The Escapists 2

The Escapists 2 is the sequel of one of the best indies in 2015. Once again the team has shown that with little budget and imagination you can do big things. This 2D jewel of the veteran Team 17 returns willing to demonstrate how its first part was not only a cumulative of random hits and that escape from a prison can be tremendously addictive.

Better, bigger and more beautiful than its first installment, The Escapists 2 couldn't be much better by itself... If only the server were working a bit better.

A clever and satisfying experience that'll test your creativity and patience. [Nov 2017, p.82]

The Escapists 2 is a sequel that manages to build and expand upon the original game in every way, whilst also still making it a great starting point for newcomers. Those familiar with the concept will still have lots to learn with the new mobile prison challenges and unique escape methods, and the game still has that surprising level of difficulty. At the same time, however, The Escapists 2 offers a lot more instruction than the original, with a new tutorial level, crafting guide and a slightly more linear approach overall. The introduction of multiplayer is also a bonus, giving players, even more, ways to escape and cause general havoc.

The Escapists 2 wraps superb gameplay up with a retro art style and energetic soundtrack to deliver an addicting, tense, and challenging prison escape simulator that unfortunately is marred by a lack of polish and some overwhelming tendencies in the latter stages of levels. Nevertheless, for $19.99, it's one of the best new indie games on the market.

A nice improvement on the previous game, with an entertaining co-op mode and high variety in the levels selection. Some mechanics are a bit too uncomfortable tough, and might cause some frustration during the more frenzied actions.

I still don't know if I personally like The Escapists 2. It was slow, extremely frustrating and by no means a casual gameplay experience, but I wouldn't say it’s a bad game. Oddly enough, despite my problems learning the ropes of prison life, and the failure of trying to escape, I still find myself drawn to it. Once you figure out what you are doing, get a grasp of prison life and crafting items, it becomes somewhat addictive. Gamers who enjoy time management will have a lot of fun plotting their escape, and fans of retro games will surely enjoy the pixelated characters and graphics. The Escapists 2 isn't for everyone, but if you're looking for a challenging game with high replay value, or you were a fan of the first game, then you'll definitely want to add this to your Xbox One collection.

The Escapists 2 is a game that largely expands on the original, offering new modes and bright humour along with exceptionally well-designed labyrinth-like prisons. But it is by no means a perfect sequel. There are repetition issues, as well as some poor design choices. The game is a frustrating but largely rewarding management sim which is worth a look for sure.