When I first heard of Escape Simulator, I did not know what to think of it. The trailer was intriguing, but I don’t think of myself as a puzzle aficionado, so I was worried that I was out of my field. Luckily, this was a game that I was able to invite one of my friends to play with me. Together we tackled about half of the game in three hours and only one thought consumed our heads. When can we play more?

In Pine Studio’s own words, “Escape Simulator is a first-person puzzler you can play solo or in an online co-op. Explore a growing set of highly interactive escape rooms. Move furniture, pick up and examine everything, smash pots and break locks!” This description gives a general idea, but Escape Simulator is far more than that. It is a game that is as pleasing to the mind as it is to the eyes. The developers have put a great amount of time and effort into crafting gorgeous settings and puzzles that tie into a slight narrative. The story is shown through clues and aesthetic objects that are scattered throughout every single room.

Beyond the general escaping of rooms, Escape Simulator offers a few specific things. A workshop where players can create their own rooms to share with the community, an optional token hunt that makes every room a bit more difficult, and a character customizer that allows you to look like yourself or whatever you wished you could look like. I personally created an angry Abe Lincoln, while my friend created what he referred to as The Pink Lady.

On top of these three things, the game also allows you to break nearly everything that isn’t useful to solving the puzzle. My friend and I quickly went from throwing balls at each other to tossing teacups out of windows. All of this helps to make Escape Simulator unique amongst the other puzzle games that are on the market.

One of the things that really transported me into each room was the music. Each room and section has a unique piece that connects you to the atmosphere that the developers are trying to convey. Some rooms seem relaxing while others can put you on the edge of your seat.

The one-piece of music that is consistent throughout every single room is the victory sounds that are made as you open the escape door. This would get a bit boring if it wasn’t for the impeccable dance moves that the developers have given to the characters which never failed to bring a smile to my face. That reward was extremely important as there were multiple rooms that made my friend and I feel like we were banging our heads against a wall.

Speaking of banging our heads against the wall, we found that there was at least one room in each section that didn’t make sense to us. Of the six hours that we spent (so far) playing the game, we most likely spent a third of that time in those three rooms trying to figure out what we were missing. Beyond those three, there was not a room that we couldn’t figure out. Most of them could be done within the fifteen minutes that is required for the trophy.

The bugs were rather minimal with only a few times where an item would phase through a table or when the music would cut out in various rooms from time to time. However, it is important to note that none of these bugs derailed the fun that I was having while playing Escape Simulator. If you like Puzzle games, Escape Simulator will scratch that itch nicely.

A PC review copy of Escape Simulator was provided by Pine Studios for this review.

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Escape Simulator

$14.99

9

Score

9.0/10

Pros

• Three Unique Room Styles
• A Range of Puzzles
• Stable Co-op
• Character Customization

Cons

• Some Item Glitches
• Occasional Sound Issues