A Way Out

Hazelight Studios redefines with A Way Out what a co-op game should be. Leo and Vincent’s story has the players facing situations like we have never seen in a videogame before. This is undoubtedly one of this year’s best surprises.

We need more games like A Way Out. Josef Fares’ new title is not only one of the best interactive movies ever made, it also understands and executes co-op exceptionally well and shows how much potential lies in the AA segment. [05/2018, p.53]

The epilogue implies that dark times can transform people into more caring and grateful human beings, effectively bringing an enormous moral dimension to the game's hard-boiled pulp.

It is a truly welcome gem in the medium that takes risks and propels the experience with new energy nearly every step of the way. The player constantly moves forward and the game gets tension done in a way seldom seen in gaming. A Way Out is an example of a triumph in new ideas, while using traditional methods of gameplay to get the point across that this is a different beast.

Hazelight redefines coop with this game, a unique and creative title in many different ways. The split camera is something we haven't seen before and in terms of gameplay there is plenty of variety to be found here. Both characters are very colorful and interesting and as a consequence the story is great. And although the main story seems to cave in little by little as you progress, the game concludes with a bonafide bang. A Way Out is unique, original and very special. We only wish that there were more games like it.

It’s a visually stunning, incredibly efficient feat of storytelling about men who are what they are, for better or worse.

A Way Out is more than a prison escape adventure - it is an escape from individualism with a clear and honest proposal: to make you trust someone else again, however difficult that reality may be.

A Way Out is nothing short of an awesome experience. The story is fantastic, the characters are very believable, and the game moves at a good pace.

A Way Out is one of the most innovative and surprising experiences we have had the pleasure of playing in recent years.

A Way Out is an impressive achievement that definitively proves creativity matters more than bloated budgets and big-name franchises. A technically accomplished, endlessly inventive co-op masterpiece, A Way Out will surprise and excite you from beginning to end. This one deserves to be a breakout hit.

A Way Out elevates co-op gaming in a way nothing has before, bringing players together to create one beautifully told story that everyone needs to experience.

A Way Out is a triumph for co-op games. From the way it's uniquely presented to the way it demands that you work together to overcome problems you can't solve independently, it grabs your attention and doesn't let go until the credits roll. And then you'll probably go back to make different choices during pivotal key scenes to see what you've missed.

If you're not a fan of linear games, you should probably play A Way Out anyway. The game's presentation of a truly co-operative story is sublime, and it makes full use of the video game medium as a method to punctuate the dramatic moments and develop its characters. Like Brothers, A Way Out presents a unique twist to the cinematic story formula, and it sticks the landing.

A Way Out is possibly the best cooperative video game ever created. Its movie-quality cinematography, intuitive and varied gameplay, and engaging story full of unique stand-out scenarios make it one incredibly memorable interactive experience.

Despite a few technical issues, A Way Out is one of the greatest story-driven co-op games out there.

A wonderful story mixed in with entertaining and truly original co-op experience. It was such thrilling time to be playing a game that required teamwork. The main story is good, but then a major twist that pushes the story even deeper makes the game even better. Leo and Vincent's polar opposite personalities come together and offer for fun dialogue. A Way Out's beautiful design and thrilling gameplay bring back the fun times of binge playing a game on the couch with your best friend.

A Way Out is an especially entertaining adventure with excellent pace, a nice variety of environments and constant introduction of new gameplay mechanics, which may be simplistic from time to time but, nevertheless, never outstay their welcome. In the end it’s a very rare example of a game designed specifically for a pure co-op experience.

A Way Out is more than just the sum of its parts; when all the game's elements are working together, the end result is almost surprisingly good. A very simple storyline steadily develops into a great thriller, and the gameplay is unceasingly, relentlessly gripping. The co-op backbone is what really makes this game a fantastic choice.

A co-op experience like no other, Hazelight's A Way Out goes all in on its defining concept to deliver a remarkable game. It may be a touch lacking in character development and storytelling, but that seems insignificant given what the game itself can give you.

It manages to tell an intense story and is able to create a meaningful link between the players and their characters.

A Way Out is a story worth sharing with a friend. There's plenty to do, with moments of intensity and emotion, and the ending is one of the best conclusions in video games.

The game and story have a couple of execution flaws, but A Way Out tells a good story, and much of the vibe about the themes of trust, brotherhood, revenge, and loss are conveyed through gameplay in a novel way. That’s reflects a good understanding about the cutting edge of interactive achievement.

If you go into A Way Out thinking its mandatory two-player co-op is a gimmick, you’ll likely come out of it realizing that it couldn’t have been done any other way. Vincent and Leo’s journey will have you and a friend performing tasks together both mundane and dramatic, and the result is a memorable, variety-packed cinematic adventure that feels like what Telltale’s games might’ve evolved into if they’d leaned into game mechanics instead of phasing them out.

A Way Out, beautifully creates an amazing co-op experience with an amazing story. Every player should experience this game.

A Way Out shows that action adventure games can be played in pairs, from start to finish. And with great results.

Hazelight Studios really nails what it means to make a good cooperative narrative-based game that will have you wanting to dive back into the thick of it every time.

With attention to detail within every nook and cranny, watching how their two stories diverge and converge at integral moments of the game is a fascinating experience that needs to be played through twice. Playing as both Leo and Vince will offer two unique story paths, as they both have different roles in solving puzzles, while narrative-forks provide a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure element to the story.

Ropey dialogue may keep this from being a must-play experience, but if you’re looking to embark on a compelling and surprising c0-op adventure with a friend, A Way Out is more than worth the price of entry.

Overall A Way Out is a fun game which tells an interesting story, I just wish some of the story had been implemented a bit better. Nonetheless, this game is perfect for anyone looking for a new and entertaining game they can play with a friend.

A rich and thoughtful independent darling that delivers on a story that respects its characters and remains grounded, hardly ever resorting to nonsense action just for the sake of it. Though we predicted the game's ending before it happened, the conclusion hit us like a truck. With its extremely reasonable pricing and share play, A Way Out is a must play from one of the industry's most talented small teams.

The new adventure signed by Josef Fares is again a tale about two bound-together guys. Vincent and Leo will share the same adventure in a constant split screen in order to get their revenge, thanks to a common past. After a (very!) slow and boring start, the story gets better and better, in both plot and gameplay. Even new mechanics are introduced, scene after scene, changing the perspective every time. It’s more like an interactive experience than a real challenge, like Telltale’s.

A Way Out brings an amazing noire world for two players who need to cooperate to get out of jail. The new game from the makers of Brothers: A Tale of To Sons is a unique experience.

A Way Out is a unique and ambitious co-op experience that has a bit of a rough start but offers plenty of variety in gameplay to make up for that.

Way Out is a great mixture of a movie and a game. The performance of the actors is fairly poor at times and the gameplay somewhat simple, but the creativity and co-op experience are excellent.

A Way Out is a solid co-op game that tells a simple story about two men that find themselves to be partners in crime. The first half is way too simple, guided and slow; the second half is fun, with a dramatic turn of events.

After Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, I came into A Way Out with expectations of a fraught and trying prison escape drama. That’s just the beginning though, and it soon transforms into a fun revenge flick. It doesn’t have the emotional impact of Brothers, and there’s some rough edges from the breadth of ideas that Hazelight include, but most importantly we just had a lot of fun.

The marriage of co-op gameplay and the story of two unlikely partners and friends is an almost perfect combination right up until the last few minutes of the game, though I expect feelings on that to vary. It could use another round of technical polish, and you’ll need a friend to play along with, but if neither of those is a problem for you, then you won’t want to miss this adventure.

A Way Out is an exceptionally unique game. It asks a lot out of its players and demands they work together and trust each other in order to progress. The story is somewhat inconsistent, but offers enough variety and surprises to keep things fresh and exciting. If you are even remotely interested in co-op, A Way Out shouldn’t be missed.

A Way Out is a unique game, a huge success in the narrative genre, that deals more than well with its urge to make us play cooperatively. The concept, that involves an almost permanent split-screen, not only works great, but the story, its characters and the way we deal with some really simple but really engaging gameplay makes us feel like we are actually the two lovely protagonists of this interactive, full of action and emotion buddy movie.

A Way Out hearkens back to the days of couch co-op, placing players in the shoes of two criminals who must solve puzzles and support one another to escape. The game’s emotional drama runs alongside its silly undertone, making for a game that’s both moving and, at times, unintentionally hilarious.

A Way Out reminded me of the terrific TV series Prison Break in its best moments, even though the time pressure is often just an illusion and scenes obviously follow a script. Despite some logic holes, the simple gameplay and the dusty graphics I had a lot of fun.

Thanks to its purely co-op gameplay, A Way Out is a beautiful experience, which heavily involves both players throughout the adventure.

A Way Out is a good adventure game that could be great if it came out a year later.

A Way out is a very good coop game that still suffers from some issues mainly due to the youth of the studio. The game is still one of the most rewarding coop experiences we've had this year.

A Way Out is a fun ride that shows off a great cooperative experience, an interesting story, and some of the coolest camera work to ever grace a video game.It’s an extremely smooth experience with very few rough edges. That said, it lacks some of the content we’ve come to expect from interactive stories, which makes it a fun ride, but not something that you’ll likely return to again and again.

The ability to spend time with them, and with my player partner, is A Way Out’s biggest strength, even if the details sometimes lack pizzazz...A Way Out has many faults, but a lack of heart isn’t one of them. Seeing that heart translated into a cooperative play experience makes the journey worthwhile.

A novel adventure that fails to deliver on its dramatic aspirations. [May 2018, p.78]

A fun and original co-op game, which really satisfies in terms of its action - you'll have a great time with a friend. However, it's story fails to deliver anything worthwhile. [May 2018, p.83]

A Way Out features a cinematic experience with a unique co-op twist. Although the game delivers in that way, there are plenty of improvements to be made elsewhere.

A Way Out is a successful experiment in co-operative play with some excellent presentation and varied gameplay. The story may be predictable, but you'll be surprised how attached you become to Leo and Vincent, and you'll be compelled to see their journey through to the end regardless. The ambition shines through in the end, and for anyone after a truly unique co-op game, you need look no further.

For the longest time A Way Out is a co-operative popcorn action movie with a good narrative and promising, albeit sometimes redundant mechanics. Unfortunately the finale is a big downer in almost every aspect.

Most of the time, it often feels like the game can’t decide what it wants to be, as the playful nature of the exploration pushes against the heavy-handed plot, and the over-the-top set-piece moments in the final hours feel incompatible with the more grounded puzzle-based gameplay of the previous hours. Having a friend along for the ride makes the journey to the few memorable scenarios worth the wait, but those looking for the next great couch co-op adventure will likely be left unfulfilled.

A Way Out is a fun ride BECAUSE of its co-op shenanigans. While the story is nothing to marvel over, its characters blossom beyond their bare opening descriptions, making seeing their journey together through worthwhile. Plus, it's a good exercise in working together with someone, whether it's a loved one, a colleague, or a friend. You'll really hate (or love) them by the time the game is through. If nothing else, A Way Out will be remembered as a great excuse to test the strengths and weaknesses of all your relationships.

A Way Out has some ambitious, fantastic ideas at its core, but it’s unfortunately surrounded by tiresome gameplay mechanics and a story that is just a bit too straightforward.

A Way Out's co-op vision is a bold choice that works because it uncompromisingly places players in a co-op context, joining them onscreen and off. But given the weakness of the gameplay at times, perhaps the game isn't bold enough.

A Way Out is an ambitious co-op only, split-screen only adventure game with a compelling story, interactive environments and fun ideas that's a little messy in execution but fun with a friend.

A Way Out is a better idea than it is a game. There’s something to its cinematic presentation, its parallel stories, and its bespoke cooperative gameplay. It just never comes together as the unique, exciting game it’s clearly striving to be. The plot simply isn’t that strong, the dialogue is never very compelling, and the characters don’t develop beyond their broadly drawn archetypes. Without those things, A Way Out never lives up to its potential.

It’s highly inconsistent, but this is still one of the most daring co-op games of recent years and shows how well playing together can work for story-based games.

Our characters might not have grown closer together, but A Way Out's forced co-op is worth it for the few standout moments it provides.

There are better narrative-driven games, and there are better co-op games, but I find myself hard pressed to think of one that does both as gracefully as A Way Out. While let down by its writing, it's worth your time if you're looking for an adventure that can only be shared with someone else.