Escape from Ever After: Onboarding

About

"Escape from Ever After: Onboarding" is a free adventure RPG inspired by Paper Mario, where you play as Flynt Buckler, a fairytale hero forced to work for the evil conglomerate Ever After Inc. Your mission is to climb the corporate ladder, rally fellow disgruntled employees, and fight back against capitalism. The onboarding version features the game's first chapter, including a twisted version of The Three Little Pigs. Battle enemies, explore captivating locales, and uncover electrifying secrets in this fairytales vs. capitalism adventure.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Escape from Ever After: Onboarding screenshot

96%

Audience ScoreBased on 698 reviews

story102 positive mentions

grinding8 negative mentions

The game captures the charm and humor of classic Paper Mario games while introducing its own unique story and characters.
The combat system is engaging and allows for creative strategies, with mechanics like synergy attacks and character-specific abilities.
The art style and music are vibrant and enjoyable, enhancing the overall experience.

The timing for blocking and action commands can be too tight, making combat feel frustrating for some players.
The leveling system, which requires distributing points among characters, may feel unbalanced and limiting.
Some platforming sections can be awkward due to depth perception issues, making it hard to judge jumps.

story
268 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
61%
1%
The story of "Escape from Ever After" is a creative and humorous twist on classic fairy tales, featuring a protagonist, Flynt Buckler, who must unite with other storybook characters to combat an evil corporation exploiting their worlds. Players appreciate the engaging writing, charming characters, and the clever satire of corporate culture, all while enjoying a nostalgic, Paper Mario-inspired gameplay experience. Overall, the narrative is seen as promising, with potential for deeper exploration as the game progresses.
- “The story is a delightful riff on fractured fairy tales, taking classic stories and invading them with corporate expansion and greed.”
- “The story of a hero and villain who's forced to work together to take down the big evil corporation is an unexpected concept, and to make it into a storybook-styled game is very creative.”
- “The art direction is colorful and whimsical befitting the storybook aesthetic, I'm loving the characters (especially the rapport between Flynt and Tinder), and the overall story premise is unique.”
- “The characters and story left me wanting more.”
- “I tried following the 'story' in the beginning, but it adds very little and just takes time.”
- “I don't look forward to seeing 'oh our storybook got destroyed, guess we're evicted then' sob story from 'x character' multiple times; like I get it, no need to say the same thing in different skins.”
music
152 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
49%
49%
2%
The music in "Escape from Ever After" has received largely positive feedback, with many praising its charming jazzy soundtrack that enhances the whimsical atmosphere of the game. While some players noted that certain tracks can feel repetitive or blend together, the overall consensus is that the music is enjoyable and complements the game's aesthetic and narrative well. A few reviewers expressed a desire for more variety in the soundtrack, but many found themselves humming along and appreciating the energetic vibes throughout their gameplay experience.
- “The music is impossible to not dance to, and the plot about corporations being corporations is super relatable and makes it all the more funny.”
- “Absolutely love it so far, graphics and atmosphere are peak, sound design and soundtrack are next level, and the gameplay is everything I loved about TTYD with more.”
- “The vibrant art style, the catchy upbeat music, quip-filled dialogue, and unexpectedly deep combat systems are all testament to this.”
- “The only real complaint I have is the music is forgettable.”
- “I'm not really a fan of the music because it all sounds very similar and jazzy; some of it is okay, but I wish there was more variety.”
- “This caused me to lower my sound and music a lot to get it to a comfy spot, but that also made it harder for me to hear certain audio cues during fights.”
gameplay
144 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
58%
2%
The gameplay is a nostalgic homage to the classic Paper Mario series, featuring engaging turn-based combat mechanics that are both challenging and rewarding. While many players appreciate the unique story, charming characters, and polished visuals, some express concerns about difficulty spikes and the need for clearer mechanics. Overall, the game successfully blends familiar elements with new twists, making it appealing to both fans of the genre and newcomers.
- “The gameplay mechanics are challenging yet rewarding.”
- “Absolutely love it so far, graphics and atmosphere are peak, sound design and soundtrack are next level, and the gameplay is everything I loved about TTYD with more.”
- “The gameplay is smooth, the characters are delightful and the story a great time all around!”
- “It's been described that the gameplay loop is a slog due to how difficult the enemies are, and I agree.”
- “Sadly, the game has not that good gameplay.”
- “A lot of gameplay balance issues that need to be addressed.”
humor
120 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
97%
3%
The humor in the game is widely praised for its charm and wit, drawing comparisons to the beloved "Paper Mario" series with its quirky characters and clever dialogue. Players appreciate the lighthearted, self-referential humor that elicits genuine laughs, while the engaging story and whimsical interactions enhance the overall experience. The writing is noted for being both funny and relatable, contributing to a delightful and entertaining gameplay atmosphere.
- “Escape from Ever After: onboarding is a fun Paper Mario-style game with charming music, hilarious dialogue, and fun plot twists.”
- “The world is bright and colorful, the character animations fill them with personality, the battles might seem easy at first but do definitely ramp up, and the humor has that tongue-in-cheek playfulness that I love. The plot of an evil corporation taking over children's fables is hilarious.”
- “The witty writing, cute characters, the gameplay throwback to games like Paper Mario, and the story base is hilarious!”
graphics
110 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
57%
3%
The graphics of the game have received widespread praise for their charming and colorful art style, reminiscent of classic titles like Paper Mario. Players appreciate the vibrant visuals and expressive character designs, which contribute to an engaging and whimsical atmosphere. While some minor graphical bugs were noted, the overall presentation is considered top-notch, enhancing the gameplay experience significantly.
- “Absolutely love it so far, graphics and atmosphere are peak, sound design and soundtrack are next level, and the gameplay is everything I loved about TTYD with more.”
- “The graphics are very cute and the dialogue is funny and unique.”
- “The art direction is colorful and whimsical befitting the storybook aesthetic, I'm loving the characters (especially the rapport between Flynt and Tinder), and the overall story premise is unique.”
- “Even playing on the lowest graphics and low resolution with V-Sync off and the room render/last option on, oftentimes I would be locked in place or have inputs be delayed, usually in the bigger rooms (courtyard, Howl Creek, main construction site).”
- “Found a couple graphical bugs in the three little pigs storybook when NPCs were leaving the screen and either followed odd paths or got stuck for a few seconds.”
- “It doesn't stand out as much as the art styles of Cristales and Underhero, but storybook RPGs have their charm mostly due to the paper-style 2D/3D pop-up graphics.”
character development
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
50%
21%
Character development in the game is highlighted as a strong point, with players expressing a desire to see more growth for characters like Tinder and Flynt, who are described as adorable and funny. The imaginative character designs and engaging storyline contribute to a charming experience, reminiscent of classic titles like Paper Mario. Overall, the characters and their interactions are well-received, adding depth to the game's narrative.
- “The story is charming, the character designs work, and the storyline so far has my interest.”
- “The sound and music are great, gameplay is fast and fluid, and the art, character designs, and dialogue are as endearing as those from the games this was inspired by.”
- “Tinder and Wolfgang are such adorable and funny characters, plus I would love to see the character development for Tinder and Flynt; they can be such a funny duo!”
- “The story is charming, the character designs work, but the character development feels lacking.”
- “While the character designs are imaginative, the depth of character development is disappointing.”
grinding
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be somewhat slow, with one reviewer noting that it took nearly five hours of play to defeat the chapter one boss with minimal grinding. While some enjoy the grind, they also feel that certain achievements, particularly related to purchasing office decor, can feel overly tedious. Overall, the level-up rate and achievement requirements may deter those who prefer a faster-paced progression.
- “I felt that the level up rate was a bit too slow.”
- “I also think that some of the achievements for the demo feel a bit grindy when it comes to purchasing all the office decor.”
- “Got almost 5 hours of play time with a little grinding to beat the chapter one boss, and I'm still not done looking for hidden items and buying upgrades.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players found the emotional aspect of the game particularly rewarding, as the challenging puzzles towards the end instilled a sense of cleverness and accomplishment.
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised, with users highlighting its exceptional graphics, immersive sound design, and a standout soundtrack that enhances the overall experience. Many feel it captures the essence of beloved previous titles while elevating it further.
- “Absolutely love it so far! The graphics and atmosphere are peak, the sound design and soundtrack are next level, and the gameplay is everything I loved about TTYD with more.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The stability of the game is generally affected by several minor glitches and translation errors in the Spanish localization, which are acknowledged as common challenges when adapting content from English to Spanish.
- “Concerning the Spanish localization, there were quite a handful of small glitches and faux pas. This is quite understandable when translating from English into Spanish, as both languages have their own set of quirks.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
Players generally find the replayability of the game to be high, citing diverse content and multiple pathways that encourage repeated playthroughs. The variety in gameplay mechanics and story outcomes adds significant value, making each session feel fresh and engaging. Overall, users appreciate the game's ability to offer new experiences upon revisiting.
- “The game lacks meaningful choices, making replaying it feel like a chore rather than an adventure.”
- “Once you've completed the main storyline, there's little incentive to go back and experience it again.”
- “The limited variety in gameplay mechanics means that replaying the game feels repetitive and uninspired.”