At the time I started to play A Way Out, it was the only game by Josef Fares that I didn't play. I have to say that it's the best one out of them, which turned out to be unexpected due to some issues that I found in it.
When you play a Josef Fares game, you know that there will be explosions and slow motion coming along. It's like a Michael Bay movie at this point and I don't quite understand the obsession for this gimmicks. Sometimes, they look so forced in and unnatural. At the same time, we need to remember that this fellow was a movie maker before getting into directing video games, so you can definitely see the influences of the medium as how he handles the plot, the pace and its twists.
This time, he opted to make a prison game with some drama and action. You can definitely see some movies references as the game moves on like the one to Scarface towards the end and to the corridor scene from Oldboy. The whole plot reminds me so much of another movie that I won't mention to avoid possible spoilers. As a result of all these elements, you get a plot that doesn't take many risks and feels kind of generic at some points. When I was at 75% of the story, the plot felt whimsical about the things that it wants to tell to the player. Sometimes, there are some time lapses that doesn't make much sense and leave you in doubt. I'll go deeper into that in the last paragraph.
Hazelight Studio doesn't want to make things complicated for the sake of being accessible to someone who hasn't been exposed to video games that much, but sometimes the level design feels weak and lazy. It's like if they didn't put that much effort to keep things smart and fair to the less experienced player. This is something that It Takes Two handled way better (not flawlessly though). I can't help thinking about how in some situations the NPCs won't shoot at you even though you're right in front of them. These unrealistic elements breaks the immersion and the realistic feel that the title tries to build up, which is a shame because it achieves that on the story side.
Talking about the story, you can see it coming from a movie script. I'm pleasantly surprised by how dynamic is the plot. I thought that the game would just revolve around the idea of the game's title but there is even more to it. However, some action movie clichés are present here and there and, while they're not as annoying as one would expect, they're still there. As I said, the irrational behaviour of the NPCs in order to keep the protagonists alive, the drama accompanied by some sad piano music and the love stuff is carried from a conventional blockbuster, which is something that I don't like at all. However, I'm glad that the game cared more about the bond between Vincent and Leo than anything else.
Having said that, last 25% of the game made me feel about the characters and really moved me. The overall plot felt human which, along the co-op experience, achieved to build an enjoyable game to share with someone that you care about. I need to add that the length is on point and the variety of situations and mechanics make the title so much better.
[SPOILERS SECTION]
I'm not a prison architect, but the way they escape their cells is against all logic. How in the world the WC doesn't have any pipes? Does the shit stack on the toilet or what? And, after they escape the cells, the rest of the prison is like a desert. The skipping parts between zones (how the hell did they get into the laundry room?????) feels suspicious and kinda like a weak effort of giving a logical plan. For instance, I strongly recommend you to watch Le Trou (French film from 1960). to understand why I do complain about these details that makes no sense and how it's correctly made.
After that, how the hell do you escape from prison and don't even think of changing your appearance? I get that Vincent is a cop and doesn't want to, which is understandable, but Leo had the right to do that. Damn, they only changed their outfit like if it was enough to keep the cops away from them, not to mention that they even appeared at public sites like if nothing happened.
I would like to know too how the cops noticed that they were at the hospital. Vincent didn't even reported that to the pilot girl. In fact, when they talked through the phone, they just sounded like friends, not cops.
About the ending, how did the family of Leo depart from the USA? Or, at some extend, the state/city in which they were at. It really would be nice if they mention something about it because I don't believe that someone can move so easily while being labeled as a prison fugitive. It's a detail that Breaking Bad got it damn right. Of course I don't expect that kind of insight into this matter, but as I said, at least a couple of lines to make some sense out of it.
However, as you noticed, I have some issues with the plot and, even though it annoyed me to some extend, the overall experience feels credible (at an emotional level at least) and human.
When you play a Josef Fares game, you know that there will be explosions and slow motion coming along. It's like a Michael Bay movie at this point and I don't quite understand the obsession for this gimmicks. Sometimes, they look so forced in and unnatural. At the same time, we need to remember that this fellow was a movie maker before getting into directing video games, so you can definitely see the influences of the medium as how he handles the plot, the pace and its twists.
This time, he opted to make a prison game with some drama and action. You can definitely see some movies references as the game moves on like the one to Scarface towards the end and to the corridor scene from Oldboy. The whole plot reminds me so much of another movie that I won't mention to avoid possible spoilers. As a result of all these elements, you get a plot that doesn't take many risks and feels kind of generic at some points. When I was at 75% of the story, the plot felt whimsical about the things that it wants to tell to the player. Sometimes, there are some time lapses that doesn't make much sense and leave you in doubt. I'll go deeper into that in the last paragraph.
Hazelight Studio doesn't want to make things complicated for the sake of being accessible to someone who hasn't been exposed to video games that much, but sometimes the level design feels weak and lazy. It's like if they didn't put that much effort to keep things smart and fair to the less experienced player. This is something that It Takes Two handled way better (not flawlessly though). I can't help thinking about how in some situations the NPCs won't shoot at you even though you're right in front of them. These unrealistic elements breaks the immersion and the realistic feel that the title tries to build up, which is a shame because it achieves that on the story side.
Talking about the story, you can see it coming from a movie script. I'm pleasantly surprised by how dynamic is the plot. I thought that the game would just revolve around the idea of the game's title but there is even more to it. However, some action movie clichés are present here and there and, while they're not as annoying as one would expect, they're still there. As I said, the irrational behaviour of the NPCs in order to keep the protagonists alive, the drama accompanied by some sad piano music and the love stuff is carried from a conventional blockbuster, which is something that I don't like at all. However, I'm glad that the game cared more about the bond between Vincent and Leo than anything else.
Having said that, last 25% of the game made me feel about the characters and really moved me. The overall plot felt human which, along the co-op experience, achieved to build an enjoyable game to share with someone that you care about. I need to add that the length is on point and the variety of situations and mechanics make the title so much better.
[SPOILERS SECTION]
I'm not a prison architect, but the way they escape their cells is against all logic. How in the world the WC doesn't have any pipes? Does the shit stack on the toilet or what? And, after they escape the cells, the rest of the prison is like a desert. The skipping parts between zones (how the hell did they get into the laundry room?????) feels suspicious and kinda like a weak effort of giving a logical plan. For instance, I strongly recommend you to watch Le Trou (French film from 1960). to understand why I do complain about these details that makes no sense and how it's correctly made.
After that, how the hell do you escape from prison and don't even think of changing your appearance? I get that Vincent is a cop and doesn't want to, which is understandable, but Leo had the right to do that. Damn, they only changed their outfit like if it was enough to keep the cops away from them, not to mention that they even appeared at public sites like if nothing happened.
I would like to know too how the cops noticed that they were at the hospital. Vincent didn't even reported that to the pilot girl. In fact, when they talked through the phone, they just sounded like friends, not cops.
About the ending, how did the family of Leo depart from the USA? Or, at some extend, the state/city in which they were at. It really would be nice if they mention something about it because I don't believe that someone can move so easily while being labeled as a prison fugitive. It's a detail that Breaking Bad got it damn right. Of course I don't expect that kind of insight into this matter, but as I said, at least a couple of lines to make some sense out of it.
However, as you noticed, I have some issues with the plot and, even though it annoyed me to some extend, the overall experience feels credible (at an emotional level at least) and human.