Escape Academy

Escape Academy takes design inspiration from real-world escape rooms, for better and for worse.

Puzzle games have to manage a delicate balancing act: If solutions are too simple, players lose interest; too difficult, and they feel cheated, like the answer was never decipherable to begin with. “Escape Academy” was opaque at times, but the answer always felt like it was within my grasp, if I just tried out this one idea, or thought about the puzzle from this other angle. Giving players that sense of empowerment is hard, and games don’t always get it right. But “Escape Academy” walks that tightrope with finesse, joining the pantheon of frantic-but-fun co-op greats.

Despite its empty halls and predictable plot, it's a charming escape room sim that's filled with clever puzzles that reward and rarely frustrate. The entire thing can be played with a bud too, making this a brilliant co-op jaunt.

A reasonable co-op experience for those seeking to do some puzzling with a friend, but not good for much else.

As it is, Escape Academy is still one of the best cooperative gaming experiences I've had this year and a great start for both Coin Crew Games and new publisher iam8bit.

Escape Academy delivers lovingly crafted puzzles that shine in co-op play, but it can't fully replicate the thrills of a real-life escape room.

With any luck, Escape Academy will be successful enough to warrant a sequel, as its uniquely quirky academic world and its cast deserve to be fleshed out even further with even more meticulously-crafted escape rooms to solve. As is, though, Escape Academy is a fun jolt of great puzzle designs guaranteed to fire up your cortex, topped off with impressive aesthetics that make for some memorable escapes. It may not be complicated breakout one might hope for, but it's still worth checking out.

At the end of the day, Escape Academy achieves much of what it sets out to do. Giving players and whenever possible, their co-op partners, the authentic escape room experience, cutting away the frustrations of real-life escape attempts, and focusing our attention on finding connections and solving puzzles instead.

A very pleasant surprise in the current summer indie offer. The game brings relaxation, logical challenges and adds tension in one package. If you like puzzle games or escape room games, you should not miss it.

Escape Academy is a unique and satisfying escape room-esque game that puzzle fans will truly dig. Some voice lines can be repetitive, and the puzzles can be a bit unclear on occasion, but otherwise, it’s a strong and delightfully puzzling adventure.