Gameplay
The player takes the role of "Monkey" in a third person perspective, using a variety of combat moves and platforming skills to overcome obstacles. In combat, Monkey uses a staff that doubles as a close-combat and long-range projectile weapon. The staff has two types of long-range ammunition in the form of power cylinders: orange cylinders used for blast damage and blue cylinders used for stunning foes. Monkey can also remain stationary and charge his staff to use the same stun attack. In the game, players encounter numerous mechs as enemies. Certain mechs can be used as weapons. Monkey can perform a finishing move on them when they are low on health, such as tearing the gun off a turret or throwing an explosive foe at other combat mechs. Monkey's other abilities include his force shield that can block a certain amount of damage before requiring a recharge, and the "Cloud" device that manifests as a hover board that can be used to glide across water or land at great speeds. When enemies are defeated, they drop tech orbs that can be used to upgrade Monkey's abilities. They allow the player to learn new moves and abilities for combat and devices, increase overall health and shields and the damage that can be inflicted on enemies. Orbs can be found littered across levels, sometimes hidden out of sight, requiring extra exploration at times. Another type of collectible players can amass is masks, which are also scattered across different levels.
During the game Tripitaka, or simply "Trip", who must be escorted and protected as they travel, accompanies Monkey. He has a device attached to his head linked to Trip. This device, called a slave headband in the game, requires Monkey to keep Trip alive. Should she die he will as well. In some instances just going too far away from her can result in the same fate. Trip, however, can help Monkey overcome obstacles at times by performing certain actions involving her technical skills like hacking into a computer. Players can command Trip to use her different skills. For instance, she can scan the surrounding area revealing hazards such as land mines or mechs on standby, and project a temporary hologram as a decoy to draw the enemy's attention away from Monkey. Players can also order Trip to hide behind covers or regroup with Monkey. Having no combat ability of her own, Trip is vulnerable in instances where she is attacked by enemies. Her only defense is an electromagnetic propulsion blast, which she can use to stun enemies threatening her temporarily.
Other than combat, the gameplay also focuses heavily on platforming where Monkey can scale and leap across the ruins throughout the game. Some areas and platforms will collapse shortly after use, requiring faster scaling before Monkey potentially falls to his death. Trip also plays a part in the platforming sections of the gameplay, making some sections of platforming akin to puzzle-like forms of gameplay. In other instances where Monkey can make jumps/climbs, Trip needs to be thrown to the other side or ride on his back. In some sections of the game Monkey and Trip are separated so the player cannot use her abilities.
Plot
Enslaved is set 150 years in the future after a global war has ravaged the Earth, destroying most of the human race and leaving the world plagued by robots, known as "mechs", left over from the war. Mechs still follow their programming and seek to eradicate hostiles, now surviving humans.
The game opens with the main character, Monkey (Andy Serkis), awakening in a containment cell aboard a slave ship. He escapes and accidentally causes the vessel to crash. He reaches Trip (Lindsey Shaw) leaving the ship using an escape pod, but she ejects the pod without allowing him to enter. When Monkey regains consciousness after landing, he discovers Trip has placed a slave headband on him, which forces him to follow her orders; a dead man's switch will kill him if she dies. Trip explains she wants to return to her village, and she needs his help to get there. Monkey is angry but has no other choice. As they travel across New York City, glitches in the headband expose Monkey to visions of what appears to be life before the war. When they reach Trip's village, however, the place is deserted and overrun with mechs. After clearing the village of them, Monkey and Trip discover Trip's father is dead and no other villagers can be found. Assuming everyone is dead, Trip refuses to remove Monkey's headband, explaining her intent to find and kill the person responsible.
Trip takes Monkey to meet a friend of her father's named Pigsy (Richard Ridings), who she believes can help them. Pigsy explains that a nearby mech base has the Leviathan, an enormous and incredibly powerful giant mech. The three infiltrate the base, commandeer Leviathan, and steer it to the mysterious Pyramid, where the slaves are being held. Along the way, Trip apologises to Monkey for breaking their deal and deactivates the headband, but Monkey tells her to turn it back on, hinting they have developed a romantic relationship.
