The Escapists Reviews

The Escapists is ranked in the 56th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
Feb 16, 2015

Prison life isn't easy, that much I have learned from my time playing The Escapists. This game can be frustrating, make you angry, and want to quit altogether. That is, until that one thing you've been missing finally hits you and you make your escape out of a prison. It's a satisfying feeling that I haven't had from playing recent games. That feeling of accomplishment is one that a lot of mainstream games have lacked for some time. The Escapists, if you have the patience to figure it out without using walkthroughs, will leave you feeling a bit frustrated, but incredibly gratified. In a sea of ID@Xbox titles, The Escapists is one not to be missed.

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Feb 8, 2015

A mite obtuse at first and sometimes unfair in its logic, sure, but a recommended game and one sure to have people poring over pulling off their perfect Shawshank Redemption-esque escape for years to come.

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80 / 100
Feb 9, 2015

The Escapists is a great game that doesn't bust the bank and will give your hours of enjoyment as you plot, craft and deploy your plans for your great prison break. I could find little wrong with this game even with the old school graphics, which may not be everyone's cup of tea, as they don't distract from how fun this gem of a title it is. Keep in mind though if you don't have a whole lot of patience this game may not be for you as there are times that you have to do mundane things, which is a gameplay style that isn't for all gamers.

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8 / 10.0
Feb 9, 2015

A lovely little game that looks far simpler than it is.

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8 / 10
Feb 10, 2015

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.

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8 / 10.0
Feb 9, 2015

The Escapists is a game for a certain kind of player. If you love the idea of getting thrown on a desert island and figuring out how to survive for days on end, you'll probably enjoy it. If you find that prospect trivial, knowing that a lot of that time will be spent doing menial tasks, you may not enjoy it. As for me, I think I'm going to go back to Escapists for quite a while whenever I need to brush up on my puzzle skills simply because of how open-ended it is.

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8 / 10
Feb 9, 2015

The Escapists is a thrilling game that challenges you to break out of prison in a number of different ways.

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Metro GameCentral
GameCentral
Top Critic
8 / 10
May 31, 2015

A wonderful throwback to '80s style British gaming, that has much to teach modern titles in terms of player freedom and open world design.

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8.1 / 10.0
Oct 4, 2018

The Escapists: Complete Edition is unpolished in many regards, but under that rough lies a diamond that will shine brightly and hook you for hours. Its flaws end up working in its favour as you start feeling the desperation of a prisoner who’s just tired of being stuck, and eventually you need to use your wits and a little bit of hustle to get the job done.

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8.5 / 10.0
Feb 2, 2015

The Escapists is a fun retro bit throwback and a challenging prison puzzle game. It takes place over 9 different prisons in a sandboxed environment. Each prison has its own unique ways of mastering an escape. You can choose to make nice with your other inmates or beat them up for mini quests to gain some money. Each day starts with a roll call, then onto daily lifestyle activities such as breakfast, workout, showers, free periods, lunch, and dinner.

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9 / 10
Jul 21, 2016

I really enjoyed playing The Escapists. I must admit that at first though I felt a bit lost and unsure of what to do when the tutorial abruptly ended, but I soon had the game figured out and started to really enjoy it.- I would definitely recommend picking it up since I had an absolute blast writing this The Escapists review!

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9 / 10
Feb 8, 2015

The Escapists has us bang to rights! Lock us up and throw away the key!

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Feb 9, 2015

How can you go wrong with a game like The Escapists, a most wonderful and unique prison escape adventure title? Answer: you can't.

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9 / 10.0
Feb 12, 2015

The Escapists is a break out success for Mouldy Toof studios. A must-play for indie gaming fans with a little patience.

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90 / 100
Feb 8, 2015

The Escapists presents a dynamic, fun, and challenging experience in a unique setting. The simple presentation belies the complexity and variety of gameplay. Gamers looking for a cerebral puzzler with a high replay value would be well-advised to check it out. You'd be hard-pressed to find a more enjoyable prison experience.

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Unscored
Feb 20, 2015

. The concept behind The Escapists is strong, and the strategy is there. But I move at my own pace and care more about the atmosphere of a game than its underlying machinery, and I wish I had a shallow end to wade in for awhile instead of getting hurtled off the high dive.

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Don't Buy
Feb 11, 2015

If you're going to buy The Escapists, do your research first and make sure you know what you're getting into.

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Recommended
Feb 11, 2015

It may have its minor frustrations but there's nothing here that really spoils what is an otherwise delightful and endlessly surprising game. It won't be for everyone, especially those who are unwilling to meet the game halfway and learn through trial and error, but those who welcome its open-ended challenge will find that a long stretch inside proves surprisingly enjoyable.

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