Escape Simulator
- October 18, 2021
- Pine Studio
- 8h median play time
Get on Steam"Escape Simulator" is a first-person puzzle mystery game that can be played solo or in online co-op with up to 10 players. Its interactive gameplay allows for thorough exploration, and it includes a level editor for community-made rooms. Despite some bugs, the game boasts masterful visuals, a good soundtrack, and sensational replayability. The game also offers a free "Among Us" DLC and a VR version is available for wishlisting.
Mac OS
PC
Steam Deck
Windows
Linux
Reviews
- gameplay466 mentions
- 39 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The gameplay of this escape room simulator is characterized by intuitive controls and engaging mechanics that allow players to interact with a variety of puzzles and environments. While the game offers a rich selection of community-created content and diverse challenges, some players noted occasional clunkiness in mechanics and a learning curve for newcomers. Overall, the combination of cooperative gameplay, unique puzzles, and frequent updates contributes to a satisfying and immersive experience.
“The controls and mechanics are intuitive and user-friendly, allowing you to interact with objects, inspect items, and manipulate your environment with ease.”
“With its detailed rooms and physics-based mechanics, each challenge feels unique and rewarding.”
“The gameplay is intuitive and satisfying.”
“Overall it's alright, I may have not played long enough to have a fair opinion but I'm writing this anyways. I'm more towards not liking it because first it's hard to get used to the whole picking up, inventory, inspecting mechanic and it's very glitchy on some rooms where important items can glitch through the map or fling. Most of the community rooms are not very well made but the actual good ones are worth playing.”
“The only con I have is that the gameplay gets kinda repetitive, but if you like puzzles it is a really nice game!”
“Gameplay and control are a bit janky; the space you have in each room is too small that turns the coop game into a claustrophobic cluster. They should've added 1-2 meters to each direction to make it more spacious. Keybindings are missing mouse features (middle mouse, forward/backwards) which sucks, and the keybindings themselves are rather confusing.”
- graphics440 mentions
- 57 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 1 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game are generally praised for their charming, cartoonish style, which enhances the overall atmosphere and readability of puzzles. While some players noted minor graphical glitches and a desire for higher resolution textures, the visuals are considered appealing and well-suited for the game's design, contributing to a cozy and engaging experience. Overall, the graphics effectively complement the gameplay, making it accessible even on lower-end systems.
“Visually stunning with captivating graphics, it's not just a feast for the eyes but also a mental workout.”
“The graphics are beautiful and the game runs surprisingly well - I was using my old laptop the whole time, without a mouse or a keyboard.”
“The graphics and intricacy of the puzzles is great.”
“Quality: the graphics in Escape Simulator are relatively low quality.”
“The graphics in Escape Simulator are… well, let's just say they're not going to win any awards.”
“The graphics are generally bright and on the simple/cartoony side, so if you require grit and photo realism, you won't find it in this game.”
- story258 mentions
- 19 % positive mentions
- 71 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The game's story aspect is largely criticized for its minimal narrative integration, with many players noting that it lacks a cohesive storyline and primarily serves as a backdrop for puzzle-solving. While some rooms feature loose thematic connections, the overall experience is more focused on gameplay mechanics than storytelling, leading to a perception that the game falls short for those seeking a rich narrative. Players who enjoy puzzle-centric gameplay may find it entertaining, but those looking for a compelling story are likely to be disappointed.
“From the captivating storyline to the engaging gameplay mechanics, this game managed to keep me thoroughly entertained throughout.”
“All the rooms have a really cool design, and I love how they follow a sort of continuous storyline, plus the game works really smoothly, the controls are not hard to learn and you can get many hints throughout the game, which I really appreciate because sometimes it got hard but it was so fun!”
“This is a collection of 16 bite-sized escape rooms, each 15 minutes and totally distinct while also giving every set of five levels a story.”
“This game has no story.”
“Limited story integration: while the focus is on the puzzles, some players may feel a lack of a cohesive narrative.”
“If that sounds fun then you're good to go, but just be aware there is nothing but the rooms, no side story, no real progression or any sort of gaming gimmicks to support it.”
- replayability206 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
Escape Simulator boasts exceptional replayability, primarily due to its extensive community-created content and workshop support, which allows players to create and share custom rooms. While the official levels may have limited replay value once solved, the continuous influx of user-generated puzzles ensures nearly infinite replayability, making it a standout in the escape room genre. Overall, players appreciate the game's ability to provide fresh experiences through community engagement and creative level design.
“Built in and DLC rooms are excellent quality, and the workshop content adds almost infinite replayability.”
“With endless replayability from all the interesting and creative rooms other players build, this game never gets old.”
“The room editor with unlimited rooms from other players makes this game a gold mine of replayability.”
“However, the rooms are not very replayable in short succession.”
“You can beat all official content in a couple of hours, and there's no replayability since once you've solved the puzzles you'll know how to solve the puzzles.”
“The only problem is a lack of replay value, but that's intrinsic to escape rooms, and at least community rooms exist!”
- stability148 mentions
- 7 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 93 % negative mentions
The game's stability is frequently criticized, with many players reporting numerous bugs and glitches that can disrupt gameplay, particularly in multiplayer and community-created maps. While some users find the core game enjoyable despite these issues, others describe it as nearly unplayable due to frequent freezes, unresponsive objects, and connection problems. Overall, the game is seen as fun but plagued by significant stability concerns that detract from the experience.
“The game is well designed and the interactivity is pretty cool; it runs really well and is not too buggy.”
“Found it almost completely bug free during my playthrough, which left smooth gameplay.”
“Creative puzzles, and mostly bug free.”
“However, there's one fairly game-breaking bug that literally breaks the game and that's that it freezes sometimes when you interact with locks.”
“I want to love it, I really do, but due to all the glitches or disconnects, it's practically unplayable for me.”
“Tried to play this game with several friends - absolutely unplayable - constant connection glitches, couldn't get through a single level with players being cut out of the game for minutes at a time.”
- music108 mentions
- 35 % positive mentions
- 52 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many players appreciating the ambient soundtrack and its fitting nature to various scenarios, creating a cozy atmosphere. However, some find the music repetitive and occasionally annoying, leading to a preference for turning it off. Overall, while the soundtrack enhances the experience for many, it may not be universally appealing.
“Great game overall, amazing music.”
“The music is top notch and really has a focusing effect (for me, at least) and fits the maps perfectly.”
“The ambient and the music is so chill, and every room has its own unique look and musical score.”
“Music can get repetitive after a while.”
“This isn't helped by the nauseatingly repetitive music (especially in the Egyptian rooms), though you could just turn off the music to be fair.”
“My biggest gripe is the music.”
- humor84 mentions
- 98 % positive mentions
- 2 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is widely praised, with players highlighting its clever voiceovers, funny mechanics, and the comedic chaos that ensues when playing with friends. Many reviews mention the enjoyment derived from shared moments of confusion and laughter, particularly during puzzle-solving and unexpected mishaps. Overall, the game strikes a balance between challenge and humor, making it a delightful experience for both solo and multiplayer sessions.
“Let me start by saying that this game is the perfect mix of hilarious and challenging.”
“The best part of the game was the hilarious voiceovers and dialogue that kept us laughing throughout.”
“It's challenging enough to keep you engaged, but funny enough to keep you laughing until your stomach hurts.”
- optimization72 mentions
- 39 % positive mentions
- 39 % neutral mentions
- 22 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with some players experiencing significant performance issues, particularly in VR and on larger community maps, leading to low framerates and microstuttering. While official maps generally run smoothly, custom maps often suffer from lag and connectivity problems, indicating a need for further optimization. Despite these challenges, many players appreciate the game's content and mechanics, hoping for future updates to address the performance concerns.
“The official maps are well optimized and have a good variation in puzzle-logic.”
“The graphics are great, the game is optimized so well it runs on our friend's PC that barely has a graphics card.”
“I'm pointing this out because AAA games can't reach this standard of good optimization on release - good job developers!”
“This game is genuinely the most poorly optimized VR game I've ever played.”
“It's currently extremely buggy and unoptimized, to the point of being nearly unplayable.”
“The game claims it's running at 120 fps, but it's more like 20-30 fps, thanks to massive microstuttering.”
- atmosphere56 mentions
- 54 % positive mentions
- 41 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive and relaxing qualities, enhanced by well-designed graphics and sound effects that draw players into each escape room. While some players note a preference for darker aesthetics, the overall vibe is described as charming and engaging, with a variety of themes that keep the experience fresh. The combination of challenging puzzles and a captivating atmosphere makes it a standout in the genre, appealing to both casual and seasoned gamers.
“From start to finish, this game had me hooked, and I couldn't get enough of its challenging puzzles, immersive atmosphere, and cleverly designed escape scenarios.”
“From the subtle flicker of candlelight to the creaking of wooden floorboards, the game's sound design contributes significantly to the overall atmosphere.”
“The immersive environments and atmospheric sound effects further enhance the experience, drawing you into the world of each escape room.”
“Enter 'escape simulator', with simple aesthetics, minimal storytelling and atmosphere; the puzzles and Steam Workshop are where it truly shines.”
“Nice and good puzzle game, each stage in a different world to get you out of the boring atmosphere and give you a boost of enthusiasm to explore.”
“It doesn't have a dark atmosphere or fancy graphics like other games, but it has something else.”
- grinding52 mentions
- 12 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and time-consuming, often requiring significant effort to locate collectibles and complete puzzles. While some puzzles are enjoyable and challenging, the repetitive nature of searching for items and the small room sizes can lead to frustration. Despite these issues, the game offers fun interactions and achievements that can alleviate some of the grind.
“Puzzles are satisfying to complete and not tedious.”
“Puzzles are fun and challenging, not tedious and annoying.”
“Fun achievements to hunt for 100% completion (no grindy achievements).”
“It gets a little tedious to play over long stretches, though.”
“Collectible tokens can be annoying to find because they're in the most obscure places and gives you more of a headache and becomes tedious rather than fun.”
“There is a trash can/bin on the ground in each room so you can clear the space, but the rooms are very small and that process is tedious at best.”
- emotional22 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players report a mix of emotional experiences while engaging with the game, highlighting feelings of satisfaction and accomplishment from solving puzzles, akin to the thrill of an escape room. However, some also express discomfort, including motion sickness and claustrophobia, which detracts from the overall enjoyment. Despite these challenges, the game successfully evokes a sense of magic and intellectual challenge, leaving players feeling both clever and occasionally frustrated.
“This game is the only game that has successfully made me feel the magic of doing an escape room in real life.”
“I thoroughly enjoyed searching my mind for solutions, and finding those solutions made me feel like a genius.”
“Made me feel stupid, but I love it.”
- monetization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy is viewed as highly effective, leveraging clever sales tactics and benefiting from organic promotion through user engagement.
“Genius sales pitch right there and free advertising.”
- character development2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 100 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The reviews indicate that there are significant concerns regarding character design, which may impact the overall perception of character development in the game. However, specific details about character growth or narrative depth are not provided.
