As an artistic display, this game is top notch thanks to a realm of psychedelic striking visuals full of colour, life and personality and an entire library of musicality to boot. Its an incredible sight to behold and a treat to listen to throughout.
However the game unfortunately falls apart when it comes to marrying all this artistry with both its story and its gameplay. As a platformer it doesn't really work, its all too basic and despite the plot repeatedly emphasising danger, there's never any penalty for failures and there's never any actual danger bar the occasional small pit.
As a music game it also falters too. Plot wise the game emphases finding your own path but when the game bullet points every main area with Simon-Says pattern repetition, it really damages its own narrative in the process. Sure there's moments to really make the game your own when it comes to costume design and backstory choices....
Its a blessing that the game is so strong in its audio and visual department that you'll happily rock out through its short runtime but overall I still wish they would have really played into the themes of individuality a little harder to make things truly work.
However the game unfortunately falls apart when it comes to marrying all this artistry with both its story and its gameplay. As a platformer it doesn't really work, its all too basic and despite the plot repeatedly emphasising danger, there's never any penalty for failures and there's never any actual danger bar the occasional small pit.
As a music game it also falters too. Plot wise the game emphases finding your own path but when the game bullet points every main area with Simon-Says pattern repetition, it really damages its own narrative in the process. Sure there's moments to really make the game your own when it comes to costume design and backstory choices....
Its a blessing that the game is so strong in its audio and visual department that you'll happily rock out through its short runtime but overall I still wish they would have really played into the themes of individuality a little harder to make things truly work.
Francis is a visionary musician. His performances take the form of slow games of Simon.
He traverses the galaxy, by holding right.
His shredding restores life to dull planets by draining the life force from the player's ears.
I guess I get what it was doing, but it's a colossal misfire on every level. The style of that first trailer way back when hooked me so much I didn't expect actually playing it to be such a slog, and I especially didn't expect the visuals to be so unpolished to the point of unpleasantness. Bummer.
He traverses the galaxy, by holding right.
His shredding restores life to dull planets by draining the life force from the player's ears.
I guess I get what it was doing, but it's a colossal misfire on every level. The style of that first trailer way back when hooked me so much I didn't expect actually playing it to be such a slog, and I especially didn't expect the visuals to be so unpolished to the point of unpleasantness. Bummer.
A 5 hour long guitar solo, I cummed
I didn't realise I needed this game until I played it. If you need a soul cleanser, this is the game. Not overwhelming, just a journey crafted for you to enjoy. Enchanting areas and epic music.
What a weird game, if you can even call it a 'game'. Firstly, cool graphics, really pretty visuals at times. Music is....I dunno. The whole game revolves around you walking left to right playing a guitar through some trippy space levels. The music itself is kinda cool, its essentially just a dude noodling a solo endlessly on a loop. Its cool, but it does grow monotonous pretty fast. So you walk through the levels, then face a 'boss', which is just like a game of simon says with the controller buttons. Very very easy, never even a hint of a challenge. And that's it, that's the 'game'. There's very little interactive elements to it, its always on rails, and its over in about 2 hours, including getting the Plat. There is zero replayability.
The story is just, kinda weird and stupid. It does have a few funny moments, but mostly the writing is trying wayyyyy too hard to be kooky and weird and trippy, plus there are dialogue choices which you quickly learn have absolutely zero influence on the story, so you just end up button mashing to get through dialogue scenes ASAP. I will say, the voice acting is top notch, especially my man Carl Weathers (!?), who is excellent.
But yeah, its a quick and not particularly interesting 2 hour game. When its over you're kinda just sitting there saying "Is that it???". But you're also glad its over so you can move on to a better game.
The story is just, kinda weird and stupid. It does have a few funny moments, but mostly the writing is trying wayyyyy too hard to be kooky and weird and trippy, plus there are dialogue choices which you quickly learn have absolutely zero influence on the story, so you just end up button mashing to get through dialogue scenes ASAP. I will say, the voice acting is top notch, especially my man Carl Weathers (!?), who is excellent.
But yeah, its a quick and not particularly interesting 2 hour game. When its over you're kinda just sitting there saying "Is that it???". But you're also glad its over so you can move on to a better game.
Uma experiencia surpreendentemente boa, um visual bonito que construido junto com as musicas e a historias tornam todo jogo de certa forma emocionante. A jornada de Francis Vendetti é tão palpavel e ao mesmo tempo mistica que torna a narrativa interessante e linda. Ao mesmo tempo o jogo tem alguns problemas principalmente em relação ao ritmo e repetições.
Un experiencia audiovisual despanpanante y una historia "coming of age" fantastica
he Artful Escape is a weird one. There is quite a lot about it that feels a bit overdone, you know? It is trying so hard to be high-minded that it might come off as vapid in another title, but here it’s wholly endearing. The game is a bit silly, and it thankfully knows it is. It melds a vibrant art aesthetic with an earnest look at the process of the artist finding their medium. What is particularly delightful about it is that it is a story of people helping you along the way. The cast of characters are as vibrant and strange as the world around them. The celebrity cast is a novelty, but credit where it is due, they don’t just phone it in. Carl Weathers in particular offers a bright light among the cast as a rock star whose light has started to fade by the time we come around. None of the supporting roles are huge parts but each plays a part in transporting star Francis Vendetti across the universe to find himself.
Although not without a sense of cynicism Artful Escape embraces the idea that you can do what you love and be yourself even if it takes you some time to get there. In support of this are the game’s adventure elements. The game is at its best when it is in the dialogue between characters or just Francis choosing what his rock style is going to be. It is at these moments a true adventure game focused entirely on the character and his growth. Alternatively, there are gameplay sections of platforming and rhythm games. Perfectly fine, but not remarkable. They are elevated by visual style but brought down by how plain they otherwise are. The game needed them to vary itself up but doesn’t mean they are entirely helpful. Regardless they don’t drag down the experience. It is a short and sweet little adventure and that should be enough for most. If any rockstar
Although not without a sense of cynicism Artful Escape embraces the idea that you can do what you love and be yourself even if it takes you some time to get there. In support of this are the game’s adventure elements. The game is at its best when it is in the dialogue between characters or just Francis choosing what his rock style is going to be. It is at these moments a true adventure game focused entirely on the character and his growth. Alternatively, there are gameplay sections of platforming and rhythm games. Perfectly fine, but not remarkable. They are elevated by visual style but brought down by how plain they otherwise are. The game needed them to vary itself up but doesn’t mean they are entirely helpful. Regardless they don’t drag down the experience. It is a short and sweet little adventure and that should be enough for most. If any rockstar
I had a really good time with this. The Artful Escape is essentially a game about creating a stage persona - backstory, outfit, etc. You train that stage persona in various locations all throughout the very beatifully and inticrately designed galaxy. This, in regards to the gameplay, means two things: Running around, making the scenery vibe with you and... Simon Says.
I actually find the first aspect be more fun than the latter - jumping around, pressing X, Y or B to make different moves is fun enough for the runtime of this game. Sometimes I even was quite entranced by how well the scenery, my guitar playing and my movement worked together to create something of a performance in itself. But: all this very much relies on the player to, essentially, create their own fun. I, personally, had a lot of it.
The "Simon Says"-part is the one I actually dislike. First of all, it kinda contrasts with the message of the game: The narrative is all about finding your own way and then... well, you follow orders for all of the jam sessions. This could be seen as working together with the other creature to create one unified song - but I think Simon Says moreso resembles a lesson by a music teacher than an interaction between to equally capable musicians. To give them credit, they actually made the segments feel quite satisfying by rewarding every button press with A LOT of effects and other kinds of responses. Still, I advise every developer in existence against Simon Says. Please find more interesting interactions or (at least) make it coherent with the narrative or themes of the game!
Where this game has some - very personal - problems for me is in how you construct your stage persona. Don't get me wrong, I had a lot of fun with the creation (especially designing the outfit) and every time it was taken away from me it hit as hard as the game intended. But. As soon as I get control over a characters entire outfit, I see it as a standin for myself. Whichhhh creates some problem when you are fully invested in your now nonbinary protagonist that is regularly referred to as "he" and the game heavily implies to, no matter what, always be male. This game kinda fucks up a queer analogy for me - in the way that it does not offer that way of reading it, but I wanted to play it that way. It's a very curious case.
This experience is of course very personal, so most people will be completely fine in that aspect. Luckily, reviews cannot and should not be objective!
I actually find the first aspect be more fun than the latter - jumping around, pressing X, Y or B to make different moves is fun enough for the runtime of this game. Sometimes I even was quite entranced by how well the scenery, my guitar playing and my movement worked together to create something of a performance in itself. But: all this very much relies on the player to, essentially, create their own fun. I, personally, had a lot of it.
The "Simon Says"-part is the one I actually dislike. First of all, it kinda contrasts with the message of the game: The narrative is all about finding your own way and then... well, you follow orders for all of the jam sessions. This could be seen as working together with the other creature to create one unified song - but I think Simon Says moreso resembles a lesson by a music teacher than an interaction between to equally capable musicians. To give them credit, they actually made the segments feel quite satisfying by rewarding every button press with A LOT of effects and other kinds of responses. Still, I advise every developer in existence against Simon Says. Please find more interesting interactions or (at least) make it coherent with the narrative or themes of the game!
Where this game has some - very personal - problems for me is in how you construct your stage persona. Don't get me wrong, I had a lot of fun with the creation (especially designing the outfit) and every time it was taken away from me it hit as hard as the game intended. But. As soon as I get control over a characters entire outfit, I see it as a standin for myself. Whichhhh creates some problem when you are fully invested in your now nonbinary protagonist that is regularly referred to as "he" and the game heavily implies to, no matter what, always be male. This game kinda fucks up a queer analogy for me - in the way that it does not offer that way of reading it, but I wanted to play it that way. It's a very curious case.
This experience is of course very personal, so most people will be completely fine in that aspect. Luckily, reviews cannot and should not be objective!
Legalzinho de ver e gostosinho. Só isso mesmo, nada demais não. Os visuais fazem valer a jogada e sendo bem curto vale jogar por isso. Ele é realmente bem lindo
This was just a wonderful experience, even though it's nigh on impossible to explain. I guess it's just that - an experience. Don't expect to need any quick reflexes, puzzle solving or anything that you would normally find in a standard video game because this really isn't a standard video game!
Sometimes, just sitting back, immersing yourself in the sounds and sights in front of you can be extremely rewarding. The Artful Escape does this to a degree I've not really experienced before. It's Yellow Submarine mixed with Bill and Ted, with the only real slight 'gaming elements' being a rhythm based guitar shred-off with weird and wonderful creatures that reminded me of NPCs from the Ori games.
I've done an appalling job of describing this, but I think the best way to describe both the gameplay and the experience is just to go by the title - it really is an Artful Escape and I absolutely bloody loved it.
Definite GOTY candidate.
Sometimes, just sitting back, immersing yourself in the sounds and sights in front of you can be extremely rewarding. The Artful Escape does this to a degree I've not really experienced before. It's Yellow Submarine mixed with Bill and Ted, with the only real slight 'gaming elements' being a rhythm based guitar shred-off with weird and wonderful creatures that reminded me of NPCs from the Ori games.
I've done an appalling job of describing this, but I think the best way to describe both the gameplay and the experience is just to go by the title - it really is an Artful Escape and I absolutely bloody loved it.
Definite GOTY candidate.
Ópera Rock encontra Douglas Adams.
Lindíssimo, babei demais em todos os visuais e consegui ficar impressionado até o final. Uma aventura de roteiro simples e linear, mas com um charme absurdo nas músicas e na arte completamente deslumbrante. Como demérito ao jogo, algumas partes se tornam repetitivas e alguns trechos se estender por períodos maiores do que o necessário.
Recomendo zerar em uma sentada só.
Lindíssimo, babei demais em todos os visuais e consegui ficar impressionado até o final. Uma aventura de roteiro simples e linear, mas com um charme absurdo nas músicas e na arte completamente deslumbrante. Como demérito ao jogo, algumas partes se tornam repetitivas e alguns trechos se estender por períodos maiores do que o necessário.
Recomendo zerar em uma sentada só.
The Noodling simulator,
The nightmare of every bass player.
The nightmare of every bass player.
The Artful Escape is a weird game, but I enjoyed it. There's not much to the gameplay. Which is fine. Every game doesn't need to have complex controls to be good. The story pretty much boiled down to a young teenager trying to find himself and make his own lane in life. Something a lot of us can relate to. This game is an easy recommend as long as you don't go in with the expectations of being blown away.
Was just really fun
Beautiful game, enjoyable characters, fun environments, but slightly lacking on the gameplay side. Worth experiencing.
Eu achei esse jogo muito bonito. Apesar de algumas fases serem meio DEMAIS na quantidade de cores, e coisas e todo o resto e ficar cansativo de olhar.
E... infelizmente acho que meus elogios param por ai. 90% do jogo é apertar pra frente enquanto segura um botão pra fazer o solo de guitarra mais genérico do mundo. E embora o visual e o design dos personagens seja legal de olhar, isso fica cansativo rápido. Eu achei chato. Foi CHATO de jogar.
O resto do jogo são uns mini games tipo Genius bem básicos e entediantes, e acompanhar a história fazendo algumas escolhas de diálogo que não influenciam em nada, só dão um saborzinho pra sua jornada pessoal. Mas a história na sua maior parte também foi pouco interessante pra mim.
Acho que um dos maiores pecados é ser um jogo com temática musical e as músicas serem tão... meia boca, e a mecânica tão rasa. As músicas que não são fruto dos personagens do jogo e tocam de fundo, ou nos créditos e etc são bacaninhas, no entanto.
Pra não encerrar num tom tão pessimista, pensar num nome pro personagem e montar o figurino dele foi divertido, também.
(todos humanos nesse jogo usam óculos, isso é estranho)
E... infelizmente acho que meus elogios param por ai. 90% do jogo é apertar pra frente enquanto segura um botão pra fazer o solo de guitarra mais genérico do mundo. E embora o visual e o design dos personagens seja legal de olhar, isso fica cansativo rápido. Eu achei chato. Foi CHATO de jogar.
O resto do jogo são uns mini games tipo Genius bem básicos e entediantes, e acompanhar a história fazendo algumas escolhas de diálogo que não influenciam em nada, só dão um saborzinho pra sua jornada pessoal. Mas a história na sua maior parte também foi pouco interessante pra mim.
Acho que um dos maiores pecados é ser um jogo com temática musical e as músicas serem tão... meia boca, e a mecânica tão rasa. As músicas que não são fruto dos personagens do jogo e tocam de fundo, ou nos créditos e etc são bacaninhas, no entanto.
Pra não encerrar num tom tão pessimista, pensar num nome pro personagem e montar o figurino dele foi divertido, também.
(todos humanos nesse jogo usam óculos, isso é estranho)
Se viagem de ácido fosse tão chata assim, a polícia já tinha ganhado a guerra das drogas
You walk forward in an acid-trip-like world, talking to aliens and listening to music while a story focused on discovering yourself through music unfolds. Once in a while, there is some small music mini-game, but for the most part, this is about looking and listening as you move ahead. And that's fine because it does look and sound great, it's a presentation showcase. It's slick and polished, but I wish the music mini-games were fleshed out and more frequent, adding a bit more gameplay to the game.
Bem simples em jogabilidade, que basicamente é um walking simulator com algumas possibilidades de escolha que não afetam muito o desenrolar da história, The Artful Escape aposta principalmente no seu visual de cair o queixo, na mensagem sobre autodescobrimento e aceitação e na música que é simplesmente maravilhosa.
O ponto mais alto é quando o jogo te deixa combinar diferentes solos de guitarra do jeito que você quiser, enquanto contempla um cenário absurdo e psicodélico. Curto e especial, esse jogo é uma experiência bem diferente de tudo que tem saído na indústria de jogos recentemente. E isso é muito bom!
Vida longa aos desenvolvedores indie e sua coragem de trazer novas ideias e mais perspectivas para essa indústria.
O ponto mais alto é quando o jogo te deixa combinar diferentes solos de guitarra do jeito que você quiser, enquanto contempla um cenário absurdo e psicodélico. Curto e especial, esse jogo é uma experiência bem diferente de tudo que tem saído na indústria de jogos recentemente. E isso é muito bom!
Vida longa aos desenvolvedores indie e sua coragem de trazer novas ideias e mais perspectivas para essa indústria.
Honestly.. I did not expect to love The Artful Escape as much as I ended up doing.
The Audiovisual presentation completely and utterly blew me away.
There were some shots where I paused, in awe and enchanted, just to listen to the music or take in the scenery.
And on top of that, the game delivers a heartfelt coming-of-age story that was wrapped up neatly in a psychidelic trip across the entire spectrum of human emotion.
Everything just came together to create this wonderful experience I will never forget.
.... What can I say? This game just truly vibed with me.
The Audiovisual presentation completely and utterly blew me away.
There were some shots where I paused, in awe and enchanted, just to listen to the music or take in the scenery.
And on top of that, the game delivers a heartfelt coming-of-age story that was wrapped up neatly in a psychidelic trip across the entire spectrum of human emotion.
Everything just came together to create this wonderful experience I will never forget.
.... What can I say? This game just truly vibed with me.
rock 🤟
The game takes a surprising amount of care in allowing you to experience the transformation of the character over the course of the game. A nice, short burst of creativity.
RIP Carl Weathers
RIP Carl Weathers
A simple, gorgeous jam session of a game. A dismissible (but thankfully skippable) story, but damn if I didn't dig how it made me feel like I was a Celestial Rock God.
I really don't know how to score games like this.
On the one hand, it's unrelentingly, psychedelically beautiful. This is clearly the main thing the game sets out to achieve and it achieves it spectacularly.
On the other hand, I find myself asking the same question I asked after playing Night In The Woods: Why is this a video game? In my view, none of what's great about this game is enhanced by the smidge of interactivity they've included -- if anything, the interactivity makes it worse. It means that the ecstatic flow of the main character prancing through a fantastical world wailing on their holographic guitar is occasionally interrupted by moments of player error. It means that the pacing is thrown off by the need to occasionally give the player the ability to walk around an environment rather than just showing that environment cinematically.
On the one hand, it's unrelentingly, psychedelically beautiful. This is clearly the main thing the game sets out to achieve and it achieves it spectacularly.
On the other hand, I find myself asking the same question I asked after playing Night In The Woods: Why is this a video game? In my view, none of what's great about this game is enhanced by the smidge of interactivity they've included -- if anything, the interactivity makes it worse. It means that the ecstatic flow of the main character prancing through a fantastical world wailing on their holographic guitar is occasionally interrupted by moments of player error. It means that the pacing is thrown off by the need to occasionally give the player the ability to walk around an environment rather than just showing that environment cinematically.
going into this blind and seeing Jason Schwartzman, Lena Headey, Mark Strong, and Carl Weathers all in the opening credits, and then all of that to be followed immediately with "directed by JOHNNY GALVATRON"
god DAMN was that an experience
god DAMN was that an experience
Artful Escape é um indie muito interessante focado em música que possui uma direção de arte muito rica e trilha sonora muito boa. Toda a característica de rockstar psicodélica do protagonista dá um charme ao jogo.
Não é excelente, mas é um jogo bom.
Não é excelente, mas é um jogo bom.
Eu imagino que para algumas pessoas seja um jogo bem melhor do que foi pra mim, o gráfico é lindo, a trilha sonora é muito boa, a mensagem e as discussões talvez sejam muito boas também. Entretanto em questão de gameplay achei bem sem graça, você apenas vai andar pelo cenário, tocar guitarra com um botão e conversar com personagens sem muito carisma.
Acho que deve ter Walking Simulators melhores, mas se ainda tiver interesse joga pra tirar suas próprias conclusões.
Acho que deve ter Walking Simulators melhores, mas se ainda tiver interesse joga pra tirar suas próprias conclusões.
Eu já tinha uma certa expectativa nesse jogo, e elas foram superadas. A direção de arte é espetacular e a trilha sonora é literalmente um show, lindíssima. Talvez doido demais? Sim, mas esse é o charme do jogo.
(Game Pass) An extremely artistic and music influenced game. The visuals of space and alien beings make you feel small in the vast gameworld. A point and click adventure that can be enjoyed in full in an afternoon.