A Way Out is an amazing cinematic prison-break game, which is set in the 1970’s. This game has become so popular thanks to its insane ability to be able to keep you hooked from the moment you start up until the end of the game.

Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, Windows

One thing that this game manages to do that keeps you so entertained, which not that many games out there are able to do, is that they are able to mix all the drama and action perfectly with emotion and lightheartedness. Although you may have seen a few scenes in movies and other games before this is definitely a game that you should play all the way through because the ending will definitely be worth it and won’t be something you expect. 

Plot

In A Way Out you’ll embark on a revenge-driven adventure, which has been focused around memories and flashbacks that you get of Vincent and his cell-neighbour Leo about how you ended up in your situation in the first place. You keep getting these flashbacks until it catches up to the present when you’re aboard a plane and from there you will just carry on with the game as usual.

By having the plot run like this it feels a lot like a movie, mostly because it has the flow like one, even though the game would be about three times longer than what you’d expect from a regular movie. Even though a lot of your game time will be cutscenes you’ll still be able to walk around in them and since you’ll be playing co-op the screen will split in order for you to be able to walk around and explore a lot more freely. 

Even though the most important moments may be the story sequences or cutscenes, A Way Out isn’t thought of as a “walking simulator”. But more thought of as a large collection of enjoyable minigames that you complete with your partner. You’ll be thrown into scenes that have everything from you needing to take out bad guys quietly, by sneaking in tall grass, to having to fight people head on.

Then furthermore you could find yourself speeding in a car, shooting hoops, fishing or arm wrestling, this game really puts you in all scenes imaginable. Even though it may be entertaining for players to have this huge variety of different activities to partake in, there is a downside to it. And that is that this game won’t be as good as a game that would be specifically dedicated to just one of these activities.

In this modern era of gaming, with shooting games becoming very popular, you’d expect some pretty good gunplay but sadly in A Way Out this gunplay will be feeling pretty subpar. 

These things aren’t what define the game though and are neither what the developers were focusing on. The main thing that this game is known for, and what the developers actually worked hard on, is the game’s story and the co-op gameplay of both Leo and Vincent.

Even though some of the moments during the story will seem extremely convenient and the fact that you could make it out of the prison unscathed may seem a little far-fetched it is still an enjoyable game worth playing. 

The moments where you’ll be at a loss for words during this game is when it’s at its most cinematic as these brilliantly choreographed scenes are absolutely amazing. There is a specific scene that many players are calling their favourite, and that is the hospital escape scene.

This scene is made up of just one unbroken shot and during this scene the controls between Leo and Vincent will be traded back and forth, then towards the end of this scene it seamlessly blends the cinematography with the gameplay in a brilliant way as if you never took a break from gaming. 

Conclusion

Even though you may be thinking that A Way Out will just be another co-op game, the same as all the other prison break co-op games already out there, you will be very mistaken. The minute you step into this game you will realise that you were very wrong and that this is what every other co-op prison escape game should be striving for, this game is the blueprint.

You will be indulging in both very easy and boring tasks, with your partner, at times but then there will also be times when you’ll both be on the edge of your seat with excitement, during the dramatic scenes. Then after this rollercoaster of emotions during your journey you will be greeted with the most memorable ending you could’ve dreamed of.