Escape from Terror City

About

Escape from Terror City is a single player arcade shooter game with anime and science fiction themes. It was developed by Tales of the Renegade Sector and was released on July 14, 2021. It received neutral reviews from critics and positive reviews from players.

"Escape from Terror City" is an arcade-style 3D Run'n'Gun game set in the mining colony of Terroir. After the Argus Empire begins their assault, the city council's distress signal is jammed, and they must escape before the other kingdoms become aware of the situation. Fight off enemies and avoid obstacles to ensure your survival and the city's.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

81%

Audience ScoreBased on 52 reviews

graphics4 positive mentions

story1 negative mentions

The game features a fun and engaging core gameplay loop reminiscent of classic run'n'gun titles like Contra, with enjoyable enemy and level design.
The art style and visuals evoke a nostalgic feel, combining chunky 3D graphics with a retro aesthetic that many players appreciate.
The game offers multiple routes through levels and frequent checkpoints, providing a unique experience and replayability, especially in hard mode.

The camera system is poorly designed, often blocking the player's view and making it difficult to judge distances, leading to frustrating gameplay moments.
The game suffers from numerous technical issues, including bugs that can lead to game-breaking scenarios and performance drops when running above 60 fps.
Controls are awkward, particularly for gamepad users, with issues like lack of deadzone on the left stick and sensitivity problems that hinder gameplay.

graphics
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
65%
15%
The graphics of the game feature a nostalgic, chunky 3D aesthetic reminiscent of titles like Mega Man Legends, combined with pixel art textures on low-poly models that evoke early 90s Sega games. While the art style is appreciated for its unique charm, many reviewers note a lack of polish, with clunky camera movements and aiming mechanics detracting from the overall experience. Despite these issues, the visuals are described as solid and fitting within the game's quirky aesthetic.
- “The art style is right up my alley, with pixel art textures on low-poly models (think early-mid 90s Sega) and the dialogue evokes poor translations of the past but happens to be in perfect, enjoyable English.”
- “Escape from Terror City is a very neat and nicely composed game with cool visuals and 3D characters.”
- “Solid visuals, fun fights, and good encounter design!”
- “It has the love and aesthetics behind it but none of the polish.”
- “The camera skips around and the aiming is clunky in ways that feels less like a feature of the aesthetic and more of an issue with the game itself.”
- “The graphics... well they're clearly cursed, but it's very much an aesthetic.”
gameplay
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
65%
15%
The gameplay is generally described as fun and reminiscent of classic gaming, particularly with its engaging core loop and refined bullet hell mechanics. Players appreciate the excellent stage design and boss encounters, especially on harder difficulty settings, though some note that the experience is marred by various issues. The aesthetic, likened to a 3D interpretation of NES graphics, adds to the unique charm of the gameplay.
- “For Escape from Terror City, the stage design is excellent in addition to the bosses due to the more focused bullet hell gameplay.”
- “Really fun little game, with some of the most refined bullet hell gameplay this developer has ever put out.”
- “I enjoy seeing how the developer used this mechanic to direct the action, which can get hectic at times!”
- “The gameplay itself is fine.”
- “Gameplay-wise, it reminds me most of the on-the-rail sections of Contra (take that with a grain of salt though: I'm basing this off of gameplay footage because I haven't actually played Contra) and the look of the game, which is probably the most striking thing about it, really does feel like an NES game brought to three dimensions, with its angular geometry and low-res textures.”
- “Assuming you do hard mode, however, the gameplay and design is more than enough to justify the asking price, in my opinion.”
story
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
The story of the game is described as campy and reminiscent of classic arcade shooters, specifically "Time Crisis." While the boss fights are noted as the standout feature, the overall narrative and enemy designs are considered somewhat lackluster.
- “Very short on-rails shooter inspired by the arcade classic Time Crisis. It's a very campy story, and while the boss fights are the highlight of the game, both normal enemy and some boss designs are a little too lackluster.”
music
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
25%
25%
The game's music is generally well-received, with many praising its captivating and disorienting qualities. While some find it offputting, it adds a unique charm that enhances the overall experience.
- “The music is disorienting and off-putting in a way I find absolutely captivating.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game's optimization is severely lacking, as it becomes unplayable when running above 60 fps, resulting in broken controls and significant performance issues.
- “The game basically disintegrates when it runs above 60 fps - controls break and performance randomly turns into a stuttery, unplayable mess.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is largely derived from its numerous bugs, which range from amusing glitches to severe issues that can disrupt gameplay. While some players find the comedic potential in these errors, others may view them as detrimental to the overall experience.
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Players highlight strong replayability due to the presence of alternate paths and the option to tackle a hard mode after completing the normal mode. This encourages exploration and varied gameplay experiences.
- “Just beat normal mode, but there's definitely replayability with alternate paths and hard mode.”