The Escapists 2

The Escapists 2 is a well-made sandbox game and a fun continuation of the series. While the title gives you a good amount of freedom and tools to spend your time in fun ways, it can also get rather repetitive and overwhelming. The Nintendo Switch version mostly runs well, although the two-player limitation on local play is disappointing.

The scope is impressive, though, as a large amount of variables make The Escapists 2 a dense, packed game. That all becomes too overwhelming, sadly. It just feels like a niche product that a small group of people that adore the concept are going to sink a ton of hours into while many others just bounce off of it. 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.

This action puzzler, now avaiable on Nintendo Switch console, is the same - funny - title released on other platforms some months ago. Very good, indeed.

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 has an undeniably solid premise for a game and features a downright charming visual style and soundtrack but the monotony of its restrictive gameplay will probably make you feel like a prisoner yourself whenever you play it.

As things stand, for all its excesses, The Escapists 2 is nonetheless a can’t-miss game on Switch. With a delightful pixel-style that fills the screen with details, it’ll be hard to take your eyes off the screen as you make your way through all the different prisons on offer. Most of us might never have the, uh… joy… of breaking out of prison, but The Escapists 2 does a swell job of showing us just how entertaining it can be!

Ranging from the simplistic to the absurd, the Escapist 2 offers a great variety of ways one could escape from prison. Scoping out a new prison for its vulnerabilities and formulating a plan to carry out is a great time, but getting to those thrilling moments of misadventures are often plagued with days of scavenging, looking for those one or two materials I desperately needed and as the tedium began to set in, I wasn’t looking for a way to escape from the prison but rather from this cycle of boring, repetitive gameplay.

The Escapists 2 certainly isn’t a bad game. The best way to play the game is with a Switch. It looks phenomenal and the controls are good. Although the game has a lot of ‘downtime’ and can be boring at times the whole idea is great, even more in co-op.

As it currently stands, The Escapists 2 isn't a bad game. Those able to overlook its flaws will find something wholly unique and immersive, and even those who aren't should find things to enjoy within the first several hours of gameplay. At the same time, however, it's painfully clear that a few more quality of life improvements would have made the game so much better. For those looking to become the next Andy Dufresne, The Escapists 2 will certainly whet your appetite. Unlike the movie, however, don't expect it to be smooth sailing.

The Escapists 2 is a sandbox game that brings some absorbing gameplay to the Nintendo Switch eShop. Thanks to its visuals and varied maps, free-roaming gameplay and demanding difficulty level, The Escapists 2 will certainly please those looking for a challenge, even if it might frustrate in certain moments.