Being an Irishman, when it comes to finding a way to spend time with pals, rarely do I ever look past the notion of simply hitting the pub. I do nothing to disprove the stereotype, I know. But, there are plenty of folks out there who need a little more substance to their hangouts, and that’s where escape rooms come in.
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Escape rooms have been in the zeitgeist for quite some time, with practically every town and city having at least a few themed escape rooms to try out. A phenomenon that has entered the gaming sphere as well, mainly through a little indie IP called Escape Academy.
The first game in the series was very much a series of tailored escape rooms back-to-back. But this sequel aims to push the boat out by offering amore open-ended experiencewhere you can explore the school andsolve puzzles at your leisure.
It’s a bold move, but fortune often favors the brave, and, at least in my humble opinion, Escape Academy 2 feels like a polished and natural evolution of the formula.
A Campus Of Conundrums
The biggest and most obvious change when comparing Escape Academy 2 to its predecessor is that, instead of a rather straightforward series of puzzles back to back, the player is afforded the freedom to explore the school as they see fit.
What that translates to as you play is essentially an open world that expands in scope and scale as you find more threads of logic to follow, and more items that can be used to unlock new paths. A change that not only gives players a lot more autonomy, but also feels so intuitive to engage with.
A lot of the content you do isn’t going to have you battling it out with an in-game timer, and that means if you get stumped on a particular puzzle, you’re able to walk away, check out another path, and then come back to it with a fresh perspective, and potentially, more context and clues.
Narratively speaking, there is a lot of set dressing to make the world fun to engage with and give you that sense of place at Escape Academy. But, for the most part, the quest writing feels more like a facilitator for the puzzles than anything else. But, at least in my opinion, narrative is a bonus here, as the satisfaction of solving puzzles is what anyone seeking out a game like this craves above all else.
A Cognitive Domino Effect
If you’re not a returning Escape Academy player, you may be thinking much like I did as I sat down with another player to take onthe SGF hands-on demo, that you’ll be a huge burden on a more talented puzzle-solving aficionado.
However, what I would say to anyone doubting the power of their logical left-brain is that once you get going, there is a snowball effect that offers perpetual motion through the school.
The gameplay is super-accessible, offering puzzles that need some deduction and environmental understanding, but never feel so complex that you need to get all galaxy brain to crack the code. There’s a steady stream of satisfying A-ha moments without ever making you jump through crazy hoops to get them.
Plus, thanks to the co-op functionality of this title and the open-ended format, you now have the option to stick together if you’re not the most savvy puzzle solvers or split up to divide and conquer if you’re both veteran escape room champions.
Despite the rather involved escape room format, with a more sparing use of in-game timers this time around, alongside the happy-go-lucky vibe that feels like an alternate world X-Men school for the gifted in the best way possible. Escape Academy’s sequel never feels daunting or like a chore, but instead, a satisfying and silly puzzler worth its weight in gold.
Closing Comments:
Escape Academy 2: Back 2 School feels, at this moment, like a perfect example of an indie game that doesn’t want to dine out on past successes, but instead wants to do things better and bigger than before. The open-world setup makes things a lot more leisurely and accessible for all skill levels without sacrificing any of those eureka moments we puzzle fans crave. Plus, the game retains its kitschy, pun-centric vibe that fans loved from the original. It’s a game that feels excellent to play with friends, and above all, it’s a game with a wealth of excellent, well-designed puzzles that firmly fit into the escape room niche. Admittedly, the narrative that exists, and the quest design, feel a little shallow, but it’s never something that detracts from the overall experience, which is shaping up to be a seminal puzzler epic.
