Escape Academy

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.

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Reviews

86%

Audience ScoreBased on 533 reviews

story65 positive mentions

replayability8 negative mentions

The game features a variety of well-designed puzzles that are engaging and satisfying to solve.
It's a fun co-op experience, especially with the split-screen option that enhances communication between players.
The art style and atmosphere are charming, contributing to an enjoyable escape room experience.

The game is relatively short, taking around 4-6 hours to complete, which may not justify the price for some players.
There are technical issues, including bugs and desynchronization in multiplayer mode, which can disrupt gameplay.
The story and character development are minimal, leaving some players wanting more depth and engagement.

story
155 mentions
42 % positive mentions
54 % neutral mentions
4 % negative mentions
The game's story is generally viewed as light and somewhat predictable, serving primarily as a backdrop for the puzzles rather than a central focus. While some players appreciate the charming and humorous elements, others find the dialogue corny and the characters one-dimensional. Overall, the narrative adds a layer of engagement to the gameplay, but it is not considered groundbreaking or essential to the experience.
- “The storyline is interesting and does add an element of mystery to the story.”
- “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.”
- “I loved the story, and the rooms were all so wonderfully themed!”
- “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.”
- “The story is just there and I wouldn't have missed it; it's not bad, just unnecessary in my opinion for this game, but it's really just a backdrop for the puzzles anyway.”
graphics
45 mentions
40 % positive mentions
53 % neutral mentions
7 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the charming art style and well-designed 2D character illustrations, while some criticize the 3D modeling and limited graphics settings. The overall aesthetic is described as cartoonish and creative, contributing positively to the atmosphere and gameplay experience, although performance issues and graphical glitches have been reported. Despite some shortcomings, the visuals are generally considered cohesive and enjoyable, enhancing the storytelling and puzzle design.
- “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.”
- “Graphics settings are too limited.”
- “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.”
gameplay
36 mentions
28 % positive mentions
64 % neutral mentions
8 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a refreshing blend of full-screen exploration and split-screen collaboration, enhancing the escape room experience. Players appreciate the engaging and progressively challenging puzzles, though some note issues with multiplayer desynchronization and a lack of depth in the story. While the game offers a solid experience with minimal bugs, its relatively short playtime may deter some, especially given its price point.
- “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.”
- “Railed gameplay on a timer.”
- “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 dollars is not worth 3 hours of gameplay.”
replayability
22 mentions
18 % positive mentions
45 % neutral mentions
36 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is widely criticized, with many reviewers noting its short length and lack of varied content as significant drawbacks. While some mention the potential for enjoyment in multiplayer modes or speedrunning, the consensus is that the game offers little incentive for repeated playthroughs due to its fixed puzzle solutions and limited gameplay duration. Suggestions for improvement include adding randomization or difficulty adjustments to enhance replay value.
- “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.”
stability
19 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The game has been 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, leading to frustration and the need to restart sessions. While the puzzles and story are appreciated, the overall consensus is that the game's stability issues detract from the experience, making it difficult to recommend, particularly for those intending to play online.
- “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.”
music
12 mentions
25 % positive mentions
50 % neutral mentions
25 % negative 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 music, as being poor or distracting. Overall, the soundtrack is described as decent but not particularly memorable, with sound design elements enhancing the gameplay experience.
- “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?”
- “The soundtrack isn’t very noticeable; it’s there but it doesn’t do anything, not that it feels like it needs one.”
- “Absolutely awful and distracting soundtrack.”
humor
10 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is generally well-received, with players noting its engaging storyline and amusing character interactions, reminiscent of titles like Psychonauts and Portal. While some found the abundance of puns to be amusingly bad, others appreciated the blend of humor with puzzle-solving, making it a fun experience, especially in co-op mode. Overall, the game strikes a balance between humor and challenge, contributing to its enjoyable atmosphere.
- “Engaging and humorous storyline and intuitive interface.”
- “It's a very similar game in tone to stuff like Psychonauts or Portal, which are both games I think are hilarious.”
- “I really enjoyed the game and thought the characters were funny and cute.”
atmosphere
6 mentions
83 % positive mentions
-33 % neutral mentions
50 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised, characterized by clever puzzles, engaging storytelling, and unique graphics that enhance exploration. Players appreciate the comic-like ambiance that immerses them in the role of a hero within the academy, making the experience enjoyable for both newcomers and seasoned players. Overall, the diverse and atmospheric levels contribute significantly to the game's appeal.
- “The main goal of the developers was to create that comic atmosphere where you become the main hero of the academy.”
- “Graphics contribute to the overall atmosphere and make exploration enjoyable.”
- “The levels are all unique and atmospheric with a multitude of different puzzle mechanics to keep things interesting.”
- “The game fails to deliver a compelling atmosphere, leaving players feeling disconnected from the world.”
- “Despite the developers' intentions, the atmosphere feels flat and uninspired, lacking the depth needed to engage players.”
- “The environments are bland and lifeless, making it hard to immerse myself in the game's setting.”
optimization
5 mentions
0 % positive mentions
20 % neutral mentions
80 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received significant criticism, with users reporting frequent lag, stuttering, and unstable framerates even on powerful systems. Issues such as a lack of FPS settings and improper refresh rate adjustments further contribute to a subpar online multiplayer experience. Overall, players feel the game is poorly optimized, impacting enjoyment despite its basic graphics.
- “It is not optimized for online multiplayer; it lags and stutters.”
- “The game also set my monitor's refresh rate to 67Hz, and there are no FPS settings in the menu. The game constantly felt like it was stuttering and dropping frames.”
- “Be warned, though, its performance is quite poor; I found that my framerate was wildly unstable on a reasonably powerful rig, sometimes dipping as low as the low 40s. However, considering this game doesn't particularly care about twitch reflexes, it's not something that wound up bothering me all that much.”
character development
5 mentions
60 % positive mentions
20 % neutral mentions
20 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is highlighted by visually appealing and detailed environments, alongside generally praised character designs, though opinions are mixed, with some players expressing dissatisfaction with the character aesthetics.
- “The character design is pretty good too.”
- “Fantastic character design.”
- “Cool character designs.”
- “Not a fan of the character designs at all.”
emotional
3 mentions
67 % positive mentions
-67 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is mixed; while some players find a sense of accomplishment in solving challenges, others express disappointment with the short length, lack of replay value, and a boring story, which detracts from the overall emotional engagement. Additionally, motion sickness experienced by some players further complicates their emotional connection to the game.
- “The game is too short and lacks replay value, making the emotional impact feel shallow.”
- “The story is boring and fails to engage players on an emotional level.”
- “The levels feel like repackaged escape simulator levels, which detracts from any emotional connection.”
grinding
1 mentions
0 % positive mentions
-200 % neutral mentions
300 % negative mentions
Players often find the grinding aspect of puzzle games, particularly involving math puzzles, to be tedious and repetitive, detracting from the overall enjoyment of the game.
- “I find math puzzles to be tedious in puzzle games - guess what this has several instances of?”
- “The grinding feels endless and repetitive, making it hard to stay engaged.”
- “I spent hours doing the same tasks over and over, and it just became boring.”