Escape Academy

83%
Game Brain Score Based on 1,078 reviews
  • story
  • graphics
  • gameplay
Escape Academy Game Cover
After playing through Escape Academy, we feel like no room could keep us contained.
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Escape Academy is a game where you attend a school to train in escape room challenges. Play over a dozen handcrafted rooms and explore the campus with a colorful cast of characters. Experience single-player or two-player co-op, with music by doseone. Challenges include defusing bombs and solving puzzles to impress a super AI.

  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Steam Deck
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Cloud
  • Epic Games
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
  • x_box_cloud_gaming
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

83%
Audience ScoreBased on 1,078 reviews
story130 positive mentions
replayability16 negative mentions
  • The puzzles are well-designed and provide a satisfying challenge without being overly difficult.
  • The game captures the essence of escape rooms, making it a fun experience to play with friends or partners.
  • The art style and character designs are charming, adding to the overall enjoyment of the game.
  • The game is relatively short, taking around 4-6 hours to complete, which some players feel does not justify the price.
  • There are technical issues, including bugs and desynchronization in multiplayer mode, which can disrupt gameplay.
  • The story and character development are considered weak and underdeveloped, leaving players wanting more depth.
  • story312 mentions

    The story in this game is generally viewed as light and somewhat predictable, serving primarily as a backdrop to the puzzles rather than a central focus. While some players appreciated the charming and humorous elements, others found the characters and plot to be underdeveloped and corny. Overall, the narrative adds a layer of engagement to the gameplay, but it may not satisfy those seeking a deep or intricate storyline.

    • “I played the entire story campaign with a friend through local co-op with Parsec, and it was a really fun and memorable experience.”
    • “The art design is beautiful, the puzzles are clever and intuitive, the timer adds a level of tension that a lot of other escape room games don't have, and it's all wrapped up in a surprisingly good story that kept me engaged from start to finish.”
    • “What makes this game stand out among other escape puzzle games is the story.”
    • “The overarching plot and dialogues are as corny as you can get.”
    • “A boring and sometimes outright annoying cast; the devs should just have forgotten the story entirely.”
    • “But the storyline is essentially a non-existent generic story with a less than impressive twist.”
  • graphics90 mentions

    The graphics of the game feature a charming cartoonish art style that many players appreciate, particularly the 2D character illustrations and overall aesthetic. However, criticisms include limited graphics settings, mediocre 3D modeling, and performance issues such as lag and graphical glitches. While the visuals contribute positively to the atmosphere and puzzle design, some players feel that the graphics are not well-optimized and lack customization options.

    • “The art style and character illustrations are great.”
    • “This one felt very creative with calming/pleasing visuals, and the level and puzzle design were a treat.”
    • “The art style is amazing and is perfectly toned with the dialogue and story to help the game overall feel cohesive.”
    • “The graphics are horrible and you can't customize anything, not even pick your character.”
    • “For the asking price, the game is a bit too short (around 4-6 hours) and barebones in my opinion, and the game doesn't feel well optimized; there's an annoying stuttering issue even though the graphics are pretty basic.”
    • “Many players are experiencing graphical glitches; I personally had a section of a room where textures were strobing through a solid wall from outside.”
  • gameplay72 mentions

    The gameplay is characterized by engaging and varied puzzle mechanics that challenge players while integrating narrative elements effectively. Players appreciate the unique split-screen exploration dynamic and the sense of urgency provided by time-limited levels, although some have noted issues with multiplayer desynchronization and a lack of depth in the story. Overall, while the gameplay is enjoyable and well-crafted, some players feel the experience is short for the price, with comparisons made to other titles in the genre.

    • “Alternating between exploring in full screen and then sharing information in split screen to open locks etc. was such a refreshing and pleasant dynamic for an escape room game; I wish the other games in this genre would adopt this mechanic.”
    • “The puzzles are challenging but not impossible, the maps are well-designed, and the gameplay loop is satisfying.”
    • “It has a variety of challenging puzzles, entertaining and at times tense gameplay, interesting characters and plot, and a wonderful art style.”
    • “Very often in multiplayer, puzzle elements will become desynchronized, meaning that a moving piece could show up entirely different on the other player's gameplay.”
    • “I beat this game in less than 3 hours, and $20 is not worth 3 hours of gameplay.”
    • “The issue is the gameplay is a dumbed down version of Escape Simulator with levels feeling like basic community levels.”
  • replayability44 mentions

    Overall, the game has been criticized for its lack of replayability, with many players noting that it is short and offers little incentive to replay due to fixed puzzle solutions. While some mention the potential for speedrunning or playing with friends, the consensus is that the game does not provide substantial replay value, especially given its price point. Suggestions for improvement include adding randomization or varying difficulty levels to enhance replayability.

    • “Absolute blast of a game with some solid replayability.”
    • “🔲 infinitely replayable”
    • “A mode allowing to change the difficulty and randomize the enigmas' answers could improve the replayability.”
    • “I don't see much replay value but didn't expect that either.”
    • “The worst part is the game is only a few hours long with no replayability since the whole game is just ten short levels.”
    • “There's no replayability here because every puzzle has a set answer.”
  • stability38 mentions

    The game is widely criticized for its instability, with numerous reports of frequent freezing, bugs, and glitches that significantly hinder gameplay, especially in multiplayer modes. Players have experienced game-breaking issues and desynchronization, making cooperative play frustrating. Overall, the game's stability issues detract from the experience, leading many to recommend caution before purchasing.

    • “The game freezes for the person who joined the host and can't interact with any puzzle in the last levels of the DLCs.”
    • “This game is very buggy and has game-breaking issues.”
    • “All in all, I would not recommend buying this game, and I certainly would not have bought it full price if I'd realized ahead of time that I'd be supporting the scummy practice of releasing a buggy game with half the content cut at the price of a full game.”
  • music24 mentions

    The game's music receives mixed reviews, with some praising the soundtrack and voice acting as good and fitting for the storyline, while others criticize specific tracks, particularly the menu song, as distracting or unremarkable. The sound design is noted for enhancing gameplay, especially with helpful cues during puzzles, but overall, the soundtrack's impact varies significantly among players.

    • “Good soundtrack, great storyline too.”
    • “The soundtrack is also decent, and the sound design complements the puzzles by giving you helpful 'ding' sounds every time you get a puzzle right.”
    • “The art style is nice, and the music suits each environment.”
    • “But omg can I nominate the worst menu song of all time?”
    • “Absolutely awful and distracting soundtrack.”
    • “The soundtrack isn’t very noticeable; it’s there but it doesn’t do anything, not that it feels like it needs one.”
  • humor20 mentions

    The humor in the game is generally well-received, with players appreciating its engaging story and funny character interactions, particularly in a co-op setting. Many noted the presence of bad puns and hilarious puzzle themes, drawing comparisons to comedic titles like Psychonauts and Portal. Overall, the game successfully blends humor with gameplay, making it enjoyable despite some frustrations.

    • “Very funny as a couch game!”
    • “Engaging and humorous story-line and intuitive interface.”
    • “I really enjoyed the game and thought the characters were funny and cute.”
  • atmosphere12 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is highly praised, characterized by unique and engaging levels that enhance exploration and storytelling. The graphics effectively contribute to a comic-like ambiance, making players feel like the main hero of the academy. Overall, the combination of clever puzzles and a captivating narrative creates an enjoyable and immersive experience for both new and experienced players.

    • “The main goal of the developers was to create that comic atmosphere where you become the main hero of the academy.”
    • “The levels are all unique and atmospheric with a multitude of different puzzle mechanics to keep things interesting.”
    • “Graphics contribute to the overall atmosphere and make exploration enjoyable.”
  • optimization10 mentions

    The game's optimization is notably poor, with frequent lag, stuttering, and unstable framerates even on powerful hardware. Players have reported issues such as the game forcing a 67Hz refresh rate and a lack of FPS settings, which contribute to a frustrating online multiplayer experience. Overall, the performance issues detract from the gameplay, making it feel underwhelming for its price and duration.

    • “It is not optimized to play online multiplayer; it lags and stutters.”
    • “The game also set my monitor's refresh rate to 67Hz, but there are no FPS settings in the menu, and the game constantly felt like it was stuttering and dropping frames.”
    • “For the asking price, the game is a bit too short (around 4-6 hours) and barebones in my opinion, and it doesn't feel well optimized; there's an annoying stuttering issue even though the graphics are pretty basic.”
  • character development10 mentions

    Character development in the game is highlighted by visually appealing and detailed environments, alongside generally praised character designs, which some players find fantastic and cool. However, there is a notable dissenting opinion, with a few players expressing dissatisfaction with the character designs.

    • “Fantastic character design.”
    • “Visually appealing with detailed environments and character designs.”
    • “Cool character designs.”
    • “Not a fan of the character designs at all.”
  • emotional6 mentions

    Players express a mix of emotions regarding the game, noting a sense of accomplishment from solving challenges, but also frustration due to motion sickness and a lack of engaging narrative. Overall, while some enjoyed the gameplay, many felt the experience was hindered by its brevity and limited replay value.

  • grinding2 mentions

    Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game tedious, particularly due to the repetitive nature of math puzzles, which can detract from the overall enjoyment of the gameplay experience.

    • “I find math puzzles to be tedious in puzzle games - guess what this has several instances of?”
    • “I find math puzzles to be tedious in puzzle games - guess what this has several instances of?”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

79% average critic score

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Play time

4hMedian play time
5hAverage play time
4-5hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 14 analyzed playthroughs

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