Escape Academy is a game entirely focused on escape rooms that was even designed by real escape room designers. So far it has been super fun and tricky. If you want a game to play between real escape rooms then this might be your thing!
That said, part of the charm of Escape Academy is the almost anime-like university the game is set in. Much like Food Wars and other school-centric animes, Escape Academy is set in a niche school devoted to teaching students how to be “escapists”. This setting gives Escape Academy a fun storyline. It’s corny and campy but never takes itself too seriously.
Quick overview
Good bits:
- First, it’s an escape room game! How cool is that!
- There are some really great puzzles in there so far. Not too difficult so far, but creative and fun.
- The campus map is super pretty.
Meh bits:
- The art style is super weird. Feels a bit like Jet Set Radio Future from Ye Olde Xbox. It’s fine, but a bit odd.
- There’s been a couple of puzzles that I’ve disliked due to them feeling really esoteric and a bit of a jump in logic. Overall, though, puzzles have been good.
Bad bits:
- The fine motor skills are pretty janky. In a game where you have to do things fast, it’s frustrating how easy it is to press the wrong buttons on a keypad because nudging the stick a tiny bit has the chance to jump two buttons across.
Escape Room Orientation
You start your Escape Academy journey in a … fairly shabby escape room. Once you get a few quick starter puzzles under your belt you exit the room to find the building abandoned. [Full disclosure we were waiting for the room to burst into flames a la the first room in the Escape Room movie.] Once you explore the building and find your way to the basement you’re spirited away to the glorious Escape Academy.
Classes and Characters
From here on your levels take the form of classes, run by a cavalcade of quirky characters. So far we’ve gone tagging monuments with Professor Slip, been nearly drowned by the maintenance man Jeb, and gone on a secret mission with the headmaster.
The Puzzle Calibre
The puzzles in Escape Academy are surprisingly advanced. Not difficult, per se, but just a lot more thought out than I expected going in. You will often need multiple items to complete a puzzle, and all the normal escape room tropes are in there. Expect to find UV lights, ciphers, perspective puzzles and more.
Getting your grades
At the end of each level you get a neat little report card with your final score. Your grade is based on how long the room took you and how many hints you used. You also get a recap of the puzzles in the room and how long each took you, which is pretty nifty.
