The Artful Escape – PAX East 2020 Preview

The Artful Escape is a mesmerizing, side scrolling, acid trip and I loved every moment.

Annapurna endlessly impresses with their ability to put out visually unique games and The Artful Escape is no different. You play as Francis Vendetti, a guitar prodigy trying to hone his rock facade. As Francis you make your way through psychedelic worlds with vibrant color, sites, and sounds. The Artful Escape is “multidimensional” and that is instantly apparent. Cronenberg style monsters fill the screen and really help to keep the aesthetic varied.

The game has a dialogue system that was simple, but a nice touch nonetheless. My time with the game didn’t have me dig much into the story, but it was nice to see more put into it than just the jams.

The music is massively integrated into the experience and keeps the game flowing at a rocking pace. As you move through the world you play music and the world plays back. Creatures make sounds of trumpets and synths as you rock out and progress through the levels. The end “boss” had me shredding with a massive beast. The beast would play a set of notes and I would have to match the sequence to progress. The controls were simple and let the music and visually do most of the talking.

The Artful Escape has a release window of 2020 but you can wishlist on Steam now!