Inescapable

About

"Inescapable" is a Sci-Fi action adventure game with side-scrolling action and puzzles, where players investigate a mysterious discovery by a remote mining operation. The game features a large world to explore, an intriguing story, and a thought-provoking ending. With hand-drawn pixel art and an optional CRT screen simulation, it boasts a classic 16-bit era graphical style on modern platforms.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

37%

Audience ScoreBased on 200 reviews

story26 positive mentions

music10 negative mentions

The game has an interesting story with an unusual ending that some players found thought-provoking.
It evokes nostalgia for classic games from the ZX Spectrum, Atari, and Amiga eras, with solid gameplay and good controls.
Despite its flaws, some players enjoyed the atmospheric feel and the simplicity of the gameplay.

The game lacks variety in enemies, environments, and overall gameplay, leading to repetitive experiences.
There is no map system, which makes navigation difficult and contributes to tedious backtracking.
The ending is abrupt and unsatisfying, leaving players feeling like the game was incomplete or lacking resolution.

story
120 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
66%
12%
The game's story is a mixed bag, with some players finding it initially engaging but ultimately unsatisfying due to a lack of resolution and a disappointing ending. While the narrative attempts to build intrigue through snippets of text and exploration, many reviewers felt it was clichéd and poorly executed, failing to mesh well with the gameplay. Overall, the story is seen as underdeveloped, with a frustrating conclusion that leaves players feeling unfulfilled.
- “The lore and storyline are interesting enough, it feels like the game is building towards something great.”
- “It tells the story of a mining company ship that crash-lands on a planet and what your player character finds on the surface.”
- “There are some tense moments, especially the underwater sections, but overall the plot and the atmosphere are well done.”
- “Story takes a while to make any sense or get anywhere.”
- “The plot does not hook you in right away; you are just a spacebro going on a planet for reasons, and all your spacebros die. You go and loot their shuttle and find lizard people past caves in some kind of facility.”
- “There's some attempt at a story, but it's very cliched, primarily revealed through exposition, and lacks a satisfying conclusion - you open a tomb, a quote pops up which has nothing whatsoever to do with anything you just played, and then the game just stops.”
music
62 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
6%
78%
16%
The game is criticized for its complete lack of music, which many reviewers found disappointing and detrimental to the overall experience. While some noted that the absence of a musical score could create a sense of isolation and tension, the general consensus is that the game suffers from a lack of engaging audio, with only minimal and repetitive sound effects present. Overall, the absence of music is seen as a significant flaw that detracts from the game's atmosphere and enjoyment.
- “Varied monsters, music, redesigned levels, and (hopefully) a map system could make this game worthwhile.”
- “I admit, music would've been nice but its absence does provide a certain tension that is conducive to the game's atmosphere.”
- “Would Castlevania, Metroid, Cave Story, or the like, be the same without music?”
- “There is no music in the game and the few sounds are annoying/repetitive enough that I played half of the game with the audio off.”
- “Incidentally, I'm usually really into game music, but this game completely lacks music.”
- “The game lacks music, but it lends a harshness to the proceedings with nothing to accompany the player except the ambience of gunshots.”
gameplay
50 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
68%
12%
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it repetitive and overly simplistic, primarily revolving around key-hunting and backtracking. While some appreciate the nostalgic mechanics reminiscent of classic titles, others criticize the level design and lack of challenge, leading to a sense of frustration rather than enjoyment. Overall, the gameplay is described as linear and unremarkable, with a few noting that it may only appeal to those who are fans of the genre.
- “The gameplay is fun and the controls are good.”
- “Gameplay will take some getting used to as you're expected to make some pixel-perfect jumps, though it's more of a pain early on due to fall damage, but before long you'll get an item that negates that.”
- “The game is quite linear with some small backtracking, the gameplay focuses on exploration and some light puzzles, the combat is fairly straightforward and doesn't obstruct the flow of the player.”
- “The gameplay is plain and oversimplified, the level design is lazy and repetitive, the puzzles are mostly based on backtracking and serve no purpose other than to make the game last longer. The combat is oversimplistic and offers no real challenge at all, the enemies have no AI and are all of only three different types, and the plot is cut short by an unsatisfying ending right when it was beginning to build up.”
- “If this game had the ability to look down, I would recommend it despite the bad controls, but as it is, the bulk of the gameplay is just repeating the same thing over and over while you try and overcome bad controls and bad level design.”
- “I do not recommend this game in the slightest. It feels absolutely soulless. Go here, find this keycard, backtrack to the door you couldn't open, rinse and repeat. Generic enemy and sound design. A retro style is no excuse for boring gameplay.”
graphics
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
50%
17%
The graphics of the game evoke a nostalgic 16-bit aesthetic, reminiscent of classic titles from the Amiga 500 era, which some players appreciate for its retro charm. However, many reviews note that the visuals are generally bland and lack complexity, with poor audiovisual elements and animation quality. While the graphics may appeal to fans of old-school design, they are often criticized for not enhancing the overall gameplay experience.
- “The graphics aren't exactly complex but they channel the 16-bit days pretty decently.”
- “Graphically it's beautiful as it reminds me of the Amiga 500.”
- “I followed it for a while during development because I like the retro graphics and 'metroidvania' always gets my attention.”
- “Audiovisuals are poor.”
- “Bland visuals.”
- “If you enjoy mindless backtracking and dishwater graphics, then consider your wish fulfilled.”
atmosphere
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
37%
25%
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its effective delivery, particularly in creating tension during key moments, such as underwater sections. While some players feel that the absence of music could detract from the experience, many agree that it enhances the overall sense of immersion, reminiscent of a pre-cell phone era. Overall, the atmosphere is considered a strong point, complementing the plot well.
- “But I'm also into the atmospheric feel of in-game environments, and despite (or due to?) the lack of music, this game delivers its sense of atmosphere quite effectively.”
- “There are some tense moments, especially the underwater sections, but overall the plot and the atmosphere are well done.”
- “I admit, music would've been nice, but its absence does provide a certain tension that is conducive to the game's atmosphere.”
- “Atmosphere is like from the pre-cell phone era.”
- “I admit, music would've been nice but its absence does provide a certain tension that is conducive to the game's atmosphere.”
grinding
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious, with frequent deaths from minor falls and frustrating jumping mechanics that require precise movements. The lack of engaging elements, such as music and clear enemy behavior, exacerbates the monotony, leading to a sense of backtracking and repetitive gameplay that detracts from the overall experience. Many reviewers express a strong disinterest in continuing after only a short playtime due to these issues.
- “Apparently 'adventure style puzzles' actually means 'and now your player comes to a gap that can only be jumped if you nudge forward until you have approximately one pixel of sprite box left on the ledge,' and failure doesn't result in death, you just fall back to the beginning of the level and have to loop back through three stories of tedious ladder climbing.”
- “Typical platformer but with no music, unexplained enemies and fails to be fun when it introduces annoying jumping sections and requires the player to start tediously backtracking to advance further.”
- “If you're looking for tedious garbage that lasts 2 hours then you've found the right place.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game offers limited replayability primarily focused on speedrunning, as it can be completed in a single evening. However, its depth and challenge, particularly in the metroidvania genre, provide a rich experience that encourages players to reflect on their journey, akin to watching a thought-provoking movie.
- “It's a metroidvania with tons of depth, replayability, challenge, and fun.”
- “Sure, the game is something that you can finish in an evening (though I suggest late night for best results), and there's no replay value besides speedrunning it, but... this was like watching a movie that leaves you with a lot to think about.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's humor is characterized by its exaggerated and over-the-top marketing dialogue, which many players find to be genuinely hilarious. This self-aware approach to humor adds a unique charm to the overall experience.
- “The reviews quoted in the game's marketing dialogue are hilariously overstated.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game successfully evokes a strong emotional resonance akin to modern titles, despite its vintage 2D style, highlighting a significant achievement in blending nostalgia with impactful storytelling.
- “I think trying to make a game with the same sort of emotional resonance that is attempted in modern titles, within the confines of a vintage-styled 2D game, and to succeed on the level this game has is quite the accomplishment.”

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