Escape Plan (video game)

Escape Plan is a puzzle video game released for the PlayStation Vita in 2012, as a launch title. Escape Plan is the first title from new developer Fun Bits Interactive and is produced by Chris Millar, known for his previous work on Fat Princess.[4] In previews of the game it was noted for its sharp, black-and-white visuals, gruesome yet humorous tone[5] and its intuitive use of the PlayStation Vita's inputs including touch and gyroscopic control.[6]

Escape Plan
Escape Plan logo
Developer(s)Fun Bits Interactive
Santa Monica Studio[1]
Wholesale Algorithms (PS4)
Publisher(s)Sony Computer Entertainment
EngineUnity3D
Platform(s)PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 4
ReleasePlayStation Vita
  • NA: February 14, 2012
  • PAL: February 22, 2012
  • JP: March 1, 2012[2]
PlayStation 4
  • PAL: November 29, 2013
  • NA: December 3, 2013
  • JP: February 22, 2014[3]
Genre(s)Puzzle
Mode(s)Single-player

Gameplay
Players control two characters, Lil and Laarg (centre). One of Bakuki's minions can also be seen in this image (top left).

In Escape Plan, the player controls two characters, Lil and Laarg, through a series of booby-trapped rooms using the PlayStation Vita's front and rear multitouch panels and motion controls. The gesture-based control system requires players to trace paths for the characters and tap obstacles to move them out of the way and clear a path for them. Traps range from a single brick lying on the floor to enormous rotating fan blades. Failure to guide Lil and Laarg to safety usually results in a gruesome death.[6]

The characters can traverse the game world in numerous ways. In some levels they are inflated with helium, requiring the player to tilt the console to guide them as they float around the room.[7] Lil and Laarg usually move relatively slowly and in order to avoid fast-moving traps the player must grab the characters and pull them quickly to safety by pinching the Vita, touching both the front and rear panels at once.[4]

Bakuki's Lair

Chris Millar, Fun Bits Interactive team lead, announced on PlayStation Blog that Escape Plan owners would receive Bakuki's Lair, a downloadable content (DLC) pack for Escape Plan, on April 10, 2012. It adds 19 prequel puzzle rooms to the adventures of Lil and Laarg. Together with the DLC, the update brings new tweaks and improvements based on player feedback, allowing for more pin-point accuracy on tap blocks, as well as an adjustment to the game's Star Rating system. The patch also lays the foundation for future updates.[8]

Reception

At a preview event in October 2011, IGN editors ranked Escape Plan as their favourite PlayStation Vita game so far, commenting specifically on the game's "stunning", black and white chiaroscuro visuals, "great" classical soundtrack and gameplay which makes good use of many of the Vita's control features.[5] In a December 2011 preview of the game, Destructoid's Samit Sarkar described it as "perhaps the best showcase of the Vita’s unique capabilities".[6]

Upon release, the game received "average" reviews on both platforms according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[9][10]

Digital Spy gave the Vita version four stars out of five and called it "one of the most unique and charming looking games you'll ever play, and the pick-up-and-play value makes it perfect for a handheld. Minor control issues prevent it from achieving perfection, but it's still perhaps the most effective showcase of the Vita hardware to date."[25] The A.V. Club gave it a B and said that its "macabre humor and beautiful black-and-white chiaroscuro look make it a welcome respite from the noise and flash of the other Vita launch titles. Sony has a knack for finding and funding indie developers with a refined sense of style."[24] The Digital Fix gave it seven out of ten and said, "In all, we can't help but think that Escape Plan represents a missed opportunity. The wonderfully stunning visuals, the understated sound track [sic] and intuitive control system so very nearly elevate the game into a posterboy for the new hardware. However, the short, unchallenging nature of the game moves us away from this territory and instead positions Escape Plan as more of an experience than an outright game, with the nods to cinematic practices of the past aiding its artistic endeavours."[26]

As of April 2012, Escape Plan was the number one selling PlayStation Network game on the PlayStation Vita. [8]

References
  1. "Santa Monica Studios (SMS) Escape Plan Game". Santa Monica Studio Website. n.d. Retrieved February 15, 2012.
  2. "Escape Plan（エスケープ プラン） （PS Store ダウンロード版） [Vita]". Famitsu (in Japanese). Enterbrain. Retrieved 2019-05-02.
  3. "Escape Plan（エスケープ プラン） （PS Store ダウンロード版） [PS4]". Famitsu (in Japanese). Enterbrain. Retrieved 2019-05-02.
  4. Cocker, Guy (2011-08-16). "Escape Plan Hands-On Preview". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2019-05-02.
  5. IGN PlayStation Team (2011-10-21). "The Best Vita Games We Just Saw, Take Two". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved 2019-05-02.
  6. Sarkar, Samit (2011-12-13). "Preview: Escape Plan". Destructoid. Enthusiast Gaming. Retrieved 2012-01-29.
  7. Keast, Matthew (2011-10-25). "Escape Plan hands-on preview". GamesRadar+. Future plc. Retrieved 2012-01-29.
  8. Millar, Chris (2012-04-02). "#1 PSN Vita Game, Escape Plan Adds Free Prequel DLC To Patch 1.01". PlayStation Blog Europe. Sony Interactive Entertainment. Retrieved 2012-04-02.
  9. "Escape Plan for PlayStation Vita Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2019-05-02.
  10. "Escape Plan for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2019-05-02.
  11. Sterling, Jim (2012-02-16). "Review: Escape Plan (Vita)". Destructoid. Enthusiast Gaming. Retrieved 2019-05-03.
  12. Edge staff (2012-03-05). "Escape Plan review (Vita)". Edge. Future plc. Archived from the original on 2012-03-07. Retrieved 2019-05-03.
  13. Donlan, Christian (2012-04-04). "Escape Plan Review (PlayStation Vita)". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Retrieved 2019-05-03.
  14. Hilliard, Kyle (2012-02-22). "Escape Plan (Vita): Leather, Puzzles, Shy Guys, And Fart Sounds". Game Informer. GameStop. Retrieved 2019-05-03.
  15. Bischoff, Daniel R. (2012-02-24). "Escape Plan Review (Vita)". Game Revolution. CraveOnline. Retrieved 2019-05-03.
  16. Venter, Jason (2012-02-29). "Escape Plan Review (Vita)". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2019-05-02.
  17. "Escape Plan (Vita)". GameTrailers. Viacom. 2012-02-22. Archived from the original on 2014-03-27. Retrieved 2019-05-03.
  18. Huber, Michael (2014-01-08). "Escape Plan - Review (PS4)". GameTrailers. Viacom. Archived from the original on 2014-03-16. Retrieved 2019-05-03.
  19. Navarro, Alex (2012-02-17). "Escape Plan Review (PSNV)". Giant Bomb. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2019-05-03.
  20. Moriarty, Colin (2012-02-17). "Escape Plan Review (Vita)". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved 2019-05-02.
  21. Moriarty, Colin (2013-12-04). "Escape Plan PS4 Review". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved 2019-05-02.
  22. Fletcher, JC (2012-02-22). "Escape Plan review: Shades of grey (Vita)". Engadget (Joystiq). Oath Inc. Retrieved 2019-05-03.
  23. "Review: Escape Plan (Vita)". PlayStation: The Official Magazine. No. 58. Future plc. May 2012. p. 85.
  24. Teti, John (2012-02-20). "PlayStation Vita Launch Games". The A.V. Club. The Onion. Retrieved 2019-05-03.
  25. Langshaw, Mark (2012-02-27). "'Escape Plan' review (Vita)". Digital Spy. Hearst Communications. Retrieved 2019-05-03.
  26. Brown, Lewis (2012-03-28). "Escape Plan Review (PS Vita)". The Digital Fix. Poisonous Monkey. Archived from the original on 2014-03-24. Retrieved 2019-05-03.
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