ENSLAVED: Odyssey to the West Coming to the PS3 on October 5, Win a Limited Edition Statue

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Hello everyone! My name is Laili Bosma from NAMCO BANDAI Games America, and I’m the Brand Manager for ENSLAVED: Odyssey to the West. I’ve had the pleasure of working with Ninja Theory during the creation of ENSLAVED, and watching this game come together has been awe-inspiring. We’ve got new content to share with you as we lead into the October 5th launch of the game, and a contest we know you’ll be excited by.

As PlayStation fans, you probably remember Ninja Theory as the studio that brought you Heavenly Sword, one of the early launch titles for the PS3. Ninja Theory has upped their game with ENSLAVED: Odyssey to the West, with their development focus on merging story-telling and gameplay. ENSLAVED features a rich narrative, deep and believable characters, some of the best talent in the video game, music and motion picture industries, and a production value that’s second to none. It also combines puzzle-solving, combat and platforming to keep the gameplay varied and intriguing.

ENSLAVED: Odyssey to the West takes place 150 years in the future, after several wars have obliterated nearly all of the planet’s population. In this post-apocalyptic future, mysterious slave ships harvest remaining survivors and take them out west, for unknown reasons. You’ll take on the role of Monkey, a loner who has spent his whole life on the run. Monkey finds himself captured by one of the slave ships and uses his brute force to break free from his cell. Meanwhile, he notices a young girl named Trip who uses more refined hacking skills to also break free, though she inadvertently sets the ship on a crash course to New York in the process. Knocked unconscious from the crash, Monkey wakes up to find that Trip has placed a slave headband on Monkey’s head which forces him to obey her and whether he likes it or not – help her get back home safely.

The brilliant team at Ninja Theory enlisted the help of heavyweight Hollywood talent to bring ENSLAVED to life. Andy Serkis, the genius behind Gollum in the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy, helped us with co-directing the performance capture and also acting in the lead role of Monkey. Alex Garland, screenwriter for 28 Days Later, co-wrote the story. The team has built a truly deep and memorable experience that we think you’ll be amazed by. But don’t take my word for it. Have a look at our latest trailer.



Now that ENSLAVED: Odyssey to the West has gone gold, we’ve given the press an early look at the game, and they’ve come to love it! Destructoid loved their hands-on time with the game, and even named it their Game of the Show for Gamescom 2010. G4 loved their preview experience of the game, and GamesRadar was so impressed that we left them reeling.

We have a lot of special content planned for ENSLAVED. You’ve probably already seen our retailer bonus item specials, which will give you enhanced bonus costumes for Trip or Monkey when you play the game. We’re releasing regular Developer Diary Videos on our Facebook page to help give you an inside look at what went into the creation of the game directly from the team. We also plan to offer some side-story premium downloadable content for the people that want to explore more in the world of ENSLAVED beyond the main storyline.

Another thing we’d love to do is answer some of your questions about ENSLAVED: Odyssey to the West, and there’s no time like the present!

We’ve set up a special ID on the PlayStation Network to take your questions… just send a message to “EnslavedOTTW” from your PS3. We’ll take the best questions and answer them in a follow-up blog post here, in a few weeks.

To kick things off, we have a special treat we’re offering first to PlayStation.Blog readers. We’re creating a series of unique, limited edition statues commemorating the game’s launch. These will NOT be available for purchase anywhere. We’re only making 200 of these statues, and we’ll only be offering them in special giveaways and promotions leading into launch. Here’s a prototype:

Enslaved Statues

Do you have the perfect place in your home for one of these statues? Then send us a question! Even if we don’t pick your question for the Q&A, you’re automatically entered into our drawing to win one of the statues. We’ll pick the winner at random and announce it in two weeks, when we answer your questions. Ten other winners will receive redemption codes for all of our pre-order downloadable content, giving you access to alternate costumes for Monkey and Trip that are enhanced with some special bonuses like unlimited ammo. Contest available in North America except Quebec.

And even better, North American PS3 owners will get first access to the demo for ENSLAVED: Odyssey to the West when it comes to the PlayStation Store next Tuesday, September 21st.

ENSLAVED: Odyssey to the West has been a labor of love, and we can’t wait for members of the PlayStation family to get their hands on this wonderful game. We hope you’ll take the time to check it out when it launches on October 5th!

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142 Comments

28 Author Replies

  • You guys gave the PS3 a terrible port making it, as such, I wont buy. Based on the demo however (EU store), I’m not missing much anyways.

  • okay thanks PS blog team for fixing it… and how big is this statue?

  • I had high hopes after Heavenly Sword, that was a beautiful game… but when I look at what you did to Dante, I have lost all interest in Ninja Theory. Iconic game characters don’t need reboots, and they certainly don’t need to look EMO

  • Will the new Playstation Move be an optional controller you can use for the game?

  • this may be a dumb question but does this game use NaughtyDog engine after playing the demo from UK it looks like uncharted 2 graphics seriously :)

    • No, we don’t use the Naughty Dog engine, although we have a lot of respect for the talented individuals behind the Uncharted franchise!

      Enslaved was developed on the Unreal Engine 3 platform using a lot of skill, hard work, and fresh supplies of pastries. Lots and lots of pastries.

  • While the game is too much like Uncharted in ways, I found it much better than anticipated. I went from not caring to wanting this game.

  • Ninja Theory developed Heavenly Sword, so I think it’s only fair that I ask: Do they have a ‘thing’ for (long) red-haired protagonists? :]

  • Heavenly Sword 2 is needed.

  • Where is the US Demo? What is the point in releasing a UK Demo but not a US one?

    • As we mentioned in the post, the demo will be coming during the North American PlayStation Store update on Tuesday, September 21st. We can’t wait for you to play it!

  • the demo was incredibly boring

  • The demo was incredibly boring…also WHY WONT IT LET ME POST COMMENTS WITH MY NORMAL ACCOUNT!?

  • Question: Is Monkey an evolved human or a product of de-evolution?

  • Question: Will the game include other characters from Journey to the West? Like the pig or the warrior monk?

  • Will there be a collector’s edition?

  • except Quebec……………………………………….. bah ill try the demo but i’m not very interested in this game anyway..

  • Are you guys making Heavenly Sword 2?!!

  • I’m aware that there is no co op offered. Looking at some videos it seems that the two characters will need to work together in order to complete some of the puzzles. How well does the A.I. respond to what you need done or can you switch between characters?

  • Played the UK demo, it’s actually pretty good. However i ran into a little annoying glitch where there’s a line coming out of Monkey’s face. It looks like he has a 10 foot pole sticking out of his face. Please ensure that this is fixed by launch, the gameplay is great but that is pretty annoying. Pretty distracting and takes you out of the experience.

  • I know what I’m downloading next tuesday!

  • o0o man you guys definetly watch that show in the discovery or history channel about humans dissapearing off of earth right

  • Tell the higher ups at Namco to give us Tales of Vesperia already…

  • Question: Is there an online component?

  • How much influence does Heavenly Sword have on the development of this game? Is it true that Enslaved uses the Heavenly Sword combat system?

  • As much as I would love to buy this game, I won’t. Ninja Theory has been talking way too much crap about Heavenly Sword since this game was announce and I am not cool with that. Heavenly Sword is one of my favorite game this generation and I hate how the developers of said game is downplaying it and pretend it was a failure. Sorry Ninja Theory, this game is a rental.

  • Question: Being a Post-Post Apocalyptic World, giving a rough estimate, how many humans are left in this beautifully desolate world? Thank you.

  • Hi i never posted before but my question has to do with the DMC reboot, well its not a question its more onf a request could u guy redo Dante with white hair cause im not feeling that new emo look hes got going on imo. Alot of DMC fans like myself are not feeling the make over. By the way enslaved looks sick so day one purchase for me, on a side note i also loved heavenly sword i wish u guys could make a sequel please.

  • So when can we expect Heavenly Sword 2?

  • “Posted by Laili Bosma // Brand Manager, Namco Bandai Games America”

    Namco Bandai huh? Hm…

    Well, first off to stay on topic, I’ll be buying Enslaved day one, already have it preordered it looks great.

    NOW, to more important matters…RELEASE TALES OF VESPERIA FOR PS3 IN NORTH AMERICA!!!!!!!!!!

    Please? :(

  • Seems kind of silly not making Heavenly Sword 2 imo. Loved Heavenly Sword…

  • I’ve seen that the main character monkey uses an extendable staff very much like Goku from Dragon Ball, which is also based on the “Odyssey to the West” story. Is that an homage to Dragon Ball or just more coincidence?

  • Question: Did the developers find it hard to develop the PS3 version..? And also, how did they manage to get both versions looking more or less the same?

    Thank you and I love the demo! :)

    • Ninja Theory is an old hand at developing for the PS3, having worked previously on Heavenly Sword during the launch period of the PlayStation 3. We were able to use the Unreal Engine 3 platform to deliver some amazing effects in Enslaved. You might be surprised by what they were able to do in terms of detail and level design!

  • Enslaved is my single most-anticipated release of Fall 2010 – the demo is absolutely fantastic, by the way – I’ve been doing my best to make sure everybody who’ll listen pays attention to it.

    Really, my only question is how long is it? I’ve heard twelve hours, is that accurate? 8-12 hrs is ideal for a game like this, to me.

    Also: I thought the trailer for DmC was very promising.

  • Wow. I really liked the look of this on the latest Qore, but it looks even better in this trailer. Can’t wait to play the demo on Tuesday.

    My question: I know in the Qore special it was mentioned that you upgrade Monkey’s weapons, but are there any other moves or powers that be upgraded with him or maybe even for Trip?

    My only worry for this game is that Trip is going to be like the Princess in Ico, where you have to drag her around everywhere (she doesn’t help at all). I know most people like Ico (nice graphics), but I didn’t care for that aspect of that game. lol.

    Anyway, looking forward to the demo!

  • make me think, where is Heavenly Sword 2? oh look! i will play wallace and gromit!

  • Ninja Theory really seems to be blasting off all of a sudden. Enslaved, DMC reboot? O.o CRAAAZY times.

    But really BOTH games look absolutely gorgeous. I see now why so many comparisons have been made to this and Uncharted 2. The game’s controls and body mechanics are great. Story line is magical. Music, beautiful. Facial expressions and animation is engaging. The voice acting is almost flawless. The graphics breath taking. This is a must have game for me this year.

    Here’s my question: Can you send me the game now? O.o

    I thoroughly enjoyed Heavenly Sword and I know I will enjoy this as well. Keep up the good work Ninja Theory :)

  • I loved the demo, but please tell me the final game will be more polished. I have seen so many dev diaries about how you guys are telling the story with facial expression and emotion, but the lip sync in the demo is really off, particularly the cut scene after they crash land. It really kills any sense of realism for me and snaps me out of getting lost in the experience. I know you can do better, I’ve seen good lip sync in Heavenly Sword.

  • Is the same person responsible for the music in Heavenly Sword involved with Enslaved?

  • Question: How long is the gameplay for Enslaved??
    Also, do the develop plan to do the Heavenly Sword 2 ??? cuz its a good time to coming back

  • It is great that we can take the game for a spin before the release with the demo. More publishers should realize that a good demo can increase the pre-orders by orders of magnitude, specially when you have a game which is new and not coming from a known franchise.
    Here is my question: Are you planning to expand the story/world of the game beyond game itself with extra stuff such as books/comics/”art of” books?

  • @ 82 Chance_Splinter i agree that the trailer looked promising but Dantes look does not. Im hoping that NT brings back his old look back and what I mean is his white hair. I dont remember wich DMC it is but in one of those game there is a pic of Dante and Vergil with their mom when they were kids and they both had white hair. So to me it doesnt make sense that his hair is black with some white in it, its just not consitent with the DMC universe. So if Ninja Theory could do one thing it would be to change his hair back to white please.

  • Q: Will there be co-op or split-screen?

  • To those whining about Dante’s look: it’s a REBOOT. A REIMAGINING! He’s not MEANT to be the same person! It’s essentially a parallel universe. This isn’t a “Cole suddenly grew hair, rearranged his facial bone structure and inexplicably went through a voice-changing second-puberty” thing. This is a “What if, in an alternate reality, Cole had a different face, voice and hair.”

    It’s not meant to be DMC5 nor a continuity of the white-haired Dante’s character. Entirely revamping the character was undoubtedly a measure to ensure there was no confusion about the complete change in scenario, personality, weapon-type or anything else.

    There’s no saying there won’t be a DMC5. That ain’t it.

    Who am I kidding? I could post it 30 times over, but people will still whine about it until the developer says something itself. While they’re at it, they might as well add a subtitle to the game to the effect of “Otherworld” or “Alternate Reality” or SOMETHING.

  • Sorry to go off-topic here…

    @90 MEK1ner:

    I’ve already had… heated discussions about my (seemingly) singular hopefulness for DmC, but here’s my take:

    New Dante looks great. He looks like a punk I might keep a suspicious eye on, if I saw him heading my way downtown – and no, he doesn’t look like “canon” Dante – you’re right, it’s not consistent. It’s totally inconsistent, and that’s the point.

    It’s a reboot. It’s a re-imagining of what DMC is – in this DMC, it’s entirely possible that all the canon we’ve come to accept about the series simply does not exist, and our new, scrawny, tweaked-looking Dante is just a psychopathic young offender who clips away from reality to experiences epic battles with otherworldly demons, while a doctor peers at him from behind two-way glass and administers shock therapy.

    What’s important is the feeling it ultimately elicits in the player – and whether or not Ninja Theory can go far, far above and beyond that they’ve ever done before, in terms of combat.

    If they can, and they can match DMC-quality combat with their phenomenal presentation and narrative work? Dayum.

  • @92 Jeigh: And here I thought I was the only one.

    Sorry to go so off-topic, mods.

  • The game looks beautiful as did Heavenly Sword, NT have become one of my favorite developers, keep it up guys and a very special thank you to Andy Serkis, who was brilliant in LOTR, HS, and from what I’ve seen so far, out does himself in Enslaved, consider it SOLD!!! 8)

  • does my question here mean that I am in the draw for the statue or do I still have to send you a question via PSN?

  • @Jeigh and Chance_Splinter well put i guess i will have to wait and see how it eventually turns out. For the record I was not whining and i also did not say anything about it being DMC 5. They never said anything about a reimagining, I agree about it being a reboot thats why he looks younger than in DMC 3 wich is based before DMC 1. overall it looks pretty good and u dont have to repeat yourself over and over 30 times.

  • What a lovely take on the world post-humanity. Absolutely brilliant after boring myself to tears on Fallout 3’s shades of grey metal and brown dirt.

    Can you tell us -anything- about the plot going on here? Or at least some of the themes you guys are wanting to focus on? Considering how much work clearly went into the atmosphere and the explanation of the visuals I really hope the story itself is just as inspired.

  • Question: What can you tell us about the lead character(s)?

  • Hello Laili, as Brand Manager you’ve got your work cut out for you if you’re going to reach the high bar set by Heavenly Sword. Just look at all the great stuff that’s still available for HS in the PlayStation Store, BTS videos, Trailers, a 5-part backstory anime, several wallpapers, and a theme in the EU Store.

    So Laili, are you going to WOW us with an abundance of videos, dynamic and static themes, wallpapers, and avatars at the launch of ENSLAVED: Odyssey to the West?

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