The Artful Escape is a visually spectacular, emotionally compelling and audibly gorgeous game. It has basically everything I want from an indie game. I'm not even sure if I can give this a proper review because Im running out of cool adjectives. Nearly everything about this video game was dazzling, its a hell of a time and exactly why Annapurna is one of my favorite publishers.

Usually gameplay is secondary to me, of course I love some games like Hotline Miami because of the gameplay, but for indie games especially I always value a good story and experience over gameplay itself. All that is definitely here in this, but for some reason the gameplay in this just didnt feel enough. Most of what you do is holding square to shred, and often this effects the wondrous backgrounds in a really fun way. but theres still a few too many sections where shredding does little if anything and you're just platforming jankily. There's also rhythm game-esque moments that while fun are short and felt like they should of evolved in a cooler way by the end. Theres really only two or three segments where you actually get to play what you want and I wish there was a bit more than that. It just feels like there should of been a little more. Collectibles or more than a small handful of miscellaneous trophies would of went a long way I think.

Seriously though, those are just nitpicks in the grand scheme of things. The game has more than enough brilliance in its art style and fun writing. Every bit of this game brims with character. Its a cool time, man.

There's also a section roughly 2/3rds through where you get to dress your character and can make Francis as feminine as you'd like, and you can essentially turn him into a femboy or even a goth femboy. And thats dope as hell.

Trophy Completion - 100% (Platinum #207)
Time Played: 6 hours 9 minutes
Nancymeter - 90/100
Game Completion #103 of 2022
August Completion #23

This was a delight. The story, visuals, characters, everything is just so pretty and charming. I typically love JRPGs for taking me on big journeys where I can really feel the characters growing and changing over time, and this is a rare case of that same feeling being executed really well in a fraction of the time.

As with a lot of indie games, the story and style are definitely the draw of The Artful Escape. The gameplay is secondary, it can afford to be on a lower level to the rest of the game so I forgive the simple nature of "hold square and move right", but the most engaging parts in terms of gameplay are, fittingly, rhythm games.

"Perfect!" I first thought, "I love rhythm games, can't wait to hear the cool tracks for the level finales!" ... If you were wondering why I knocked a full star off this score, well this is why. The music, for me, just isn't it. Shredding electric guitar can and does sound awesome, but when that's all you play throughout the game.. Well 4-5 hours is a long time to just shred guitar lol, really makes our "prodigy" protagonist feel like a one-trick pony.

Oddly enough too, the rhythm parts of the game are probably the least interesting in terms of music you actually play! Holding square while moving has you bashing out these crazy solos, but the finales are all just strumming big loud chords and holding them. Like I understand why, but I really would've preferred to be playing over some actual music. (Especially when the reactions to these scenes are as if you just played the best piece of music ever written when what you've actually played is like, the 4 easiest chords really slowly lol)

Anyway, if you're at all interested in following a young artist as he discovers himself, this is definitely worth checking out. Just maybe don't go hoping for great music outside of fairly standard shredding and held chords :p

(unironically the folk music in this game is maybe my favourite.. oops!)

There is very little in gaming that bums me out more than starting a game because of gorgeous visuals and a cool premise, then realizing it's practically a visual novel, putting presentation and famous actors over gameplay.

The only thing worse is starting a cool action game, dying, and realizing it's a Roguelike.

It's gorgeous! Charming! But very, very much not for me.

DO try this if you're into games like Oxenfree, Afterparty, or visual novels.

MAYBE DON'T spend money on this if you're into the aesthetic and setting, but need more engaging gameplay. Doesn't hurt to try it on Game Pass though!

I was really hoping to like this more than I did. I love the story concept, where you have this kid under pressure to live up to expectations and wanting to do something else. I love the visuals with all the details backgrounds and alien monsters. The voice acting is great as well!

But holy shit, the gameplay is so fucking boring - and I say this as someone who loves visual novels and walking sims

For a large portion of this game, all you do is press D to move yourself left while animated set pieces move in the background. Sometimes you press jump, sometimes you press shift to shred your guitar but that's all - you're not likely to mess this up. The other main gameplay mechanic is Simon Says, where an alien plays a sequence, and then you copy. I saw a lot of reviews say this part was too easy but I actually really really struggled with it, because I have memory issues.

I just wasn't having a good time, holding my D key down for - no exaggeration here - 15 to 20 minutes, only to play Simon Says. After going through some interesting story and dialogue, the game placed me in what looked to be another really long platforming section and I just...could not do it lol

Has about as much depth as a Windows screensaver.

The entire 3 hours can be boiled down to pressing forward and square, only to be rewarded with simon says and some crap about how being a folk singer sucks.

Thank god I didn't pay for this shit and played via PS Premium.

It’s always wonderful to see a game developer that embraces creativity rather than chase trends, and see it shine through in the art they create. Doing something like that is always a risk, because as an artist you’re choosing to break away from the status quo in the pursuit of something different. Especially risky when they’re an indie developer with no safety net of success to fall back on.

It’s interesting that this is also written to be a part of Francis’s character arc. Francis being the main character of The Artful Escape. Although, there is a lot more to it than that. It’s also about him having to live under the shadow of his uncle, a legendary folk singer who has made music history. Now Francis has his home town, which is starting to decline economically, place all their hopes onto his shoulders by trying reshape him into something he’s not: a folk singer.

Throughout this narrative you’re shown the pressure that Francis is put under. His fears, insecurity, and the risks that come from trying something new and unusual. How he longs for creative freedom, to be his own person…not the ghost of a beloved folk singer. Even though I don’t create music, I still felt this was all really relatable because I think deep down a lot these issues are something almost every creator struggles with. I just love this story, it dares to be different because it doesn’t rely on sadness to get an emotional response like many indie games do. It was just a feel good game where it was great to watch Francis grow as a character and to overcome his fears.

The art style of this game is simply breath taking. The developers put 3D character models into a 2D world which I loved. It kind of reminded me of a pop up book I’d read as a kid. It was also amazing how they blended the colors together with the music and how everything in the world just seemed to flow together so naturally. It’s pure psychedelic eye candy.

The gameplay is a weird mix of a side scrolling platformer and a rhythm game. Strangely, I found they mix quit well, but I did find the overall gameplay to be a little underwhelming only because there are large sections where you’re just either running or sliding across the landscape, with the only real player input being an optional wail on your guitar. I really like the rhythm aspect of it though and found that part to be really fun. I just wish these segments were a little longer, but I also feel that about the entire game in general.

The game does offer some replay value because the game gives the player an array of things to pick from for Francis. For example, you can pick out his clothes, the name of his on stage persona, and his dialogue throughout the game. I thought it was pretty fun and they give you a lot of variety to experiment with. Sadly, most of it is purely cosmetic and the dialogue choices have no real effect on the outcome of the story. However, since I loved the story that wasn’t really a problem for me, though it might be a little disappointing for others.


Overall:

The Artful Escape might not be everyones jam (yes, the pun is intended), but for me it was truly a flawed gem with a beautiful message. This is just another jewel in Annapurna library and I can’t wait to see what Beethoven and Dinosaur create next!


Pros:
+ gorgeous art style
+ great story
+ good soundtrack
+ excellent voice acting
+ easy trophy/achievement list

Cons:
-underwhelming gameplay at times
-too short

Resumo do jogo: brisa, loucura, lsd e mensagem sobre auto descoberta e auto aceitação.

A direção de arte é sensacional, impossível não tirar vários screenshots nesse jogo. A Trilha sonora também é boa.

A gameplay é basicamente segurar X (ou quadrado) pra tocar a guitarra e arrastar o analógico pro lado, pra andar. Não se torna repetitivo e cansativo por causa do tamanho do jogo, que é bem curto. Zerei em 3h30 mais ou menos.

No geral, achei uma boa experiência.

The whole time I was playing The Artful Escape only one thought was going through my mind. "Do I like this?" I don't hate it, I don't love it but Do I like it?

The issue is for everything I do enjoy there is a counter negative. Whilst the space faring teenager running from the shadow of his famous folksinger uncle is an interesting premise for the story, I never really warmed to the protagonist overly and the ending feels a bit lackluster.

Where the visuals are gorgeous (mostly due to stellar art design) and the music is excellent, the gameplay however is one note. You move right holding square so your character plays his guitar. This is quite a gorgeous view as the background lights up as you move through it due to the visual design and the music is mostly great. On the negative though the wailing guitar gets repetitive and the levels have nothing else for them except the very occasional double jump ledge grab interrupting the guitar playing, both pointless and sabotages it's main gimmick strangely. When not just being a guitar solo walking simulator there are some almost rhythm game boss battles and while I like the idea they are all exactly the same and add nothing past the first one due to the dull usage of buttons to implement it. They become tedious extremely quickly.

Honestly it feels like it should have been an animated short rather than a video game. One made by a guitarist who loves psychedelic 70's album covers. It's constantly one step forward and one step back, yes it's gorgeous at times, it can be occasionally witty, charming and full of imagination but as a game it's simply boring to play.

I don't hate it, I don't love it but..... I don't think I really like it.

+ Some great art design.
+ Some of the music is excellent.
+ Story Idea is interesting.

- Boring to actively play.
- Boss battles are all the same.
- Main character wasn't to my taste.
- Ending lacked the spark I expected.

Music: 10/10
Art & Presentation: 10/10
Characters & Story: A little too pretentious and "lol random". Would probably make a pretty good Edgar Wright movie.

An absolutely beautiful little journey, but don't pay attention or think too deeply about anything anybody says.

Annapurna have a monopoly on these quirky, candy coloured walking sims don't they?
That said, this is one of the better ones, where the minimal gameplay elements give way for the cosmo-delic visual feast of world and creature design, and the kind of retro-bombastic soundtrack that'd feature in your dad's favourite 80s cult movie.
The writing can be quite loose throughout but allows for interesting player specific developments. It's a very moving story of coming into oneself and shaking world's expecations off your back. In my playthrough, I dressed my guy like a girl (à la Bowie, Mercury etc) and it almost felt like a transition/coming out story - not necessarily the singular reading but perhaps a valid one for many players.

Whilst the platform gameplay and button 'jamming' can be a little samey and simple, it's never annoyingly so, and the game's modest length makes it a pleasantly self contained adventure. Also I really dig guitar shredding, wish I could do it for real!

The Artful Escape is a coming of age space opera about being true to yourself that is also a complete audiovisual treat. The story is simultaneously simple and over the top but remains well written throughout and it's also nice to see an Annapurna game with a star studded cast have more to work with than previous attempts this year, fitting in more naturally with solid performances and not overshadowing the game itself.

Outside of some light platforming and Simon Says sections there isn't a whole lot in terms of challenge, but for me the lack of a challenge is actually a benefit to the whole, tying in with a theme about playing what you want to play in the way you want to play it.

The slick animations and vivid, colourful landscapes certainly help with this as does an absolutely killer soundtrack, from folksy beginnings to full-on electrifying Bill & Ted-esque solos. Another boon is having a dedicated button in each level to shred your guitar along with the background music of each environment you visit, something which never got old.

E a annapurna ataca novamente...

the artful escape é uma experiência breve e extremamente marcante! a arte desse jogo me deixou boquiaberta do início ao fim, nem me incomodou muito ser um walking simulator em boa parte do jogo.

isso sem falar da sua jogabilidade, simples, porém diferenciada e divertida. eles realmente acertaram com esse jogo. recomendo DEMAIS!!

contemple THE ALL-MIGHTY BOGA

Uma das experiências mais lindas que tive em termos de vídeo game. Quem nunca se sentiu como Francis Vendetti? Sem ter um senso de identidade própria, afogado em expectativas que os outros jogam em cima de ti sobre o que eles julgam que o melhor pra tua vida.

É isso que me cativa. Por mais simples e tresloucado que seja o jogo e todo o universo maravilhoso criado aqui, as motivações e o que leva a trama adiante são temáticas muito pé no chão e de fácil identificação. Não tem como não gostar.

Isso sem falar na direção de arte maravilhosa, a trilha sonora espetacular (e o fato de que sempre que tu toca a guitarra, a melodia acompanha a trilha sonora do mapa em que tu tá, isso é genial), os personagens cativantes e a gameplay simples, mas ainda assim efetiva. O jogo não é muito longo e é bom que não seja, a duração dele contribui bastante pra história que acho que poderia facilmente se perder se fosse esticada só pra criar barriga e aumentar tempo de campanha.

O final então é emocionante e muito lindo. Comecei e terminei esse jogo com um sorriso no rosto do início ao fim. Não sabia nada sobre ele quando comecei a jogar e ainda bem que não sabia, tornou tudo ainda mais delicioso. Tô extremamente apaixonado e adoraria ver uma continuação dos acontecimentos daqui.

Mas, até lá, fico com a satisfação de ter jogado essa maravilha e ter vivido essa experiência.

EXPERIENCIA INCRIVEL.

O jogo começa devagar, mas depois que engrena não para mais, ele melhora gradualmente até o fim.

Estilo gráfico,direção de arte, e cenários muito bons. É o tipo de jogo que não vai envelhecer muito graficamente, pois tem um grafico muito único,bonito e artístico.

A trilha sonora, e todo aspecto de som são muito bons também.

Uma grande viagem audiovisual, que conseguiu me prender muito bem durante todo jogo. A duração eu acho OK, podia ser maior, mas não achei tão curto(algo entre 4-5 horas). Prefiro quando jogo sabe sua hora de terminar doq ficar se arrastando. (Mais uma ótima surpresa do gamepass, infelizmente ele sai do serviço amanhã, dia 16, mas ficou durante um longo tempo la. Acredito que deve ficar bem baratinho nas promoções da steam também.

This game is a beautiful piece of art that falls into one of the most tragic pitfalls it possibly could. That is to say...it's somehow, inexplicably, the wrong genre.

The Artful Escape is a platformer with light rhythm elements, about defying the expectations others have for you and becoming your own, truly authentic, self. It celebrates embracing every inch of your own impulse from your narrative embellishment, your cringe, and your fears about your purpose and the purpose others impose on you. It's a meaningful message, using music as a near perfect vehicle...

So why on Earth did it end up a platformer? The platforming and puzzle action is simple and repetitive (thankfully being saved by the short runtime of the title) and left me begging for a game in this world in nearly any other genre...but ESPECIALLY within the adventure game genre. It reminded me a lot of 90s point and clicks like Starship Titanic or The Neverhood, that reveled in weirdness and demanded the player catch up through their own exploration of meaning, and any additional opportunities for the player to interface with this world more would have ratcheted this title up to a 5-Star review in my mind.

Artful Escape has an amazing world with stunning characters and an affection for Jack Kirby-esque lingual exaggeration and overly-elaborate design, but is ultimately weakened by the player's limited connection to it via simplistic gameplay, which reduces the expansive and infinite cosmos into another five hour indie platformer.

This story is about defining the self. It's gender-transgressive, defiant, and anti-establishment to a tee. But all of the design being centered around self-definition creates an unfortunate side-effect, that can either be interpreted as a meaningful choice in order to reinforce the morals of the story, or as an oversight. Ultimately, in The Artful Escape, the self is so important that everything else, no matter how beautiful, is ultimately overshadowed.

This means players get a fast and stunning exploration of their own aesthetic leanings tucked between average quality platforming, that works much like a firework.
Beautiful while it lasts, but small, impressionable, and with little time to wow you before the next. I loved every second, but when your game is about the expansive infinity of the self and the galaxy at large, one can't help but hope for more than pressing A to jump over gaps.

The creators of this were smoking and eating something, probably simultaneously. The gameplay is non-existent, with trivial platforming and constantly moving right, holding down the dedicated Shred button. What you are treated to, though, is an absolute deluge of sights and sounds. There are regular sections in the game where you must follow button prompts, but luckily, these don't require rhythmic timing. You never know what to expect or how everything will react to your sci-fi riffs from the space opera of your soul.