The Artful Escape

 Xbox One
User Score
8.2

Generally favorable reviews- based on 57 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 41 out of 57
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 57
  3. Negative: 6 out of 57

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  1. Bochenki
    Dec 8, 2021
    7
    Even though there's hardly any gameplay, the Artful Escape is, nomen omen, an absolutely magnificent piece of art. Beautiful landscapes, stunning soundtrack and engaging story that you really go along with. This is very calming, peaceful game, great for people who - like me - are not very much into combat and overwhelming gaming experience. It is true that the tasks are repetitive and canEven though there's hardly any gameplay, the Artful Escape is, nomen omen, an absolutely magnificent piece of art. Beautiful landscapes, stunning soundtrack and engaging story that you really go along with. This is very calming, peaceful game, great for people who - like me - are not very much into combat and overwhelming gaming experience. It is true that the tasks are repetitive and can get boring as the game progresses, but I thing that the visuals pay off that monotony which, in the end, is not that boring. The only major issue is the Polish translation that is absolutely butchered. It looks like the translators didn't see the game at all while working on the dialogues. Which was probably the case. Nevertheless, Artful Escape is an amazing and engaging experience, even with a limited amount of an actual gameplay.… Expand
  2. SuperkenGaming
    Nov 8, 2021
    7
    The Artful escape
    The power of music!
    The artful escape is a linear nearl 4 hour long narrative adventure, you’re the nephew of a legendary musician trying to find yourself, and a night before a big gig youre abducted by aliens.. This is a game about finding yourself as an artist.. youll go through these beautiful locations just rifting on your guitar, eventually getting to a boss    The Artful escape
    The power of music!
    The artful escape is a linear nearl 4 hour long narrative adventure, you’re the nephew of a legendary musician trying to find yourself, and a night before a big gig youre abducted by aliens..
    This is a game about finding yourself as an artist.. youll go through these beautiful locations just rifting on your guitar, eventually getting to a boss battle that will have you playing a simon says like mini game.. then its off to the next area..
    This game is again beautiful, I was so impressed with the visuls nd I loved sliding down hills and the platforming here, the story however I was kinda bored of after a while, wasn’t one that really clicked with me so I didn’t care how it turned out all that much..
    But I still had this eautiful world to pull me through..
    Gameplay wise this was my favorite aspect, it was fun putting on a little rock show for these aliens before sliding through some caves.. but if this doesn’t sound like a story that intrigues you, the gameplay isn’t enough on its own to justify a playthrough..
    Overall The Artful escape is a good game..
    Not one Ill think about much going forward, but at the same time has the potential to be one of someone elses favorite games of the year,
    I give The Artful Escape
    a 7/10    … Expand
  3. Joellemm
    Oct 15, 2021
    5
    I spent the whole time playing this desperate for it to get going. Incredibly fun soundtrack, mildly interesting characters, beautiful visuals, but it never gets to any actual gameplay.

    I don't have a problem with walking simulators. I like being immersed in a world, a story, and given the opportunity to explore at my own pace. Exploring is the gameplay. The Artful Escape doesn't even    I spent the whole time playing this desperate for it to get going. Incredibly fun soundtrack, mildly interesting characters, beautiful visuals, but it never gets to any actual gameplay.

    I don't have a problem with walking simulators. I like being immersed in a world, a story, and given the opportunity to explore at my own pace. Exploring is the gameplay. The Artful Escape doesn't even have this. You may as well watch a film. Holding a particular direction on an analogue stick is not gameplay, even if now and then you might have to press a separate button to jump. No! Not platforming, where jumping itself is satisfying and where there is reason to concern yourself with failure. Clicking a dialogue option is only gameplay if the choices made have a significant bearing on the rest of the game. Therefore, all your left with are these sections, that are few and far between, where you basically play Simon says. I'm still not counting this, however, if there is no real consequence for failure and there is no timing required when clicking in response to these often predictable button prompts. Give me my catharsis! Never has saving the cosmic universe, or whatever the hell much of this game is about, felt so unsatisfying!    … Expand
  4. tecGoblin
    Nov 5, 2021
    6
    "Press X to shred on the light beam" summarises the game play Artful Escape. The visuals are majestic, but the gameplay is shockingly basic and - strangely - the music is not that interesting (partially because I play it of course ;)).
  5. DeadmanMano
    Nov 19, 2021
    7
    The Artful Escape shines when it comes to it's visuals, characters, and soundtrack. Unfortunately, the overly simplistic gameplay keeps this game from being truly great.

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 4 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 4
  3. Negative: 0 out of 4
  1. Washington Post
    Oct 7, 2021
    70
    Unfortunately, as a musical experience, I found “The Artful Escape” completely lacking. Even for ironic kicks, I can only happily listen to so much guitar doodling. Thankfully, the rest of the game makes it easy to tune out the soundtrack.
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  2. GAMINGbible
    Sep 10, 2021
    90
    In a year of genuinely terrific indie games, including Lake, Death's Door, Chicory and more we're not allowed to talk about just yet (but please, do watch these pages), The Artful Escape has made me smile like nothing else. I can still feel the beaming grin on my face as I type these words. It's the one game in 2021 that I really couldn't put down as the clock ticked past midnight and I knew I had to get my head down, the one game where I knew what was coming next would be unmissable. It's the one game where I felt like I was playing something else, even as it adhered to certain gameplay conventions - and that feeling comes from its spirit, its personality, the drive of the artist behind it. An artist who quite evidently didn't do what they did here to fulfil expectations, but to shatter them into a million crystals - each facet reflecting a vision quite unlike anything you'll see, hear or play in this year, or any other.
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  3. GamingBolt
    Sep 8, 2021
    80
    The Artful Escape is an incredible odyssey of self discovery, and its few shortcomings don't hold it back from being an excursion patently worth making.
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