Reviewers praised the freedom of approach the game offered players, yet some were frustrated by the trial-and-error approach required to learn its systems. A sequel, The Escapists 2, was released in 2017.
Gameplay
In The Escapists, the player, who assumes the role of a prisoner, must escape from six primary prisons ranging from very easy to very hard. Each time a prison is escaped the next prison is unlocked. There are additional prisons released as downloadable content (DLC) which can be played in any order regardless of the player's progress. Outside of the main game, there is also the "Prison Editor" mode, which allows players to create their own prisons out of in-game assets that they can choose to publish online for other players to download.
In the beginning, the player selects their name and can choose the names of prisoners and guards if desired. Once the names are selected the game starts from day 1 waking up in the player character's cell. Players can acquire various items to aid in their escape by buying or stealing them from other inmates, or by crafting them by combining two or three items, such as toothpaste and talcum powder which makes putty that a key can be imprinted then moulded with. Players can do favours for fellow inmates, once the favour is completed the player is rewarded a certain amount of money based on the inmate's opinion of the player. Inmate favours can range from getting them a roll of duct tape to distracting the guards at roll call.
Engaging in exercise and using the library allows players to levels up their character's attributes such as strength, speed, and intelligence which improves their abilities and their chance of escape. Each prison has their own daily routines, such as meals, work, exercise and showers. An inmate can skip a meal, showers and exercise without much penalty, however, all roll calls are mandatory and lockdowns will occur if the player character does not attend. Inmates must be careful to hide all contraband as guards will periodically search the inmates' desks. If the player is caught with contraband, it and any weapons equipped are confiscated and the player is sent into solitary confinement. Any damage such as chipped walls, broken vents and tunnels are also repaired.
There are a number of escape methods including inciting riots, via vents, tunnels, roofs, among others. Each prison has layers of security that increase in difficulty from the first playable prison to the last, ranging from electric fences to chip resistant high walls. The prisoner will generally need various weapons to win a fight with inmates or guards. There are many types of weapons that can be acquired (such as a guard's baton or plastic fork), or crafted (such as nunchucks or a whip).
Development and release
The Escapists is the second game by Chris Davis' one man studio. Davis raised £7,131 for the game through Kickstarter in November 2013, this allowed him to commit full-time to game development for the first time in his career. Unlike his first title, Spud's Quest, Davis signed a publishing deal with Team17 to better market the game.[4][5] Team17 contributed the tutorial and ported the game to Unity for Xbox One support.[6]
The game was inspired by the 1984 video game Skool Daze, one of Davis's favourite titles. Davis limited the hint system and the tutorial to encourage experimentation by the players. He hoped that by allowing players to discover the solution themselves, they would feel a greater sense of achievement.[6] For inspiration, Davis watched prison films and researched prison escapes.
The game was released for SteamEarly Access in August 2014.[7] Feedback from the early access release allowed Davis to improve the game, such as by adjusting the difficulty. It allowed him to experiment with ideas and solicit suggestions from the player community. Davis stated that, "the community is what made the game into what it is", and that "Early Access has been a really good experience for the game." The full game was released in February 2015.[8]
The first DLC, "Fhurst Peak Correctional Facility" was originally added as a bonus prison for Early Access players, but was added as DLC due to popular demand as an extra prison.[9]
The second DLC, titled "Alcatraz", is based on the Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary. It was released for PC, PlayStation, and Xbox One on 2 April 2015.[10]
"Escape Team", the third DLC package was released on 30 June 2015 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. It allows to play as four different prisoners, as opposed to one. The four characters are based on the A-Team.[11]
"Duct Tapes are Forever", the fourth DLC, was released on 3 November 2015 for PC and PlayStation 4, and 4 November for the Xbox One. It is James Bond themed, with the player assuming the role of a super-spy, trying to escape from an evil villain's lair.[12]
The fifth DLC package, "Santa's Sweatshop", was released for free on 8 December 2015 for PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4.[13]
The Escapists received generally positive reviews, with Windows and Xbox versions holding scores of 71 out of 100 and 74 out of 100 respectively on review aggregator website Metacritic.[14][15]
Reviews highlighted the freedom in approach that the game allowed, and reviewers told stories of their break outs. GameSpot writer Cameron Woolsey described tunnelling his way out, Official Xbox Magazine (OXM) writer Andy Kelly, described hiding his ventilation system escape by crafting a fake papier-mâché vent cover, while X-One's Dom Peppiatt straightforwardly shivved a guard and stole his keys.[20][22][23]
Reviewers were mixed on the learning curve presented by the game, even positive reviews such as OXM's acknowledged that the game "won't be for everyone", requiring "patience and a creative mind" in the player.[22] Without an in depth tutorial, X-One believed the game "perhaps relies a little too heavily on trial-and-error".[23] Kimberley Wallace, writing at Game Informer found this trial-and-error approach frustrating, finding herself "constantly punished for mistakes and losing progress" due to outcomes which were impossible to predict. On the other hand, she felt this level of challenge contributed to "a grand sense of accomplishment when you win".[19]
Game Informer criticized the interaction with other inmates as shallow and artificial, requiring the player to perform "boring favours" to "just [raise] a meter".[19] Richard Cobbett, writing for IGN, noted that how despite the "adorable 16-bit style graphics", he would quickly perceive fellow prison inmates without empathy as "pure puzzle game piece[s]" rather than characters. He also stated "As a mix of sandbox, puzzle and open-world action, The Escapists offers something fresh and entertaining."[21]OXM felt the game had character, citing the non-player characters' "amusing non sequiturs and pop culture references".[22] Dan Whitehead at Eurogamer agreed, praising the game's "thriving social element" which make it easy to get "sucked into the petty vendettas and mini dramas of day to day prison life."[24]
Eurogamer recommended the game, concluding that while it had minor frustrations, "there's nothing here that really spoils what is an otherwise delightful and endlessly surprising game".[24] GameSpot finished by saying the game would provide hours of gratifying entertainment, and with the developer working on tools for user-generated content, it could provide even more in the future.[20]
Legacy
The Escapists: The Walking Dead, also known as The Escapists: The Walking Dead Edition, is a standalone spin-off developed by Team17 released 2015–2016 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. It merges the core gameplay of The Escapists with the characters, locations and theme of The Walking Dead comic books.[25]
Another spin-off, The Survivalists, where the player has to survive on an abandoned island, was announced on 10 December 2019, as part of a Nintendo Indie World showcase and was released on October 9, 2020 for PC, Mac, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and iOS.[26]
