The Escapists 2 Reviews
The Escapists 2 is a solid improvement over its predecessor, and a fun prison escapade in its own right. While all of its parts don't come together in the most ideal manner, busting out of prison remains a blast when you finally manage to conquer the obstacles set against you. Combine that with a staggering amount of variety and replay value, and you have a package that's well worth going under for.
The Escapists 2 for the Switch is a great prison escape game, which stays true to its intention of bringing 8-bit sandbox games into 2018 and while there may be other ways to create a game of this genre, it is still hard to imagine other prison escape games being as fun as this both for a single player and multiplayer experience.
This action puzzle, now avaiable on Nintendo Switch console, is the same - funny - title released on other platforms some months ago. Very good, indeed. [OpenCritic note: Marcello Paolillo separately reviewed the PS4 (7.5) and Switch (7) versions. Their scores have been averaged.]
Review in Italian | Read full review
More of a refinement of the original than seeking to right its wrongs, The Escapists 2 on Nintendo Switch adds more of what fans enjoyed in the first place, whilst still not quite advocating enough time to entice a newer crowd.
The Escapists 2 is feature rich and runs a treat on Nintendo Switch
With the arrival of local cooperative games, Nintendo Switch version of The Escapists 2 becomes a must if you like games that make use your imagination and think out of the box. On the other hand, lack of extra content could ward off those who already tried desktop versions. [OpenCritic note: Ángel Llamas separately reviewed the XB1 (8.2) and Switch (7.9) versions. Their scores have been averaged.]
Review in Spanish | Read full review
The Escapists 2 is an ingenious, multi-layered clockwork sandbox that offers you a wide range of routes to freedom. Its tough demands and myriad competing systems can lead to frustration, but a winning sense of humour and knock-about fun always brings you back for another jailbreak attempt.
For an open sandbox game that relies on the user to enjoy the experience utilizing their imagination, the journey to the goal just isn't enjoyable enough. My hope going in was that I would be spending time coming up with creative ideas to fool guards and bypass security. Instead, what I found was that I would often pray that my first plan would work so that I would have to go looking for more tape and files.
I think one of the keys to enjoying The Escapists 2 is understanding both what it is and isn’t. If you approach it like a sandbox game you’ll be able to have some fun for a while simply going through the daily prison routine, and it can be interesting for a while, but that won’t generally advance you towards escape. It all revolves around looking for anything unusual in the circumstances you find yourself in that will provide an opportunity, scanning your crafting list for anything that stands out, and then putting together your means of escape through trial and error. If the game would organically provide tips on what you’ll want or need to do through the grapevine, or as a reward for turning in favors (or even money) it may not have always been quite as aggravating. Without a doubt it is a unique title and for people who enjoy challenging themselves with something different it should deliver, you just may want to look at a strategy guide if you’re feeling lost.
A great sequel that refines and improves the original prison break format with more variety, better graphics, and some fun multiplayer.
The Escapists 2 is a fun puzzle game with a unique premise, and while the game could use a more detailed tutorial system, once you invest the time to learn the different systems you will be rewarded with a fun mental workout.
The Escapists 2 is decently fun, but it´s not for everyone. If you can excuse the flaws inherited from its predecessor, you'll be satisfied. If you're looking for something unique, you could give it a chance.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
All in all, The Escapists 2 is a bigger and better version of the original game. The core gameplay loop of improving your inmate and finding materials and resources to escape is really engaging, even if it can be remarkably boring at times. The new features are mostly hits, and even when they're misses, they just need to be fleshed out, rather than being bad additions to the experience. The Escapists 2 does a solid job, and it's fun to play. Its only shortcomings are some awkwardness with the controller and the general tedium and punishing nature of the game.
A fun mix of strategy and puzzle game which isn't really that different from it's predecessor. Multiplayer mode is a nice addition, but because of some irritating design choices it's hard to recommend The Escapists 2 to friends, although they could make the gameplay more engaging.
Review in Russian | Read full review
The Escapist 2 mainly focuses itself on improving the series’ combat, giving more elaborate ways to escape and new items to mess and experiment with; it definitely feels as if The Escapist 2 is about refining the original formula and improving certain aspects to create a game that forces you to think strategically and outside of the box, acting very much more like “The Escapist 1.5” – That’s not a bad thing, however – If you want to feel as if you are part of the great escape or simply want to experience a truly challenging game with a twist, then this is the game for you.
The Escapists 2 offers gamers a chance to be creative in the way they approach challenges, and in the sequel you have a chance to tackle challenges with friends. It can feel a bit grindy, but that’s very much intentional considering it’s meant to reflect the life of a convict trying to slip out.
The Escapists 2 adds a lot of content and is still the best prison escaping simulator available. There really aren't any major negatives here; if you enjoy the thought of planning prison escapes in a videogame you should pick this up right now.
The Escapist 2 adds a multiplayer dimension to the previous game. If you have the opportunity to gather one or more friends around the same goal, you will be able to live very pleasant moments to cooperate.
Review in French | Read full review
The Escapists 2 is a perfect sequel for fans of the first game but may overwhelm those new to the series
For the amount of content and replayability that you get, The Escapist 2 is a fantastic game for new and old players, it’s a really fun puzzle game with a unique RPG twist and offers bags of fun for a reasonable price.