The first basic instinct of humans is fear. Humans fear the unknown, especially being alone in the dark. For one young man, alone in the dark in his parent’s house, a nightmare beyond imagination is about to unfold. Without Escape is a simple point-and-click horror game from Bumpytrail Games and EastAsiaSoft. Coming from the shadows as a surprise release, Without Escape is a shockingly good and macabre horror experience that is only hurt by its short length.
There’s blood on the wall. A small draft chills the air. The phone emits a strange sound. Something isn’t right. There is no military training to fall back on. The police aren’t coming. Your parents aren’t around. You are all alone. A nightmare is about to begin. Without Escape is a point-and-click horror game reminiscent of horror games from the 1990s. By interacting with the environment, players unlock puzzles and seek to solve this nightmarish mystery. Unique to Without Escape is it’s simplicity. There are no weapons or enemies to fight. There are no animations or characters presented. Without Escape puts players in a home presented as a series of images, and players work to figure out puzzles through obtaining items and interacting with the environment.
Without Escape is a perfect example of passionate design and enthusiastic creation. The game’s simplistic approach is perfect for sheer, sharp pacing and engaging gameplay. This begins with the presentation of Without Escape, which seems to achieve what its developers desired. The games of the 1990s were known for their sharp pre-rendered stills and illustrations, particularly in isometric RPGs and survival horror games. Without Escape presents a haunted home with near photo-realistic pre-renders filled with the right amount of detail and lighting. It’s an old-fashioned but remarkably effective way of portraying horror and successfully establishes an uneasy atmosphere. This is complemented by a sharp music score that immerses the player into the experience. Without Escape establishes a haunting ambiance that is gripping and unflinching until the very end. Its overall path, including the several twists that occur, are mesmerizing and thrilling, leaving a lasting impression for quite some time after the game is over.
The gameplay experience is solid. Gathering items and interacting with the environment is sharp and keeps the experience at a fast pace. Without Escape uses special effects to heighten the horror, particularly in one moment where I thought the game crashed. Figuring out most of these puzzles, especially after the game unveils its secrets, is incredible and engaging, though a few puzzles could have used work. A hint system would have been helpful. Two puzzles, one involving a computer and the other involving clocks, could have featured a hint as I got stuck at these puzzles and had to resort to using YouTube to locate the solution. It still felt neat solving these puzzles, especially with how clever they were, but I feel a hint system could have helped in figuring it out and keeping me in the moment.
The biggest drawback to Without Escape is the length. I was having such a tremendous time with Without Escape that when the game ended, I wanted to see more. While the game has six different endings, Without Escape can be finished in approximately three hours on a first playthrough with no guides. Subsequent replays can take fifteen minutes. I could have imagined Without Escape being twice or three times longer, especially with the twists and the big reveal at the end. There are extras that are unlocked upon completing the game, but other than those extras, there isn’t much to return to. However, Without Escape is meant to be a short and profound experience, and having said that, the game meets and exceeds expectations.
Without Escape is certainly one of the big highlights of 2020 already. Without Escape crafts its tale with a great deal of enthusiasm, something that isn’t seen that often in games today. It’s simplified but fast-paced point-and-click puzzle mechanics make for an interesting experience that, while short, is quite memorable. Without Escape is a great example of breaking the mold and creating a profound gaming experience, even with limited resources and assets. Millions of dollars were not needed to create Without Escape. All that was needed was a group of developers who were strongly passionate.
Without Escape is a great game; at a price of $4.99 USD, it would be terrifying it was passed up.
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, PC, Nintendo Switch Xbox One
Price: $4.99
Without Escape was reviewed on the PlayStation Vita handheld gaming system thanks to a review key supplied to Marooner’s Rock by Eastasiasoft.
