The Artful Escape Reviews
I know I sound like a broken record here, but I can’t say enough how refreshing The Artful Escape is. In a sea of third-person open-world collect-a-thons, first-person shooters, and free-to-play action games, it’s nice to be able to just rock out and chill to something that doesn’t require lightning reflexes or demand intense attention from you.
The Artful Escape is a visual and auditory feast for the senses, but the final result almost makes you wonder if this would have worked better as a short film than a game.
It's a psychedelic trip through a glam-rock wonderland, an utter visual delight, like nothing out of this world; indeed, something that feels ripped straight from Ziggy Stardusts head.
I love the messaging and narrative of The Artful Escape. But as a game, it’s just a few steps above being a vapid walking simulator. Still, you shouldn’t miss out on this gem of a tale featuring space trips and sick riffs.
I wanted to come away from The Artful Escape feeling inspired and changed, with a story to really mull over. I came into this four-to-five-hour experience with expectations set by early gameplay, and while some of them were met, I don’t know that it does enough to really justify its choice of medium. It has got more than enough in terms of eye candy and audio bliss, but I can’t confidently say that any of the other pieces manage to come together in this space oddity.
Overall, The Artful Escape isn't a long journey, nor is it a short one. It’s the “just right” sort of journey that you really want to see with a game like this, and I very much enjoyed my time with it.
I would absolutely score it a “Bill & Ted air guitar riff out of ten” if I could.
It is a space opera full of beautiful visuals that you can't take your eyes off. If you don't mind action and enjoy it as if watching SF movie, it will totally satisfy you so much.
Review in Korean | Read full review
The Artful Escape is an unforgettable psychedelic journey. Its short length helps its simple mechanics stay fresh so you can focus on Francis’ journey and its stunning visuals. Perhaps fully embracing the medium could have made this something even more special, but it’s an experience all its own, and that’s okay. Much like the game tries to teach Francis, sometimes you can just have to be what you are.
As its title implies, The Artful Escape is, indeed, an artful escape from the reality of most games. The vibrant visuals and larger-than-life story with its share of personal elements coalesce with its innate, performance-driven musicality to create an electric experience. However, it comes at the cost of its gameplay, which is boring at worst and merely passable at best. Such an imbalance undersells its message a bit as its mechanics can’t match its narrative ambitions, but those narrative ambitions are tuned well enough to drown out its mechanical flat notes.
The Artful Escape is a strange and short game that is aimed at lovers of rock music in the first place and then those who are looking for a story in the second place, and not at all aimed at those looking for a distinctive playing style or revolutionary ideas in the world of platform games. A game with a lot of positive aspects, despite its short duration and the lack of need to play it again, but it was a unique experience far from the hustle and bustle of the RPG, but the game was quiet despite all of the noise it offers.
Review in Arabic | Read full review
The Artful Escape wowed me with its wonderful sights and sounds, with the wacky musical adventure of Francis Vendetti sure to keep a smile on players’ faces. Sure, it might not offer a deep gameplay experience, but there’s enough on offer between exploring the bizarre yet beautiful world, uncovering the surprisingly heartfelt narrative, and simply sculpting your own unique Francis to ensure the adventure remains a memorable one.
The Artful Escape isn't a challenging game but a playable piece of art. You shouldn't miss this concert!
Review in German | Read full review
The Artful Escape is a fantastic musical experience with an incredible presentation. It tells a very personal story, full of memorable characters, and performances. The actual gameplay is a bit lacking, but the game makes up for it with its spectacle.
Combining different gameplay mechanics such as platforming, rhythm game, and a personalized dialogue choice mechanic, it is a title that needs to be experienced firsthand. While the story is told from Francis’ perspective, much of what personalizes this game is your individual choices that create his superstar persona.
The Artful Escape is a joyous musical odyssey of self-discovery that sweeps you along with a breathless enthusiasm and leaves you wide-eyed and grinning from ear to ear.
Here we have a game that I can say should be played at least once by everyone who loves their games relaxing and that will bring a smile to your face with every twist and turn. The only downside is that anyone who hates music will struggle here but I suspect that may be a mere few. Annapurna Interactive has delivered a delightful game, a fabulous game, a psychedelic adventure that simply is an experience to behold and then some. Psychedelic supremacy has arrived. Now, where’s my Fender?!
Much like a Pink Floyd laser light show at your local planetarium, The Artful Escape can razzle and dazzle, but you probably won’t remember it too long after the fact.
Beethoven & Dinosaur's debut game has good inspiration and a lot of personality to be observed from some of the tracks, psychedelic environments and the tone that balances sensibility and good humor in Francis' mad space odyssey. On the other hand, the rhythm and platformer mechanics' development is too simple and unappealing. Character and plot developments do have a few highlights, but it's still too basic, weak and predictable, and even its sound and visual aspects have a few issues. The Artful Escape is recommended for peopel looking for a platform-adventure with unique science fantasy art direction in a musical context. However, it's not recommended if the person would like a platformer with deep mechanics, and even less so for someone looking for a focus on rhythm mechanics.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review