Escape From Tethys

About

Escape From Tethys is a single player action adventure game. It was developed by Whimsical and was released on July 12, 2018. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

You're trapped, alone and cold on a distant planet. Pursued by a droid with only one purpose: killing everything. You must find an escape. Explore the hostile environment, find secret upgrades and new weapons, and finally make your escape from this dark, hostile planet...

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

76%

Audience ScoreBased on 160 reviews

music36 positive mentions

stability22 negative mentions

The game features nice pixel art and a decent soundtrack that enhances the sci-fi atmosphere.
Exploration is rewarding, with various upgrades and secrets to discover throughout the game.
The gameplay is engaging, providing a classic Metroid-like experience that fans of the genre will appreciate.

The controls can feel slippery and unresponsive, making platforming and combat frustrating at times.
The difficulty spikes can be harsh, especially early on, with limited health drops and challenging enemy placements.
There are numerous bugs and glitches that can disrupt gameplay, including issues with saving and character movement.

music
57 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
63%
32%
5%
The music in the game is generally well-received, with many players praising its ability to enhance the atmosphere and complement the visuals. While some tracks may vary in volume and a few users found the music to be a bit slow or generic, the overall soundtrack is described as excellent, varied, and engaging, contributing positively to the gameplay experience. Additionally, the sound design effectively meshes with the environment, creating a cohesive sci-fi feel that many players appreciated.
- “The pixel art in this game is beautiful, the music and ambient sounds are fantastic, and the gameplay is solid.”
- “What I liked best was the retro art which was spot on, and the music creates a really good atmosphere.”
- “The soundtrack is excellent.”
- “Despite generally effective sprite art, environmental design, and music, the game never manages to establish much of an atmosphere or narrative.”
- “The only bug I experienced was that the sound effects volume keeps going back to full upon each restart (I prefer to play with no sound as I listen to my own music) - this was easily solved by muting the game using the Windows volume mixer.”
- “The game pulls off a creepy, solemn mood pretty well between the art and music.”
gameplay
34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
24%
58%
18%
The gameplay is generally enjoyable and smooth, with a solid soundtrack and beautiful pixel art, but it lacks originality and can be frustrating due to mechanics that sometimes feel out of the player's control. While some players appreciate the fun and responsive nature of the gameplay, others criticize it for being standard and not particularly engaging, suggesting that it could benefit from more innovative features like 8-directional shooting. Overall, the experience is mixed, with some finding it rewarding despite its challenges, while others feel it falls short conceptually and mechanically.
- “The great soundtrack and super fun gameplay make up for that, and the glitches didn't really make the game's experience much worse for me.”
- “This has fun gameplay; it's not too difficult, it's not too short, and the music is very good.”
- “The gameplay is sweet and silky: smooth as my well-used buttons, and responsive as they used to be.”
- “If you can spend 30 solid minutes attempting one section to repeatedly die from things that just feel out of your control due to the mechanics not allowing you to cope, it's time to take some time out, adjust your pathing and go look for some upgrades.”
- “If you're looking to spend your hard-earned money on a frustratingly annoying game with horrible gameplay, dumb items, and nauseating graphics, then... this is not the game for you.”
- “The pixel art is nice enough, and the music is okay, but the gameplay is absolutely horrible.”
graphics
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
50%
12%
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their charming 2D style, reminiscent of classic titles like Mega Man and Super Metroid, with eye-pleasing visuals and inventive creature designs. However, some reviewers find the art style basic and repetitive, with certain elements described as jarring. Overall, while the graphics may not be groundbreaking, they contribute positively to the game's atmosphere and experience.
- “The graphics have their own charming style about them, the platforming is challenging but not rage-inducing, and the game as a whole functions superbly.”
- “The graphics are eye-pleasing, the creatures are inventive, and the music makes a nice mood.”
- “Really fun metroidvania game with good visuals and really good music.”
- “The bosses are bland, the exploration and combat are a chore, and the art style is basic and jarring on the eye.”
- “If you're looking to spend your hard-earned money on a frustratingly annoying game with horrible gameplay, dumb items, and nauseating graphics, then... this is not the game for you.”
- “Graphics are a bit repetitive but you rarely feel like you've been in the same place twice.”
story
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
50%
17%
The story aspect of the games reviewed is notably mixed, with many titles in the "B tier" praised for their engaging narratives and sense of adventure, while those in the "E tier" are criticized for lacking depth and connection, often feeling generic or aimless. Players expressed disappointment in the minimal dialogue and underdeveloped plots, leading to a sense of disconnection from the characters and the overall experience.
- “It truly feels like a sprawling adventure, as you'll be revisiting each area once or twice, be it for plot reasons or optional upgrades.”
- “Rather large game area, lots of hidden stuff, interesting backstory.”
- “No handholding or forced story time.”
- “If there was anything as lacking as my general well-being, it was the story: I didn't feel connected to the character.”
- “The platforming wasn't tight and there was virtually no story to keep me going, so I stopped playing after an hour or so.”
- “There's not much story or plot, and it often feels like you are wandering aimlessly without any real goals or purpose.”
stability
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is reported to have a variety of bugs and glitches, including audio/visual issues and unresponsive controls, which can detract from the overall experience. However, many players feel that these minor problems do not significantly impact gameplay, and the enjoyable soundtrack and fun mechanics help to offset the stability issues. Overall, while the game is considered buggy, it remains a decent value for its price.
- “My biggest problems with the game were twofold - first, this game was weirdly buggy.”
- “After acquiring the insta-teleporter near the end, there were more background glitches and some physics consistency problems.”
- “Most are minor oddities, like audio/visual glitches, or the game's weird tendency to max out the in-game sound effect slider every time you start a new game or load a save.”
atmosphere
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
25%
25%
The game's retro sprite art and music are praised for their quality and ability to create a good atmosphere; however, the overall environmental design fails to establish a compelling narrative or immersive atmosphere.
- “What I liked best was the retro art, which was spot on, and the music creates a really good atmosphere.”
- “Despite generally effective sprite art, environmental design, and music, the game never manages to establish much of an atmosphere or narrative.”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, especially for newcomers, due to sloppy controls and repetitive, uninspired enemies. While luck can lead to victory, the overall experience is often described as empty and lacking engagement.
- “Anyone can win eventually just by getting lucky and having him spam the easy attacks, but it's tedious when you are brand new to the game.”
- “Sloppy controls coupled with tedious and boring enemies makes this a frustrating and empty experience.”