#The escapists review simulator#

When it comes to crafting thereвЂ™s a whole host of items that can be made,В from a basic blanket rope all the way to super whips and super knuckle dusters. It doesnвЂ™t take long to max out the stats. The minigames are little more than pressing R2 and L2 at the right times, or holding them for a certain time.

SoВ strength rises through doing weights or pull ups, while intellect increases through studying. Just like in the original each stat is increased by doing an activity that corresponds to it. Without itВ certain craftable items will be out of reach, unless you happen to stumble upon them while rooting through desks or manage to buy one from an inmate. In The Escapists 2 stats like strength, fitness, and intellect are back, with intellect perhaps being the most important. Of course you wonвЂ™t be able to pull off an escape if you donвЂ™t have the right tools and equipment. ItвЂ™ll take a little skill to take advantage of these opportunities but they give players a lot more to work with when planning an escape. Without giving too much away you may notice things like certain visiting groups going around the prison, or have the warden tell you a little historical fact about a prison that can be used to your advantage. However there are more subtle and creative ways to escape. The standard way to escape is to try and break out through the perimeter, like digging a tunnel or breaking through a wall. Outside the standard prison routine though youвЂ™ll be participating in favours for other prisoners to earn money, as well as casing the joint to work out how youвЂ™ll escape. Each prison has its own routine which youвЂ™ll follow to avoid suspicion, things like going to meals, hitting the exercise yard, and attending jobs, which may get a little repetitive вЂ“ but then I hear prison is generally monotonous. The regular prisons will feel similar to those who played the first The Escapists. However the more streamlined nature of Cougar Creek Railroad made the experience feel easy, with my escape time clocking in at under five minutes. Of course youвЂ™ll need to scavenge for supplies and craft together basic items to aid your escape. Guard patrols can be harder to avoid due to the confined space so youвЂ™ll be having to keep an eye on their patrols, and running through as quick as possible.

The transport prison plays quite differently to a standard oneВ because of that time constraint, requiring you to think on your feet quickly. YouвЂ™re on a train with a number of different carriages, but many are not places your prisoner will be going. The final one in the list is a new type of prison, in that it is a transport location with a time limit to escape from it. At the beginning you can choose between Centre Perks 2.0, Rattlesnake Springs, and Cougar Creek Railroad. When firing up a standard game youвЂ™ll be encouraged to try out a tutorial prison to get the basics of the game, but to be honest outside of the foundations most of your learning will be done while plotting your escape from the real prisons. In The Escapists 2 there is more of a linear path when it comes to unlocking prisons. And donвЂ™t worry if you think theyвЂ™ll have made things easier, because The Escapists 2 retains the same level of challenge as before. It feels like Moldy Toof has learned lessons from the original and applied them. I say up until now because The Escapists 2 has arrived, and it is better in every way over the original.

#The escapists review simulator#

Up until now it has still not had much serious competition, proving to be one of the highlights of the escape simulator genre. A few years back I reviewed theВ original The Escapists game, Moldy Toof StudiosвЂ™ take on the prison escape genre.