Credits
A Way Out is not a normal game , it is a title that can only be played in cooperative, local or online mode, and follows in the wake of what was seen in the previous creation of the team of Josef Fares , the excellent Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons . Yes, in this last game everything revolved around controlling two characters at the same time as a solo player. However, the user had to make their two protagonists work together to solve each of the situations proposed by the game, always letting the narrative guide the proposal.
Content/Gameplay
On this occasion the proposal is similar, with two characters forced to cooperate, but this time controlled by a user each . That is to say, that the story dictates what happens next in any case, with small deviations in which the players vote on the path or action to be taken. Among those points, almost every sequence of A Way Out will imply that the two users agree and work together towards a common goal. There will be actions that are repeated (for example, grabbing our partner's hand or pushing will always be a trigger while our compi), but the rest of contextual actions will always be different, and dependent on the situation in which we walk stuck So much so that there will be mini-games, events and animations that we can see only once in the game ... Or never see them if we went through it when we had a chance (for example, the mini-games in the prison courtyard ).
For this, among other things, the experience proposed by A Way Out feels different and alive , in continuous evolution and with constant changes and mechanics. This is the best asset of the title of Hazelight, which thanks to this does not bore at any time, although the pace of the story is not exactly the most agile we have lived. And this is so because the story that is narrated is that of Vincent and Leo, two convicts who end up united to escape from prison and take revenge on a common enemy. In this way, the adventure in prison begins, and as if we were Andy Dufresne in Perpetual Chain, we have to get out of its walls ... But it does not stop there, and it proposes to continue with the vendetta of the protagonists, without forgetting of none of the steps. In this way we will have to fish to feed ourselves after escaping from the police abroad, visit the family and get our son to hug us, etc …
Control/ Characters
Let us delve much more into the story and the characters, making everything that happens to them end up importing us and, what is perhaps more important, we end up identifying with them: Vincent the calm and thoughtful, Leo the temperamental and rude . There are multiple moments of introspection that allow us to delve into the psyche of the characters and the nature of their relationship, which is something to be thankful for. It is true that many of these moments slow down the course of action , but they are necessary for A Way Out to stand out from the crowd of cooperative games. That is, there will be persecutions, stealth, shots and moments of tension, but also waiting, interrogations and dialogues of the most senses.
All this, in addition, making use of a very limited number of buttons, which brings the game closer to the general public, as we usually do not need to go crazy to know how to do the totality of actions that are proposed to us. And there will be many, to the point that there are a total of more than 25,000 different animations , which is not exactly a bit of turkey for an indie game in which just over 30 people have participated (Josef Fares himself has participated in the capture of movements). This is precisely why it ends up being amazing what lasts A Way Out, whose duration extends beyond the 7 hours of play . After that there are not many incentives to return, although we will surely try, perhaps only to see if answering as one character or another suggests changes something in the course of the action. The system of saving the game allows us to go direct to specific scenes, which also makes the task much easier.
The reality is that there are almost no changes between these options, but illusion comes out to Hazelight. That is, after that good handful of hours with these two criminals we will have lived through countless different situations, we will understand the characters, we will have experienced some surprising script turn and we will even have died some time (although there is no harm in this, simply load a previous game, with an automatic save of the most efficient). The pace of the game, as we have said, is not too constant, but this does not ruin the proposal at any time.
Technical Realization
Speaking in terms of technical realization, it is praiseworthy what Hazelight achieved in technical terms, thanks to the possibilities of Unreal Engine 4. The models and animations of the protagonists are excellent, the effects of light and shadows also border at a high level, and the stability of the image is also constant and perfect. Not even the level of detail of the scenarios suffers, although it is true that the secondary ones beyond Vincent and Leo are light years away from the quality of the protagonists. There are also occasional failures of clipping or invisible platforms / walls, but the result is very good almost at all times.
Sound
The sound section does not detract at all, with a great soundtrack and a work of the original dubbing actors more than good. We have to settle for texts in Spanish, but this does not end up being any problem. Good job Hazelight . The game experience of A Way Out is different and unique, its performance is excellent, and in terms of mechanical level is so simple that almost any type of player can enjoy the proposal. Maybe its rhythm is not for everyone, and the fact that it can only be played cooperatively throws people back, but the truth is that if we have an adventurous companion, it is very worthwhile ... And more when the Friend Pass promises to allow us to play two users with a single copy.
Game Details
Developer-----------------Hazelight Studios
Publisher----------------------Electronic Arts
Director----------------------------Josef Fares
Programmer-----------------Anders Olsson
Artist-----------------------------Claes Engdal
Writer------------------------------Josef Fares
Composer------------------------Sam Hulick,
Gustaf Grefberg
Engine-----------------------Unreal Engine 4
Platform-----------------Microsoft Windows,
PlayStation 4,
Xbox One
Release Date ----------------------March 23, 2018
Genre-----------------------Action-adventure
Mode--------------------------------Multiplayer
Conclusion
A Way Out is not a videogame, it is rather an interactive story in which we end up becoming Vincent and Leo. An exclusively cooperative experience that is different and very interesting, although with a somewhat inconsistent rhythm. This sin can be forgiven by the extreme mime to almost every situation or conversation, for its low price or the fact that we can share the game without having our buddy have the game.
Happy Gaming!!!!