Title: The Escapists 2
Available On: PC, PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch (Pending Release)
Developer: Team17
Publisher: Team17
Genre: Puzzle and strategy game
Official Site: https://www.team17.com/games/the-escapists-2/
Release Date: Tuesday 22 August 2017
Where To Buy It: Xbox Games Store, PlayStation Store, Steam
The Escapists is a classic prison game that has recently released a second version. The Escapists 2 has made a few improvements and added more content from the first one. However, the game lacks excitement which stops it from making it a five out of five game.
The game starts off by giving you a couple of options on whether to join a multiplayer or a single player game. Even though many of you have played this before, I recommend doing the tutorial which only lasts five minutes, but quickly puts you back up to speed on the new mechanics. The tutorial gives a brief over of the new crafting system, a way of escaping, and following the routine of the prison so that players are not punished before they have even begun the game. The tutorial is easy to follow and executed well, creating some real excitement for the campaign.
Once in single player mode, I noticed some big improvements from the first version. Fans of the first game might be glad to hear that, the developers have added a new crafting system that gives players a catalog of all the items they can craft with the amount of intelligence you need to do so. This system is a lot quicker and easier than the last game. In the previous version, players had to remember how to make tools and weapons to escape the prison with. Most players sought to Wiki (I know I did) to find out what materials they needed to craft the tools. This is the biggest and definitely the most needed improvement from the first one.
The problem with the single player is that it can become boring too quickly. The puzzle game is slow-paced and is for the most patient of players. Getting thrown into solitary, peeling potatoes, loses its touch when you have been playing for a few hours and are chucked back to square one everytime. Do not get me wrong, I understand why this happens, but it becomes more like a chore than a game I want to pick up again. Which is why multiplayer comes in.
Multiplayer is more fast-paced, with the first person to escape will win the game. Each game consists of four players, and each player gets more points depending on the knockouts and a few other factors. The lack of instructions was alarming and it took a few rounds to know what was going on. But, due to the lack of players playing the game, it took over an hour just to play around three games.
The Escapists 2, recently got an update that fixed a few bugs that the game came with. One of these bugs was if you did not change the names and customisation of the inmates that will be in prison with you, then they will all be called the same. This was very confusing when you had no idea which cell they will be doing a shake-done in. Thankfully, the minimap is well thought out and helped when you were doing a favour for another inmate. The minimap had symbols for missions and where the guards or inmates were. It is one of the best features in the game and is very handy in escaping your prison. The only issue I had with it was that the zoom out is very slow for such a beautifully designed game. The pixels in the game are incredible and made me enjoy the game more than what I would have otherwise.
A few more pointers that old fans may want to know is that the developers have gotten rid of the fight mode, meaning that players can now attack anything and anyone.
Be careful, as players can accidentally hit someone, making them lose all their stuff if they get knocked out. The controls, in general, can be a bit awkward to maneuver at first, especially when you keep picking up someone else’s desk instead of open it, but after a bit are no trouble at all.
Despite all this, The Escapists 2 is a well-executed game. The idea of getting tools or materials by illegally buying them off other inmates is a genius idea and you can even get money by just going to the job center. Every day in the game is different for your character as there are plenty of skills to increase such as reading. Even though, I have no idea the point of the instruments in the library. So random?
The game does have everything it needs to be a really good game, but I feel like it is just lacking the excitement and rush that will make players come back to the game over and over again.
Verdict: A mixed bag. On one hand, it needs something added to the game to make it more exciting for players. But on the other hand, the game is beautifully designed and perfect for players who love a challenge.
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