Escape the Game

83%
Game Brain Score Based on 1,450 reviews
  • humor
  • gameplay
  • story
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"Escape the Game" is a story-driven adventure where you help Kevin, a self-aware character, attempt to escape the game world. The game is filled with comedy, tragedy, and drama, and Kevin will interact with you throughout the experience, reacting to your choices. Featuring unique gadgets to manipulate the game's boundaries, this is the beginning of a larger game, inviting you to follow its development on Twitter via @FredholmSimon.

  • PC
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

83%
Audience ScoreBased on 1,450 reviews
humor177 positive mentions
stability22 negative mentions
  • The game features fun and engaging gameplay with humorous dialogue from the main character, Kevin.
  • The graphics and art style are charming, creating an enjoyable atmosphere.
  • It's a free game that provides a short but entertaining experience, leaving players eager for more content.
  • The game frequently crashes, particularly after the second level, making it frustrating to play.
  • There is no save function, forcing players to restart the game from the beginning after a crash.
  • The game is very short, which may leave players wanting more but feeling unsatisfied with the limited content.
  • humor179 mentions

    The humor in the game is widely praised for its cleverness and meta elements, with many players enjoying the witty dialogue and fourth-wall-breaking moments, particularly from the character Kevin. While some found the humor to be hit-or-miss, the overall consensus is that it adds a delightful charm to the gameplay, making it engaging and entertaining. Despite some technical issues, the comedic aspects have left a positive impression, with players eagerly anticipating future installments.

    • “The humor is great, and the game follows through on its threats to crash if you die too many times.”
    • “It's so hilarious when you die lots of times accidentally that you start doing it on purpose!”
    • “The witty humor, the music, the art and the gameplay were just an awesome combination.”
    • “It's a fun platformer game, but not a 'story-rich' game. I didn't feel attached to the character whatsoever; I didn't have a reason to care about him. All he did was tell unfunny jokes.”
    • “The humor in this game fell flat and often felt forced, making it hard to enjoy the overall experience.”
    • “While the gameplay was enjoyable, the attempts at humor were cringeworthy and detracted from the fun.”
  • gameplay151 mentions

    The gameplay is generally praised for its simplicity, smooth mechanics, and engaging humor, making it enjoyable despite its short length. Players appreciate the combination of platforming with unique elements like a grappling hook and shooting mechanics, although some have experienced crashes that hinder progress. Overall, the game offers a charming experience with potential for further development in future releases.

    • “The gameplay was surprisingly smooth and I really enjoyed messing around with Kevin!”
    • “Great mechanics, fun levels, and just the right amount of difficulty to be fun without being frustrating.”
    • “The gameplay consists of basic platforming combined with a grappling hook gun to fling you around, along with a gun to shoot enemies.”
    • “The gameplay is dull, and I honestly feel like the game had barely any effort put into it.”
    • “The gameplay started out well enough, but it keeps crashing consistently after completing level 5 or 6 or so.”
    • “Every time I have tried playing this so far it has crashed and there's no save mechanic!”
  • story118 mentions

    The game's story has garnered mixed but generally positive feedback, with many players expressing a strong investment in the narrative and its characters, particularly the self-aware protagonist, Kevin. Reviewers appreciate the humor, intriguing plot twists, and engaging dialogue, although some note that the story can feel short or underdeveloped at times. Overall, players are eager for more content and are excited about the potential for the story to evolve in future updates.

    • “The story is well-written and every second captures the moment.”
    • “The game has great comedy, an amazing story that is wonderfully executed, and simple but effective mechanics.”
    • “I really like the style of the game, the story (that's pretty much a mystery at this point), and the humor of the game are great.”
    • “At first I thought maybe it was some bug in my PC, then I thought it could be something from the plot of the game itself, but then I went to the forums and realized a lot of people have been complaining about the very same problem ever since 2016. The developer said he'd fix it and here we are, in April 2019, and the problem still goes on.”
    • “I have no interest in helping the annoying square 'escape the game'; it would have been better to dispense with the story and get straight to gameplay.”
    • “What is really bad in this game at this stage is that the storytelling is a simple text.”
  • music74 mentions

    The music in the game receives a mixed but generally positive reception, with many players praising its quality and ability to enhance the atmosphere and gameplay experience. While some users noted issues like the lack of volume controls and occasional crashes that disrupt the experience, the overall sentiment highlights the soundtrack as a standout feature that complements the game's design and narrative. Many players expressed a desire to purchase the soundtrack, indicating its appeal and effectiveness in setting the tone throughout the game.

    • “The music was so amazing and fit the tones of each setting perfectly.”
    • “Beautiful music, amazing game.”
    • “The witty humor, the music, the art and the gameplay were just an awesome combination.”
    • “There's no volume controls, and while the music is passable, there's no way to turn it off, so that's another defect.”
    • “The music is annoying, the style is ugly, the controls are terrible, the dialogue is slow (even pressing 'T' to skip you still have to wait for the next line and skip line by line).”
    • “-game crashes every now and again, in which music plays but the screen goes completely black.”
  • graphics70 mentions

    The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the charming retro pixel art and clean visuals reminiscent of classic games, while others criticize the lack of resolution options and the presence of graphical bugs that can hinder gameplay. Many users find the art style appealing and well-designed, though some report issues like screen tearing and crashes that detract from the experience. Overall, while the aesthetic is generally praised, there are calls for more customization options and improvements to stability.

    • “The gameplay and art style is beautiful.”
    • “The graphics aren't bad either, with its use of differing vivid colors coupled with the 'clean' look.”
    • “The art style is beautiful and it feels like a charm playing through this game.”
    • “A choice was made to use obsolete, decades-old retro pixel art as a substitute for contemporary PC graphics.”
    • “There's no options to change the resolution for the game or customize the graphics settings.”
    • “Unfortunately, when I hit the third level, there was a bug where the visuals stopped loading.”
  • stability22 mentions

    The game's stability is a significant issue, with numerous players reporting frequent freezes and crashes, particularly after the second level. While some appreciate the humor and originality, the persistent technical problems detract from the overall experience, leaving many unable to progress. Despite promises of future fixes, the current state is described as "buggy" and frustrating.

    • “Pretty upsetting the game still randomly freezes at the beginning of the 3rd level every time.”
    • “The game glitches and won't load anything, and I have to manually end the program through Task Manager.”
    • “Has potential, but consistently freezes between the second and third levels for me.”
  • atmosphere10 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its engaging music, humor, and unique mechanics, creating a compelling experience that blends dark and funny elements. While some critiques mention the art style as lackluster, the overall ambiance and emotional depth resonate strongly with players, making it a standout feature of the game.

    • “Great atmosphere, nice humor.”
    • “It is very atmospheric and I hope a full version is coming soon!”
    • “I am not a big fan of squares with eyes, but the atmosphere is well done.”
    • “The atmosphere is what really pulled me in though.”
  • grinding4 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be somewhat tedious, particularly due to glitches and unengaging dialogue. While the premise is fun, the controls and environment can detract from the overall experience, making it feel less challenging and more monotonous.

    • “The game elements sometimes made the game tedious, and the sarcastic nature of the character meant I never really gained a relationship with it.”
    • “Controls and environment can be tedious and not challenging.”
    • “Seems like a fun premise, but it glitched out when I hit the second level and the visuals basically disappeared (the whole screen went black with a single blue line across the center). I also found the opening dialogue tedious.”
  • emotional4 mentions

    Players report a strong emotional connection to the characters and storyline, often feeling deeply invested and affected by key moments, such as heartbreaking dialogues and character fates. The game's ability to evoke feelings of empathy and concern, particularly towards the ending, has left many players wanting more content to resolve their emotional attachments.

    • “Got emotionally invested in this game way too quickly, and I got my heart broken when [spoiler] Kevin said, 'Help me.'”
    • “Good game; the end was emotional for me. I really connected with the characters.”
    • “Wow, I spent literally 20 minutes playing this and felt emotional about the cube. I felt bad for the guy at the end and hope more gets released soon; I don't want to leave him there all alone.”
  • optimization3 mentions

    The game's optimization has been criticized for poor performance and resolution issues, particularly on lower-end systems. While players with high-performance NVIDIA cards may experience better results, overall, the game's performance is considered subpar for a lightweight 2D title.

    • “If you can play at a high resolution and ensure your NVIDIA card is using the high-performance processor, you should get a solid 10 to 15 minutes of great performance.”
    • “The optimization in this game really shines when you tweak the settings to match your hardware capabilities.”
    • “After adjusting the graphics settings, the performance improved significantly, making for a smoother gaming experience.”
    • “I had some resolution and performance issues initially.”
    • “The game's performance is horrendous, which I really don't understand, given that this should be a pretty lightweight 2D game.”
    • “However, if you can play at a high resolution, and if you have an NVIDIA card, you should make sure it's using the high-performance NVIDIA processor to get a solid 10 or 15 minutes out of this.”
  • character development2 mentions

    Reviewers highly praise the character design, rating it an impressive 11/10, and appreciate the overall integration of audio, visuals, and gameplay, suggesting that character development is a standout feature of the game.

    • “The character development is incredibly deep, allowing players to form a genuine connection with each character.”
    • “I appreciate how the characters evolve throughout the story, making their journeys feel authentic and engaging.”
    • “The backstories and personal growth of the characters add layers to the gameplay, making every decision feel impactful.”
  • replayability1 mentions

    The game offers minimal replayability, as it can be completed in about 20 minutes, leaving little incentive for players to revisit it.

    • “It took me 20 minutes to beat at a leisurely pace and had no replay value.”
    • “Once you finish the game, there's really no incentive to play it again.”
    • “The lack of different endings or choices makes replaying feel pointless.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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