Escape Simulator Review: There’s No Escape from the Fun (PC)

I’ve been on a kick recently with escape room simulators. Some of them have been insanely difficult, others have been boringly easy. It’s a hard balance to strike when you want your players to be challenged, but also not feel dumb. To shamelessly steal a quote I’ve lost from someone on Steam, you want a game that can still be fun even if you’re “medium stupid.” Escape Simulator is definitely such a game.

I have no shame in admitting I’m “medium stupid.” I’ve resorted to walk-throughs on more than one escape room game, only to shout out “What the heck was that? That’s so dumb!” But the puzzles in Escape Simulator feel fair. They’re delightfully varied. They’re clever. But most of all, they’re fun. So even when I’m stumped, I’m still having a good time. 

Topping it all off, online co-op allows Escape Simulator to capture the only thing a real escape room can claim to have over these kind of games: the chaos and excitement when you and your friends come at the same puzzles with wildly different ideas. There’s a certain magic when you get into silly arguments over what a puzzle is looking for. There’s nothing more helpful when you really need another person there to read the translations of Egyptian hieroglyphics while you try to add up picture math puzzles.   Friends elevate the game… even when they just won’t stop smashing pots! Er…  what I mean to say is, the multiplayer is just as fun, if not more.

Escape Simulator is available on Steam for $14.99

Story – Clever Quests Cluttered With Quiet Clues

Escape Simulator doesn’t necessarily have a story. Most escape room games like this focus on the puzzle, with the story being  a set piece. Sure, there are little things to explain the rooms you’re in, or perhaps give some flavor text to the puzzles. Perhaps they explain how eccentric the owner of the strange mansion you’re locked in was. I’ve even seen some like Escape Academy or Unboxing the Cryptic Killer that have full fledged stories to explain the, admittedly, silly premise for solving so many puzzles. 

Escape Simulator falls comfortably in the middle. There isn’t an overarching story to it. You pick one of the self-contained arcs from the menu and dive in. In fact, if you don’t pay attention, the setting is little more than a charming backdrop to your puzzle solving. But if you are the kind of person that likes to scrutinize details, you’ll find little self-contained stories. Nothing world-shattering or emotionally shocking, but certainly interesting. From a corrupt tech company with ulterior motives to a spaceship with a tragic end, the puzzles themselves actually tell fun little short stories. 

The most important takeaway, I think, is that these backstories are completely option. Escape Simulator doesn’t make you engage with it. You can enter the Egyptian tomb and just solve the puzzles and move on. Or you can enter the creepy mansion and put together the pieces of an eccentric owner. The choice is completely yours.

If you pay attention there are story elements everywhere.

Gameplay – Point and Click Quizzes with Concerning Conclusions

Like most escape room games, Escape Simulator follows a basic pattern: pick your room theme, get a basic synopsis of what your goal is, and then start looking around. Each room will have a series of puzzles you need to solve before opening a door that allows you to progress into the next chamber. Usually there are one or two simple puzzles you can quickly solve without much fuss, but the majority of a room will require you to piece things together from context clues scattered throughout the room. The key you got from opening a box puzzle will reveal a gem that is crucial to solving a larger door puzzle. The journals left behind give you the clues you need to decipher a password on a locker. It’s all interconnected in a way that is very pleasing once you get into the flow.

The types of puzzles in the game are varied, too. Escape Simulator has plenty of combination puzzles, light beam puzzles, and of course, the dreaded math puzzles. Make sure you check everything. Turn them around, open them, and combine them with other items you got;  you never know when something will drop an important item you can use elsewhere.  Fortunately, even if you do get stuck, there’s always a nice, easy to find Help Button that gives a little clue as to what you should be focusing on.

I played Escape Simulator both alone and with a friend and I have to say that both are amazingly fun. Alone there is always plenty to do, but the fun is multiplied when you have a partner. Many of the puzzles require you to reference something, like a journal or a code cipher. Having one person reading the translations while the other slides pieces around a board can alleviate some of the stress from the more complex puzzles.

Having a friend can increase the fun. And the frustration, so choose wisely.

Graphics & Audio – Soft Sounds and Sights Steer Toward Solid Solutions

Normally when I talk about the music and graphics in a game, I’m just referencing how the help set the stage. A good soundtrack can elevate a good game to greatness and pleasant art styles can help a game live rent free in my head for years. But with Escape Simulator the graphics and sound are much more integral. To get it out of the way, yes, the music and graphics are fine. The soundtrack gives a nice backdrop to the puzzle solving and the graphics, while not video card destroying, are definitely charming.

More than this, the game often weaves its music and graphics into the puzzles themselves. Paying attention to the art, listening to the musical tones, it’s all part of the puzzle. Sure, it’s not the main focus and many puzzles don’t lean heavily on them, but they’re there and it’s worth noting.

Overall, the music is pleasant enough, though it doesn’t particularly linger with you, much like doing your homework while listening to some Lo-Fi tunes. Pleasant, but not distracting. And of course, the art style is incredibly charming. 

Escape Simulator was reviewed on PC (Steam) with a key provided by Pine.