The Artful Escape

“The role of the artist is not to give the audience what it wants. It’s to show the audience things they never even dreamed were possible.” I’m paraphrasing a bit of dialogue from The Artful Escape, a new game from developer Beethoven and Dinosaur, and although the story centers on a young musician trying to find his creative voice, I suspect that this little credo was the inspiration behind the game itself. The Artful Escape is indeed a surprising and entirely welcome change from the vast legion of copycat games that feel more like marketing exercises than the byproducts of creativity and pas...

The Artful Escape is a kaleidoscopic coming-of-age story that is a joy to move through, even if the actual gameplay is sometimes hardly there.

A tour de force of light and sound, The Artful Escape is unlike anything else you’ve played. With no easy genre label to stick on the game, the only way you’ll know if you’re going to enjoy it is to try it. It’s a trip alright, one that will have your foot tapping and your head rocking from start to finish.

Rock opera and space opera meet for some artful escapism.

The Artful Escape provides a strong narrative adventure focused on self-discovery, identity, and expression that musicians, artists, and just about anyone can find something to relate to. While the experience stumbles a bit due to some dull platforming areas, the groovy universe Beethoven & Dinosaur have crafted is one that players should take the time to fully explore.

The Artful Escape is an enigmatic coming of age story, wrapped in reverb-laden riffs and space opera shenanigans. It is quite unique, and absolutely unmissable.

Beethoven & Dinosaur's musical odyssey across the universe isn't as adventurous with its gameplay as its venues, but that doesn't stop The Artful Escape from being a fun ride.

One man’s musical mission is an audio visual delight, but there’s not enough room for expression or mastery.

A dazzling intergalactic rock opera.

The Artful Escape is a great visual-novel and a rock and roll dream. It is one of the best looking games I’ve played with an equally interesting narrative. However, the severe lack of interactiveness really drags down the game.

While The Artful Escape does a strong job with its presentation and sense of style, it still suffers the same drawbacks as most adventure games, particularly with the boring-at-best game mechanics. The celebrity voice cast does well enough, though I only recognized Weathers during my time in the game. The trip here isn’t long, though it does manage to be memorable thanks to its relentless desire to look like a Liz Frank-emblazoned Trapper Keeper. Depending on the drugs you keep handy, this could be the ticket. 6/10 space slug discos

The lack of challenge in The Artful Escape, not just in its play but in its emotional texture, somewhat shreds the odyssey.