The Escapists

Pure XboxKen Barnes

8/10

The Escapists is not a game for those who get frustrated easily. You can spend all day adhering to the prison's rules – attending roll call, doing your work, managing your inventory so that you aren't keeping prohibited items in your cell in case there's a shakedown – and spend many more in-game days planning your escape, only to find that you've forgotten one minor thing and your chance is lost. That will either steel you for the next attempt, or cause you to put the controller down in anger. If you're in the former group, the sheer wealth of options available to you, combined with the art st...

IGNRichard Cobbett

7.6/10

As a mix of sandbox, puzzle and open-world action, The Escapists offers something fresh and entertaining. The nature of what it’s simulating leads to some annoyances and careful handwaves to keep things light, but with both enough space between those moments to feel like I was actually producing my own plan and enough tools that I didn’t just feel like I was looking for a conveniently pre-packaged solution. It’s a clever game that’s not afraid to be challenging, and a very enjoyable puzzle if you don’t mind it also being a touch vague, often repetitive, and happy to quickly get as hard as figu...

TechRaptorLuigi Savinelli

7.5/10

The Escapists is an interesting game with very solid mechanics and enjoyable visuals. It can feel repetitive after a while and frustrating in certain moments.

Capsule ComputersBrandon Postal

7.5/10

No summary available

Gaming NexusRandy Kalista

7.4/10

Sometimes you're a rat in a cage. Sometimes you're a lion. But when all your planning, patience, and possibly plain old good luck finally pays off, The Escapists rewards in a rare way. Because in The Escapists, whether you catch a break or catch a beatdown, you'll know you've earned it.

PSExtremeBen-Dutka

7.1/10

Graphics: 6.7 Gameplay: 6.9 Sound: 7.4 Control: 7.5 Replay Value: 6.5 Overall Rating: 7.1 Online Gameplay: Not Rated Publisher: Team 17 Developer: Mouldy To ...

Despite these irritants, The Escapist remains light-hearted fun. It’s not an especially meaningful or rich gaming experience (and of course, it doesn’t try to be either), and it won’t be remembered a decade from now as a classic, but it’s honest entertainment that does on some level tap into one of the more enduring subsets of the crime fiction genre.

Attack of the FanboyDean James

The Escapists can be hours of fun for those who enjoy a good challenge in a unique setting, but abundant troubleshooting can make this a hard sell for a mainstream audience.

ShackNewsSteven Wong

6/10

The Escapists certainly isn't for everyone, but it's easy to understand the appeal. You need a great deal of patience and a capacity for dealing with mundane tasks along with time management. Players require a certain kind of grit to take on the numerous setbacks, but finally escaping can be an exhilarating experience. Although I lack that kind of perseverance when it comes to games, I won't hold it against The Escapists for requiring it. However, I do wish that you could do something unexpected to help break up the monotony, like start a prison riot. Or form dance troupe with your fellow inma...

Game InformerKimberley Wallace

6/10

Outsmarting the guards and making a great escape is every prisoner's dream, but as The Escapists demonstrates, it isn't easy. You meticulously plan, craft tools, wait for openings, and hope your plan goes off without a hitch. While the premise is interesting, the gameplay relies too much on repetition, never capturing the adrenaline rush of a daring escape.

Press StartJames Berich

Unscored

It’s really how all of this comes together that makes The Escapists a rather enjoyable experience. Not only can you dig your way out of your cell – but you need to find a way to cover up the evidence whenever a guard strolls past. This is where a large majority of the tension in The Escapists comes to – not necessarily formulating your plan but executing it without getting caught. Given that the whole premise is to escape from prison, it’s hard to argue with the very tough consequences of getting caught (literally having to start again) but it can be genuinely tedious if you’ve got to repeat e...

TheSixthAxisAran Suddi

Unscored

The Escapists isn’t for everyone. The visual style may put some people off, and the general repetitiveness of each day could grate with others. However, The Escapists is a smart title that encourages a player to experiment with different options. There’s no single right answer to escaping, though some tactics will bring freedom faster than others. I personally found myself thinking of various plans even when not playing, and working out how viable they would be. If you enjoy crafting and planning, while potentially starting a riot, then The Escapists could be the game you’re looking for.