CUFFBUST Review (PC)

The koalas are running rampant, and the correctional officers are bolting around like headless chickens. In the strangest turn of events, one koala—a Jailien, sorry—has managed to locate a keycard for the secret passageway that leads to the helipad, whereas another inmate has decided to clobber a guard with a spoon. And as for me, well, I’m between a rock and a hard place, unsure of what to do, or even how to do it. The plan was to regroup and devise a foolhardy escape route to help us emerge from these blasted shackles. But that went south a little too quickly. And now? Eh — it’s pretty much every man, koala, mouse, and guard for his or herself.

CUFFBUST isn’t Shawshank Redemption; it isn’t cool and calculated, nor is it littered with graceful escape attempts or slick camaraderie. No, CUFFBUST is a little more unhinged than that—Content Warning and Rubber Bandits, unhinged. It’s a prison escape sim that embraces silliness like a cat embraces a laser pen. It’s brash and it’s ridiculous, jumbled and nonsensical — and above all, stupidly entertaining.

Let it be said that CUFFBUST isn’t the Bond-esque game that you might be hoping to sink your teeth into this weekend. If it’s anything at all, it’s a mindlessly unapologetic first-person co-op game that favors pandemonium over well-orchestrated plots and ironclad dreams of grandeur. Alas, this isn’t your typical prison break; it’s a dimwitted attempt to obscure the fact that, inmate or guard, nobody has the slightest clue what they are doing. And you know what? I friggin’ adore it.

The Ol’ Ball and Chain

CUFFBUST places you at the tipping point of a prison break—an event that, due to the brittle nature of the correctional institution, has spurred a sudden surge of unbinding pressure on inmates to take heed and disperse in a somewhat efficient manner. As an inmate in this shambolic hellhole, you begin your journey with an open cell, a block of ne’er-do-well offenders, and an option: to escape the prison via a traditional route—an act that involves digging holes, collecting tools, and liaising with fellow inmates to form crews and strategic alliances—or via a slightly more violent course, which relies on throwing caution to the wind and doing, well, whatever it is that tickles your fancy. The goal, however, isn’t all that different from your bog-standard prison sim: escape, even if it means stepping on a few toes to get to the exit.

CUFFBUST doesn’t require anything in specific to be beaten; in fact, it more or less hands you the tools to formulate your own escape plans and do whatever feels natural in the heat of the moment. There are caverns to explore, restricted areas to break into, guard units to dismantle, alliances to lean on, and several possible routes to victory. The tough part here is that, while you do have access to the resources, you don’t always have a clean squad to hold your hand. But, as with any co-op game, scrambling around like incompetent fools is half the fun — more so in a prison setting, weirdly.

The game itself is something of a sandbox, given that it houses destructible environments, several avenues of exploration, and countless opportunities for you to flex your inner Harry Houdini. What’s more, the game features its own custom-made maps, meaning that, while you can explore the bulk of the vanilla escape experience in several sessions, there is always another facility to shackle yourself into. The replay value, then, is significantly higher than your average co-op sim — and I’m all for it.

Every Jailien For Himself, Apparently

The gameplay itself is self-explanatory, albeit open-ended enough to leave you feeling dumbfounded and at a loss for words, funnily enough. Given that you have numerous escape options to consider, as well as a few different modes of attack—physical, mental, or off the book altogether—the general process can be a lot to stomach. But as I mentioned earlier, CUFFBUST does make it so that even the worst attempts have their rewards. And I’ll be honest, learning the ropes and dabbling in the proximity chat is a boon in itself — even during those frail moments when the odds are stacked against you.

Of course, there’s a lot that I could say about this one. It’s Content Warning meets High on Life, but with an extra lashing of vibrant paint and a few pudgy koala aliens to boot. It’s a bottomless sandpit that harbors an infinite supply of stupendously comical ideas. And that’s barely scratching the tip of the iceberg, too.

To answer the question of whether or not CUFFBUST is a perfect game is another matter. Truly, while it does boast more than enough content to warrant your undivided attention, it does also harbor some minor flaws. For example, the multiplayer isn’t quite as competent as the vanilla version of the game. With matchmaking issues and local co-op being a major concern at the time of writing, CUFFBUST does sadly fall short in its mission to bring its antics to a global audience. A temporary issue, perhaps, though something that ought to be addressed, nonetheless.

Verdict

CUFFBUST is the exact dosage of stupidity that I need and crave for whenever I’m not out ransacking the medium of all its convoluted narratives and thought-provoking puzzles. It’s the type of game that I can kick back to and enjoy, despite not knowing how to wax the collective spirit of the lobby or follow the simplest of tasks. The fact that CUFFBUST doesn’t slap you on the wrist for making mistakes, too, makes it all the more enjoyable, truly.

It feels like an easy one to recommend, doubly so for those who might be looking to plug into a relentlessly entertaining co-op prison break sim that doesn’t dare to take itself too seriously. It isn’t an easy game by any stretch, though it is one that rewards you for taking the initiative to branch out and experiment with its bendable strategies. I can’t say the same for the custom maps, because frankly, that’s a whole different ballgame that requires its own set of rules. But the base game, in spite of all its minor flaws, thankfully makes a solid effort to incentivize its inmates, if not with new modes of play, then with ridiculous caveats and multi-choice crossroads that can keep you going for hours.

If it’s a silly co-op game with a whole lot of heart and vigor that you want, then you honestly needn’t look any further than the inner sanctum of CUFFBUST. It’s ridiculous, but in the best possible sense of the word. We’ll leave you with that, and assume that you’ll know which ball and chain to pick up when the sirens come howling through the streets.