The Escapists Review (Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Switch & PC)

To my complete and utter surprise, four back-to-back viewings of The Shawshank Redemption was never quite the masterclass in escapism that I needed it to be. Or at least, it wasn’t enough to convince me that a rock hammer and a poster of Rita Hayworth could help me tunnel through the rubble of a maximum security prison. The Escapists, as a harborer of more agendas, more escape routes, and more creative ways to fabricate the correctional structure than any other escape-centric simulator, gave me a lot more to think about. Escaping from a grid-locked jail cell was one thing, but learning how to swindle the system was an entirely different ballgame—a process that would take both time and effort, neither of which I had.

Being incarcerated as a paper thin sprite with little to no outstanding qualities meant that I was never able to violently unravel the concept of absolving my sins with brute force alone. I had time, a strict schedule, and a correctional facility that had every intention of keeping me tied to an airtight legal system. But what I also had was “insider” information—a cascading trove of data, contraband, and clues that could help me to gradually sabotage the infrastructure. At times, it felt as if the concept of escaping was little more than a pipe dream. But in other moments, the exit felt closer than ever. It just took a lot of mirror speculation to find it.

The Escapists wasn’t a game that I could carelessly waltz through without needing to contemplate the consequences along the way. If I trained hard enough, I could build enough muscle to overpower a guard—an act that would ultimately lead to a riot and, with it, a lot of unnecessary bloodshed. If I borrowed a tool from an inmate, then I’d also have to consider the possibility that said inmate would retaliate in the future. I could complete jobs for others, but that would ultimately require me to shake hands with the devil and enter a perpetual cycle of ‘I’ll scratch your back if you scratch mine.’ The point is, there wasn’t an easy way to force salvation — only time and a ton of ways to unlock it from the inside out.

I’d be lying if I said that I had an easy time with The Escapists. I’d also be lying if I said that the process of learning the ins and outs of the law was a walk in the park. Given that each of its maps had a lot more to offer than iron bars and a clockwork system, feeling lost and out of control was a common occurrence. Yet, once a plan would begin to hatch from the pittance of a fickle epiphany, the procedure would soon begin to follow suit. I can’t say that I always knew how to follow through with the plan — but I often had one, which was enough of a reason to keep me tethered to the graft.

Perhaps it was the open-ended nature of the game that enticed me—the simple fact that I could approach the world in any manner I so desperately desired. Granted, it took a lot of effort to figure it all out. In addition to the map layouts and schedules, I also had to consider potential alliances, attributes, and side jobs that would further fuel my own private agenda. Initially, it felt like a headache—an insurmountable task that I would never be able to accomplish. But, as days gradually began to turn into weeks, the objective finally became as clear as day. A newfound alliance would provide me with a tool to escape, and a small pocket of time between lunch and a random cell inspection would grant me the opportunity to fulfill my plan. When it worked, it felt great. But when it all came tumbling down on my shoulders and sent me to the infirmary, it hit like a freight train — that hopeless feeling that I was never going to break the chains.

While most of The Escapists was a game of trial and error, the journey itself wasn’t ever the least bit boring or predictable. Difficult at times, sure, but always on the move and towards a new destination. If the world had something to offer, then it wouldn’t shy away from feeding it to me. With each new prison came its own treasure trove of creative ideas and challenges, including inmates with distinctly different skill sets, jobs, and personalities. Escape points, too, also varied widely in their complexity. To that end, it was never a one-and-done ordeal. Rather, it was a taxing and oftentimes thought-provoking experience that, even at the worst of times, felt great to slug through and solve.

I have to give credit where it’s rightfully due and say that, for a game that is lacking in visual appeal and complexity, The Escapists brings a great deal of depth to its gameplay department. Alongside its loaded prison maps and agendas, you also have dozens, if not hundreds of creative ways to unfold your plans. Case in point, you can develop your strength attributes to battle guards, take on cleaning jobs to “borrow” a uniform, complete requests in exchange for tools, or break prison routines to fashion your own escape route. And honestly, this is where most of the fun lies in The Escapists: in the act of manipulating the world and finding holes to exploit. It doesn’t always go to plan I’ll admit, but when it does, it feels ridiculously satisfying.

With a sizable campaign and a wide variety of creative escape strategies to experiment with, The Escapists is quite clearly a game that you could sit down with for hours and still find countless opportunities to bend the rules. And that’s arguably one of its greatest strengths: the replay value. Thankfully, it has a lot of features for you to poke at, and not to mention a huge selection of scenarios to explore. All in all it might not hold a candle to The Shawshank Redemption. But, as far as prison break simulation video games go, it certainly stands out as one of, if not the best of its kind.

Verdict

The Escapists delivers a creative sandbox that dares to incorporate the full weight of a jail sentence, with a host of scenarios to work through, hundreds of events to manipulate, and countless opportunities for each inmate to shape their own stories from behind the bars of a well-orchestrated correctional institution. To call it the best simulation game on the block might be a slight overstatement. To call it a brilliant game, however, would be a fitting statement here.