10 Video Games You Didn't Know Were Based On Books
9. Enslaved: Odyssey To The West
Based on: Journey To The West by Xiyou Ji
Enslaved: Odyssey To West has become a bit of a forgotten relic already, which is a shame as it was a great game and had a lot more potential. Despite some strong characters and inventive mechanics though, Enslaved looks set to be the only game in its would-be series.
It’s loosely based upon the 16th Century Chinese novel Journey To The West, although obviously the technological parts of the game are inventions of the developers.
Though Journey To The West was the initial inspiration, it’s Arthur Waley’s abridged translation/adaption Monkey: A Folk Tale Of China which the game bears more similarities to. The lead character of Monkey, for starters, is an amalgamation only present in the translation, and the leaner plot also comes from Waley’s version.
Both Waley and the game leave out the long, winding poetry sections too, which was probably for the best.
There’s more combat and puzzles within the game than either adaptation too, but seeing as they’re the best parts of the game, this too feels like a wise choice. Enslaved is a great example of why loose adaptations are sometimes the best.