After a game as unique and innovative as Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons , I’ve been very curious to see Josef Fares next game, A Way Out. In advance, I knew it would be completely built for co-op; which happens to be among the most fun I know when it comes to games today, and with Fares own enthusiasm and an original prison concept; this is a game that scratches that itch.
It’s all about the Co-op
The nerve, the stress and, above all, the cooperation in this part of the game is phenomenal and embodies the promise of a couch-coop game that will make 2 friends sit and listen to each others solutions. Above all, the game uses split-screen in a way that we didn’t experience in a game before.
I’t all starts in a prison yard
While A Way Out includes classic game moments such as gunplay and chilling & chaotic escape sequences; but everything boils down to the relationship between Leo and Vincent – the two main characters. The game begins when these two quite different personalities meet at the prison-yard; and it is no spoiler to say they both have a goal in mind – to escape. But this is only in the beginning of the game, and the biggest part of the story focuses on the escape from justice.
In A Way Out you have to be on the same page
Early in the game we are faced with choices that will create hot discussion in front of the television screen. Here we have choices that reflect the characters of the protagonists well; and because you have to agree completely between eachother to move forward – decisions must be made. An interesting grip that does not lead to such major sideways but still allows you to tackle challenges in a few different ways. Some have more weight than others, while some of them caused a shrug on both sides.
Perfect game if you want some fun with a friend
It really is a game that is lifted by split screen and it is often almost cinematographic with camera angles and other things. The presentation is also really good and it’s quick to get into the rocky and tough prison-world, inspired by movie classics like Escape from Alcatraz and, above all, The Shawshank Redemption. I visited Alcatraz almost 10 years ago, and Josef Fares and developers have perfectly caught the feel of an American prison in the second half of the 20th century. Graphically, it is unexpectedly well-known, and although there are certainly better looking games, there is nothing quite like this out there.