Release Date: 14/07/2022
Played On: Win
Available On: PS4 / PS5 / Win / XBO / XBSX
Time Played: 3h 48m (co-op)
Progress: Completed
Developer: Coin Crew Games
Publisher: iam8bit / Skybound Games
I've always been sceptical about real-world escape rooms for a number of reasons, not least because it would mean trying to gather a suitable group of people to go with. Then there's the chance that the whole ordeal would be far too easy, or ridiculously difficult, wasting whatever money you spent on the entry fee. Plus, the cost has always been a barrier to escape rooms in my local area, as they seem to always be on the higher end of what seems affordable. It's nice to know then, that there are other options available to people like me, who probably aren't going to get to a real world escape room anytime soon.
Not too long ago I played through board game escape room with a couple of friends, which was definitely a cheaper option, but I was left feeling a little dissatisfied. The puzzle progression throughout the escape was fairly well put together, but the whole game was marred by frequent moments of having no idea what was going on. In fact, the whole game felt like it was oscillating wildly between super obvious puzzle solutions, and completely obtuse moon-logic. Often, when we thought we had solved a difficult puzzle through a lot of cocnentrated thinking and thorough study, we'd eventually discover we were wrong and that the actual solution was something random, or worse still, something far too obvious we had dismissed in the first moments.
Outside of escape room games, I've also played a bunch of real-world mystery games. The kind of thing where you're given a cold case and all the documentation that goes along with it in order to finally solve who the murderer was once and for all. While those games often seem a bit simplistic, they share a common thread of having some kind of thoroughly random and basic solution that you end up overlooking because it seemed far too obvious to be the actual solution.
I'm not complaining though, as I understand that the real purpose of these games is to provide a platform within which to have fun with your friends. To that end, all of these games have succeeded, but I would also argue that any game would be a bunch of fun if I'm playing it with my friends. The fact is that I have a fun time when I'm with my friends… it's a large part of why we're friends.
Thus, when I saw that a new game called Escape Academy was due to be on Game Pass when it was released, I didn't pay it a lot of mind. At least not until a friend mentioned their own interest in the game and suggested we find a time to have a go at playing in co-op and checking it out. As much as I keenly agreed to have a go, I was a little worried that I wouldn't pull my weight, or that the game would be a complete snooze, or crushingly difficult.
I imagine that one of the greatest challenges for game designers in both the real and digital worlds, must be balancing puzzles and challenges so that they appeal to everyone. It's why I think so many puzzle games are a real bore these days, as they are often geared towards the lowest common denominator where the least skilled player can still solve everything without too much trouble. It's not a terrible concept at the end of the day, and I'm very much in favour of games being accessible and not excluding anyone from progressing and enjoying themselves. Then again, nobody wants to make a game that fails to challenge players who are much better at overcoming the obstacles set before them.
With the diverse range of skills out there, balancing these kinds of challenges must really be one of the most difficult aspects of game design. Sure, in many genres it's as simple as creating levels of difficulty; each one adjusting how strong or weak the player and their enemies end up being. It seems a lot harder to adjust the difficulty of a puzzle that have a single solution with very little variance available to anyone interacting with it. This is probably why most puzzle games come with a hint system, as it goes some way towards compensating for those much harder puzzles that would otherwise be a real barrier to entry.
I suppose what I'm trying to say is that no matter what I end up thinking of any puzzle game, I can appreciate that it's probably a difficult thing to get right. Either that or I have no concept about making good puzzles, which leaves me feeling sorry for my Dungeons & Dragons group who have had to endure the simplistic puzzles and nonsensical mysteries I frequently concoct for our campaign. However, much like playing D&D with friends, diving into an escape room game in co-op made it all the more palatable; and I'm glad I gave it a go.
The premise of Escape Academy is that you are a student at an academy where they teach you how to escape puzzle rooms. I don't understand the legitimate purpose of such an academy, but it turned out to be a fun and interesting backdrop for what is essentially a gantlet of themed puzzles to solve. The academy itself consists of a range of buildings such as a cafeteria, gardens, and a computer lab; each serving as a level to complete and a room to escape.
Additionally, there are a range of teachers and staff to interact with and talk to, who will not only provide colour and context to the world, but also act as the instigators for why you're trying to escape from a room in the first place. One of my favourite characters was the janitor, who in one stage asks you to help him with a pipe, only for it to break and start filling the room with water. Unsurprisingly, you are then tasked with solving a series of puzzles that will get everything working properly again, drain the room, and allow you to escape to safety.
During our playthrough. we didn't spend a lot of time talking to each and every character in the game, but along the way I was reminded of the game Murder By Numbers, which combined a visual novel style narrative system with picross puzzle solving. In Escape Academy the characters and the story they deliver can be ignored if you want, although they actually provide a lot of context and motivation for the otherwise abstracted puzzles and escape attempts. This game isn't as much of a visual novel as Murder By Numbers, but the overall progression feels similar in the way you interact with various characters, then solve a bunch of puzzles. Thankfully, it's also a lot of fun.
Despite having a nice little bit of amusing story to keep you entertained between rooms, this is a game all about the escaping. One of the nice aspects of Escaoe Academy when playing in co-op, is that you can see your friend's perspective on your screen at all times. It's as if we were playing on a local split screen setup, instead of on our own PCs, thousands of kilometres apart. This isn't the kind of co-op game where communicating information is a puzzle in itself, so it really helped to be able to see what we were both seeing at any given moment. Often we'd find a mechanism that needed solving, and one of us would concentrate on the clues so the other was able to use that information and solve the puzzle.
When we started playing, I was a little worried that I might hold us back and have nothing to contribute, but it soon became clear that my friend and I were a good combination for Escape Academy after all. There were many times along the way when one of us would be completely stumped, but the other would soon figure out the key to whatever head-scratcher was holding us up. Whether by design, or by pure accident, the puzzles in the game were diverse enough that we each found problems that would have been too hard to solve alone, but possible to crack together.
In fact, through each of the escape rooms in the game, the puzzles managed to continually feel new and interesting, with very little repetition along the way. Thanks to each level bringing a different theme and vibe, the puzzles all changed to suit their location and purpose. For example, in the gardens we were tasked with analysing seeds and making a beautiful cup of tea, while in the computer lab we had to develop a digital virus and hack our way into various computer systems. The variety between each of the levels really went a long way to making this an enjoyable experience that never felt like we were treading old ground.
Then again, perhaps I had such a good time with Escape Academy because by the time we were finished, the game had made us feel like a pair of geniuses. It also didn't help when I went to Twitch.tv and caught a stream of two people playing the game who really struggled to solve anything at all. Although, I did end up wondering whether or not this game just fell nicely within my own skill level and I got lucky, or if it really was well balanced and accessible to everyone. Either way I hope for the latter, because I want everyone to enjoy the game and have a good time regardless of any perceived skill level.
Escape Academy did turn out to be a whole lot of fun, and not least because it was a really good co-op game from start to finish. I feel like it would also be fun to play solo, but there are definite benefits to playing with another person, even if it boils down to using them as an extra pair of eyes during those times when you're completely stumped. It certainly wasn't the most difficult game I've ever played, but there was just enough challenge throughout that I felt like I was kept on my toes and had to actually think things through instead of sleeping all the way to the end.
It's a strange thing for me to recommend playing a game in any form of multiplayer, but I feel like Escape Academy is one of those games that is truly intended to be played in co-op. Yes, just about everything is more fun when you play with your friends, but I feel like the game itself was enhanced and improved by having a mate along for the ride. Ultimately, we ended up finishing the entire game in a single session, which turned out to be just the right length without overstaying its welcome. I suppose I appreciate a game that doesn't require me to try and coordinate multiple gaming sessions when organising one tends to be challening enough.
At the end of the day, Escape Academy proved to be an enjoyable co-op experience with lots of interesting puzzles to solve and a good dose of world building and story to provide context and diversity. As someone who never expected to be playing an escape room game anytime soon, I'm super glad that I was able to play this one with a friend and have a great time doing it. While this probably won't be the most mind-blowing game anyone has ever played, and your mileage may vary when it comes to puzzle difficulty, I feel like there's enough here to make it worth a try.