There’s escaping Santa’s workshop/prison, Alcatraz and a James Bond/secret agent underground lair prison amongst others. Most have different themes than you’d find in the core game. But it is a nice touch to be able to name guards and fellow prisoners after your loved ones/enemies/cats who have wronged you, and either team up and break out of prison together or rough them up and steal their nudie magazines.Īlong with the original Escapists content, the complete edition includes all the DLC.

The customisation is limited to appearance, although it hardly matters when you’re little pixel people. This leads to having to avoid losing your stash for a few days while you spend your time reading or ‘LOLing at cats’. Even when you have all the right bits you may not have enough intelligence stats to make it. The crafting system could do with a shiv to the side, as there is no real assistance given to what you need to make and what with. I also found out the hard way that having the action button also being the ‘punch someone in the face option’ made for way too many accidental knuckle sandwiches at meal times. You wake in the infirmary with all your hard-earned contraband gone, having to try again. This can wind up either being knocked out or worse you accidentally get involved and the guards knock you both out. Whether it was finally getting my hands on enough contraband items to craft what I needed to clear the last wall or an item that will keep my escape hidden for longer, it could all come crashing down when an inmate with an issue with you tries to beat the crap out of you every time the group has time together. The most frustrating issue I had with this game was when I had everything on the verge of being ready. Some will take it as part of the game, but the game would’ve benefitted from a much better tutorial system or even a light narrative in my opinion. This leads to lots of guesswork and accidental breaking of rules that aren’t properly explained. Initially, you’re plonked into a new prison with just enough instructions to scrape by. Your enjoyment of the puzzle elements combined with the prison ‘sandbox’ will also depend on if you’re willing to put up with all the rules and restrictions that come with prison living.

At its core, The Escapists is a puzzle game and the reward is your freedom and the uneasy feeling that you’ve just let a convicted criminal out into the world and you’re the only one who knows they’re on the loose.

Download the escapists nintendo switch