Review: The Escapists

The Escapists is a game about prison life. Your role is that of an inmate, convicted for an unknown reason. The task at hand is to escape from your cell and make your way off the prison grounds, which is a lot tougher than it seems!

At first glance, The Escapists seems like a very simple game. The graphics and sound effects are superficial and somewhat mask the rich content that lies beneath. On the other hand, the general ambiance the graphics provide certainly fits the gameplay - something which I find commendable as many games miss the point completely on that front. There are only a few gauges to keep an eye on and managing them is easy enough. There are, however, many unwritten rules to this game that one will have to learn to truly master it, but mastery is not necessary to enjoy the game whatsoever.

★★★☆☆

I'd like to recommend The Escapists as a fun time-waster. It can be very satisfying for someone who enjoys sandbox games, and strategy or stealth-based gameplay. Even if it's not a very long game, the content it provides is absolutely worth the price because of high replayability.

You can buy The Escapists on Steam or GOG for $17,99.

Expand the article to read more about this verdict. Spoilers ahead!
There is also an Xbox version but this review deals with the PC version specifically.

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First Impressions
Score: 2

When opening the game, you're met with a simple title screen. The test slowly bobs up and down and a bittersweet tune plays in the background. This sets the initial tone to be somewhat solemn, which contrasts with how the game feels when playing it. Altogether, I don't feel like it's all that inappropriate; in earlier versions the first level was grim and gloomy. Once you complete a few levels and unlock the later prisons as well, the tune seems to become more fitting.

As far as title screens go, it's not that bad.

Secondly, I would like to highlight the extreme contrast the title screen provides with the tutorial which feels very lighthearted. The jump scare at the end makes me expect that it's a well-crafted design decision, though. But more about that later.

Altogether, I feel like the first impressions of this game are quite decent. I feel like they could have been better had the designers decided to pour some more time into it, but I don't feel like I can blame them; the game is, as of writing, still being worked on and there are much more important aspects to hone first. 

Tutorial
Score: 3

First of all, I'd like to state that the tutorial is not all too well-crafted. It doesn't give a proper reflection of how the game really plays; it serves only to give the player a breakdown of the control scheme, which is not something I've found the game really needs. However, near the end there's a jump-scare, which drags the player out of their comfort zone and gives them a reminder that it's not going to be quite as easy as the tutorial paints the game to be. 

The tutorial level is on the bright side.

Nevertheless, I feel it's not fair to judge the game's tutorial on its dedicated level alone when there are so many other learning moments in the game that I can be more positive about. Let's examine the first moments of actual gameplay in the aptly named Center Perks, the easiest prison in the game.

As soon as you jump in, your character is on their bed, slowly recharging their energy, indicated by the lightning bolts briefly appearing over its head. On the side, the fatigue bar slowly drops down to nil, an ingenious way of teaching new players that a bed is one of few places they can rest. There are also three different types of doors in view, each with a color-coded lock. Whether this is by design I do not know, but it demonstrates the fact that different doors require different keys quite effectively.

Zzzzz...

The player is briefly given time to take in  their cell and the surroundings before they are called to action; the buzzer in the corner of the screen asks for the player's attention, the text beside it alerting them to the fact that they are now expected for roll call. Even with the game fully underway, this moment provides plenty of opportunity for learning how to play.

There are two choices the player could make quite easily at this point. The first is to stay in their cell, reluctant to leave their safe haven. If this is the elected course of action, it won't be long until the repercussions become clear; the prison will go into lockdown, an eerie tune will play and any guards spotting you will immediately attempt to take you out.

Should have shown my face before going to take a shower...

Clearly, the regimen is not something to trifle with. Some other players might feel this instinctively and opt for the second possibility: attending roll call. If they do, they will learn other things, the most important of which are that after roll call, two random cells will be checked for contraband and that it's important to interact with other prisoners. The latter is telegraphed by green exclamation marks, a simple and effective way to attend the player to something important in a non-threatening way.

There are many other things players will learn as they explore the possibilities that this game offers,  most of which will only become apparent as the player gradually grows comfortable with the mechanics. This is great and something I'd wish more games would do.

Aesthetics

Score: 4

This game's graphics and sounds are very simple, but I don't think I would have it any other way. As it stands, it ties the experience together very well. It just works. The graphics could be just a little bit better, but altogether the aesthetics are consistent throughout. 

The music is also good. It's very basic but does capture the feeling of the game well during most periods, heightening the immersion. I do find it to be lacking at times, such as during meals, but it's not miles off either. A lot of these imperfections are made up for by the fact that the game doesn't take itself very seriously.

Thank God!

As may be clear, the game isn't the most solemn of experiences. The characters look quite silly at times; the writing is often humorous, sporting gold such as "Someone flushed the warden's hat down the toilet" or "Ever tried benchpressing a guard?" There are many more lines which I won't state; it's better appreciate the situational humor as it occurs. I think that the humor in this game significantly contributes to the aesthetics. It lightens up the mood a little and makes the experience more engaging in a way that only comedy can.

Gameplay

Score: 3

We've talked a lot about how the game looks but not about how it plays; time to change that by diving into the controls. It's great to see a game with the potential to be so convoluted remain as simple as it has.

Controlling your character is as simple as using the WASD keys to move, as with many games. Other keys you will come to use over the course of the game are the spacebar, Q and E. I find myself somewhat disappointed they needed three keys to map out the possibilities where with some elegant design, two would likely have sufficed. However, I can't complain too much, since it's easy to get used to. The only thing I imagine people wouldn't know is that Q can be used to recruit inmates with a high opinion of you.

The only other thing you need to manipulate is the mouse. This should prove to be no problem since this is a basic skill that anyone using a PC should have. Using the appropriate button may take some getting used to, though.

Oops! I accidentally lifted someone.

With the controls left behind us, we can now focus on the gameplay itself. While the goal is to escape, this is not what makes the game engaging. To illustrate this, I would like to reiterate the fact that the regimen is very tight. Most of the time, the game focuses around manipulating the schedule for the day in such a way that you don't have to deal with the guards.

Once you realize that the focus of the game is really to stay out of trouble, I can point out the obvious and say that this is, in fact, a stealth game. At first, this may seem strange. This is no Metal Gear game, after all. Where are the predetermined patrol routes? Where are the possibilities of hiding when a guard gets too close?

Hiding in the shadows does not work in this game.

Those concerns are of course valid, and they are a reason that not every Metal Gear player will enjoy The Escapists and vice versa. They are still completely different games, even though both focus on stealth. However, I do have to point out that the only way to escape is to hide your progression away from the guards' eyes. In later prisons, the moments that you can use to plot your escape become more sparse and require stricter timing. If that's not stealth in it's most simple form, I don't know what is.

Unlike most stealth games, the Escapists doesn't rely on practice nearly as much. It's a choice that makes the game stand out and separates it from most other titles out there. The randomized nature of the game may be a consequence of bringing in the sandbox and strategy genres as well. Practice is still an element that can be found in the fact that prisons aren't randomly generated, but more important is the elements of planning and improvisation that come with the ability to manipulate the terrain.

I'm making my escape and none of you goons can stop me!

Even though, as a player, your ability to interact with the terrain can be called limited, the many different routes that you can take allow for personal preference. You can often take the route you like to take quite easily. In a way, you make your own challenge.

This is true in more way than one. While the four gauges are really all you need to keep an eye on in order to successfully escape, you can manipulate your chances of success in many more ways. Sufficiently advanced players can easily knock out all guards, take a hostage and walk out of the front gate unharmed. To complement that, the game also competently explores the mechanic of consequence. Nothing is stopping you from digging your tunnel in the showers, but it will quickly becomes apparent that doing to is an easy ticket to solitary confinement.

Nooooooooooooooo!

Now that the game has had its fair share of praise, it's time to move on to a few issues that it has. One of them is the infamous instabust. While the problem that this provides is not too bad, it can easily lead to confusion. The mechanic is basically as follows: if you screw up severely, you will be sent to solitary immediately. If you were seconds from escaping or not in the guards' sights at all, this can feel pretty punishing, since you were given no fair chance to avoid getting captured.

Another problem is exceptions to the crafting system. While the mechanic of building a journal filled with recipes is decent, many players struggle with making a shiv, obtaining bed sheets or pillows and hanging sheets in front of bars. The problem here is that these methods of manipulation aren't very intuitive. There is nothing to suggest you can sharpen toothbrushes on walls and neither is there a clear indication that you can take sheets and pillows off beds.

And then we quickly - hey, no one told me this was possible!

Something else I think should be improved is combat. While I certainly understand that you can't leave the player lying on the ground after they're knocked out, I feel like it's somewhat unfair to instantly regenerate all the others' health as soon as they get up, while the player has only a limited amount as they find themselves in the infirmary.

Bugs
Score: 4

The game has very few bugs. Most of them have to do with pathfinding, causing guards or inmates to get stuck or walk through walls. Other than that, the game feels quite fair as none of the bugs are game breaking. Occasionally, some harmless graphical glitches may also occur.

Something to mention is that the humorous tone of the game can make occurring glitches less immersion-breaking. The world of The Escapists is a strange one, even without any physical impossibilities distracting you.


Achievements
Score: 3

Ideally, achievements would pursue the player to try new escape methods and incentivize new ways of playing the game. While The Escapists certainly has these types of achievements, most of them are simply achievements that require you to do something X amount of times.

The only achievements that I think are poor are those that unlock when you do every job and when you complete the game. While I understand that the latter is an achievement in the literal sense of the word, I don't think these types of achievements add anything to the game.

Can I bring you along for a moment, pal?

Generally, the achievements give me an all-around good impression, though. I would definitely recommend trying to unlock Way of the Dragon and Thug Life as they can be quite a game-changer. Day One can be tricky to get since it requires luck, but other than that the achievements are fair.

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That rounds up this review. If you have any feedback, be sure to leave a comment! They are much appreciated and there is of course more to a game than what I say there's to it. If you think I've found a mare's nest, don't refrain from stating your opinion!