![]() ![]() You’re practically thrown in the deep end, into a jigsaw puzzle with very few edge pieces to work backwards from, but plenty of pieces from the middle. The idea that stuck with me while playing, is that The Escapists 2 is a puzzle game, where there’s no real right or wrong answer. Hopefully performance can be improved with patches and post-release support! I also tried loading the eShop while the game was running, and the Switch had considerable trouble loading it up the last time I had this much trouble was when I was running Doom. Considering the simple art style, I was surprised that not only the initial load was long, but every time you load into a game. But as a port? Strangely, there are a lot of long loading times. I personally only used it a few times, as I prefer to use brains over brawn in this sort of game, but it worked well enough that I feel it can be a solid part of your strategy.Īs a game, Escapists 2 is solid, and I’d recommend it - with the reminder that it can be a game of patience and trial and error. Thankfully, you can be a bit more legit by buying this illegal contraband from prisoners, as long as they like you enough.Ĭombat is also a part of the game, not just for you, but also for the random fights that occur between other prisoners, or even cruel guards here and there. I actually had a lot of fun going through a bunch of prisoners’ desks finding what I needed, both for favours and crafting items I needed. There are a ton of items, each with different uses as well, which can also be used in a crafting system to make more useful tools, items and weapons. I once got mugged by guards after missing a few too many things, losing a lot of contraband in the process, so it’s generally a good idea to play by the rules. You technically can deviate from these times, but doing so will arouse suspicion. There’s a daily routine, including meals, job time, roll call and free time. So that feeling of having your plan fail after spending a lot of time on it can be a bit frustrating, even if you do gain experience on how to play the game from it.Įach day plays out how a prison might in real life. Depending on your plan, it could take a while for all the pieces to fall into place. Part of me appreciated this - it’s kind of like a real prison break, it’s not like you’re going to be told how to do it! And learning all the things on my own did give me a sense of satisfaction once I figured it out.īut ultimately, the Escapists 2 is about deliberation and time management. It’s interesting how the game leaves it up to you.īut beyond a short, linear tutorial, the game doesn’t really give you an in-depth description of your options. ![]() ![]() You can literally break out of prison, by breaking down a wall, or sneak out with a disguise. There’s multiple activities to take part in - you can work jobs, or help fellow prisoners out with favours, either way will earn you cash to buy the tools you need. It’s a sandbox experience, so how you break out is up to you. The Escapists 2 definitely does have this trial and error style of learning as part of the core experience, but when it’s a slower, time management based game, it can be just as tedious as much as it builds anticipation.īefore I elaborate too much, let’s go through the basics- The Escapists 2 is a game all about breaking out of prison. Sometimes this works, with failure as part of the learning process, but usually more for faster paced action games. Immediately wandering off and looking for a hole in the fence will get you nowhere, and instead you learn to bide your time and observe everything.It’s been an interesting time for games, where it feels like the way to teach players how to play is trial and error over blunt tutorials. ![]() Each prison also has its own unique set of personalities to get the measure of, in terms of fellow inmates and guards of varying demeanours. They all have regularly scheduled meal times, assemblies, and exercise periods, and if you miss any of them you’ll be noticed. Turning his descriptions into a tutorial is a neat presentational trick, but also a great way to get across the basics of what is actually quite a complex game.Īlthough each prison has different layouts and procedures the first thing you need to do when starting out at any of them is learn their routines. The game starts off with a clever flashback, where your ex-jailbird explains how he escaped while relaxing on a tropical-looking beach. But right from the off it’s obvious that this is a considerably more ambitious production. The Escapists 2 has exactly the same premise as the original, and so even with the promise of 10 different prisons to escape from you might worry that the concept is being stretched too far to justify a full sequel. ![]()
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