Escape Plan Reviews
PlayStation 4's iteration of Escape Plan is just as fun as it was on Vita, and worthy of a purchase.
If you love puzzles and own a Vita, Escape Plan should be an easy purchase, but on PS4 the awkward controls and lack of a touch screen make this version feel watered down. Play it on the Vita instead.
This port might be the superior version of the game, but it still has its flaws. One can't deny Sony's dedication to indie games. It might be better served coming up with new, original games instead of ports of games that likely didn't sell well on other platforms.
Escape Plan has broken free of the shackles of the Vita and tunnelled onto the PS4 with a surprising degree of success. The touch controls are mostly gone, but the button prompts that replace them result in a more precise and less frustrating experience. If you haven't played the title before, then this pleasant port offers the perfect opportunity to experience the wonderfully surreal first-party exclusive on a big screen. And if you've already spent time behind bars, then at least through the power of cross-buy your second spell in the slammer will be on the house.
While it didn't blow my mind or redefine just exactly what puzzle games meant to me, it was solid, albeit unspectacular puzzle experience that I'm sure the fans of the genre will enjoy.
Escape Plan has come to the PlayStation 4, but it fails to make the transition cleanly. The puzzles are dull and the controls are ill fitted to the new system. I wouldn't recommend playing Escape Plan, but if you absolutely must make sure it's the Vita version.
I can only really recommend giving this a go if you're going to be able to get it for free as a former buyer of the Vita version. You'll appreciate the improved controls, but this is still a frustrating experience for the majority of the time. Avoid until the GBP 9.99 / USD 14.99 price tag is slashed in half.
At its core, Escape Plan is a mostly good puzzle game. There's a good build-up from easy to hard puzzles, and the tougher ones are truly devilish to figure out. The presentation is still great, and the amount of content is pretty sizeable even if the individual puzzles are short. The only things that hurt the original game were the controls, and while some of those issues are fixed on the new hardware, the act of retrofitting Vita-specific mechanics into a standard PS4 controller also introduces other issues, thereby leveling things out. Escape Plan is interesting enough that it's worth picking up for new PS4 owners who are looking for something more cerebral.