Titanic Escape Simulator Review (PC)

RMS Titanic’s maiden voyage across the Atlantic is a subject that, like the vast depths of the ocean, needs to be treated with caution and utmost respect. It’s also a matter that we don’t tend to lean on like a buoy — especially when it comes to video games. But Titanic Escape Simulator looks to challenge the historical narrative, not in an attempt to profit from it, but to give us a deeper look into its impact. It doesn’t wish to convey a word-for-word message that pays homage to James Cameron’s adaption, but rather, to add its own two cents to the starboard. Escaping is one thing, but unraveling a mystery aboard a vessel that is destined to collide with an iceberg is the most important part of the journey. Or at least, that’s what it wants to tell us.

Titanic Escape Simulator is broken up into two parts, with one part focusing on a pre-collision investigation—a part that involves exploring the far corners of the ship, poking around in private affairs, and questioning various passengers about their experiences and their affiliation with an underlying mystery—and a second part focusing on the post-collision event, which sees you wading through the starboard, juggling needs, and working towards one of several possible endings. There’s an option to save passengers, selfishly save a specific individual, and, in a worst-case scenario, fend for yourself in the name of justice. That’s the tip of the iceberg. Like a bottomless ocean, however, it pours a lot more into the ripples between two adjacent shores.

The initial sequence of Titanic Escape Simulator is a bit like This Bed We Made—an investigative chore sim that, while still largely lacking in visual fidelity and complex character development, builds on the art of breadcrumb-laced storytelling. As a detective, it falls to you to explore the nooks and crannies of the vessel, ask questions that others wouldn’t dare entertain, and complete light environmental puzzles that ultimately grant you access to unkept areas aboard the ship. As the collision with the iceberg looms on the horizon, the mystery continues to grow, and the choices that you need to make gradually become more difficult. Who will survive the wreckage, and how will the story end? The burden is your cross the bear, and it’s yours alone.

For what it’s worth, Titanic Escape Simulator gets a lot of things right. Light puzzle-solving aside, it goes a lot deeper than your average escape room sim. With dynamic weather conditions, on-board events, and free-flowing ocean water that keeps you on your toes as you aimlessly wade through the ripples in search of an exit, the game provides a lot for you to ponder as you slowly thread the needle. To add, it utilizes basic survival-like facets surprisingly well, with stamina and temperature control playing a major role in the overall experience.

Of course, Titanic Escape Simulator tries to cram as much luggage into its cargo hold as possible, if only to broaden its reach. Stealth, for example, plays a role in the story, as do puzzles, platforming segments, and multi-choice endings. It’s an ambitious game, and it becomes awfully apparent right from the get-go that it isn’t a simple concept, but a bold one that wants to do a lot more than the average indie simulation game. I can appreciate that, too, because it strives to deliver a lot of content that can produce a great deal of replay value. Not that you would want to flee from a sinking ship twice, mind you. Titanic Escape Simulator, on the other hand, is a tolerable voyage that I personally didn’t mind hoarding two or three times, if only for the sake of seeing how certain choices would impact the outcome.

As with most independently published love letters to non-fictional events, there is an elephant in the room that deserves to be acknowledged. Chances are, you have seen photographs of the Titanic at some point in time. Well, Titanic Escape Simulator certainly tries to capture a lot of those interior details, including the ever-famous grand staircase, bathing decks, cabins, and engine rooms. The problem is, it doesn’t look all that great. Don’t get me wrong, you can clearly spot the similarities here, as you can tell by the attention to detail that the developer has put in a lot of effort into rebuilding the ship’s most iconic features. That being said, it’s a lot easier to take it all with a pinch of salt. It might pretend to be the RMS Titanic, but it obviously lacks the grand-scale depth, the complex atmosphere, and the intricate design elements. But that’s an indie game for you, in a nutshell.

While there isn’t a perfect game here, there is one that fills a gap in the market and dares to tread lightly in historical grounds. With some unnerving gameplay, daring consequences, and light interactive puzzles to tide you over, it evidently captures a passable world that, while still lacking in several pivotal areas, ought to give history buffs a little something to write home about. Could it do with a little extra technical polish to help iron out its hull and its hinges? Yes. Does it make for a memorable maiden voyage, regardless of its graphical flaws and technical limitations? I think so, yes. Just, eh, don’t expect it to hold a candle against James Cameron’s blockbuster movie, because it is ocean’s apart from it.

Verdict

Titanic Escape Simulator is an ambitious game that tries to harbor more luggage than the average budget indie sim, but it’s also one that doesn’t technically excel in any particular area. On the one hand, you have a bold game that minces palpable world-building with intense escape room-like elements. But on the other, you have a two-for-one experience that makes good on its promise to deliver one great journey, but not a complete anthology that waxes the best of both worlds. Honestly, though, it is an entertaining game, and more importantly, it’s a game that dares to tread waters that other have often failed to stay afloat in. Maybe that’s worth an extra point, maybe it isn’t.