaved or someone looking for a solid, if sometimes overwhelming, stealth-sniper game. Just remember, it is not the main campaign.