The Escapists places you in the shoes of an inmate
(backstory optional, highly encouraged), and your only true instruction is to
escape. You’re encouraged to bide your time and stick to the prison schedule,
with mandatory food, exercise and shower periods, but you can decide to be
notorious prisoner Bronson and punch your way into solitary confinement. Some
prisoners request favours for monetary gain, such as “smack this guy”, or
“cause a disruption”. The money is used to buy materials from select prisoners
which can be crafted into shovels, bed dummies and other useful items.
Respect goes to Team 17 for making a prison that seemingly
exists without you. Prisoners fight and steal from each other, guards lay down
the law and the opinion mechanic tracks those who consider you a friend or a
foe. During free time, prisoners can be found toiling through restricted areas,
creating the impression that you’re not the only one who wants to break out.
My first plan of escape set the tone of the game. Adapting
an idea from Ray Winstone in Scum, I created a sock mace and planned to steal
the Warden’s Key. Lurking in the shadows, my prey had soon arrived, and I
pounced… Undeterred, The Warden kept walking while I was left walloping thin
air. Research soon showed that The Warden is invincible, probably a conscious
decision to avoid sloppy escape attempts like mine.
Another attempt saw me exploring the vents. I didn’t know I
could craft a fake vent cover to disguise the hole I’d made, so the guards
quickly found me. Only then did the game tell me what I could have done, before
hauling me off for another stint in solitary confinement.
The trial and error learning method in The Escapists might
be off-putting for some. Failure to prepare here is preparing to fail, but
failure exists to breed success, and next time, you will know the taste of
sweet, sweet freedom. You may find yourself on the bus devising a new escape
plan, thinking to yourself: “This prison will not be the end of me…”
Overall: 7/10
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