Escape Simulator
" Immersive adventure puzzler with highly interactive escape rooms and cooperative multiplayer but occasional bugs "
Escape Simulator Review
Escape Simulator is a highly praised first-person puzzle game that simulates the experience of real-life escape rooms. Players enjoy its interactive environments, realistic physics, and engaging puzzles that strike a balance between challenge and accessibility. The game supports both solo and cooperative multiplayer modes, enhancing the social and strategic elements of gameplay. A standout feature is its robust community-driven content, including a level editor that allows players to create and share new escape rooms, keeping the experience fresh and replayable.
Graphically, the game is considered good but not a masterpiece, with sound and music rated as decent to good. While the storyline is minimal or non-existent, the focus remains on puzzle-solving and immersive gameplay. Some players have encountered bugs and technical issues, particularly with multiplayer and VR controls, but these are generally manageable with restarts. The game offers substantial content through official levels, free DLCs, and paid expansions, though some players feel the base content could be larger. Overall, it’s a well-made, addictive puzzle experience with ongoing support and community engagement.
Highlights
Players especially praise the gameplay mechanics, highlighting the tactile, interactive environments and clever puzzles that require observation and logic. The cooperative multiplayer mode is celebrated for its smooth execution and social fun, allowing friends and family to collaborate effectively.
The graphics and audio provide good immersion without being overly complex, and the community-driven content via the level editor significantly boosts replayability. Regular updates and free DLCs add value, making the game a favorite among escape room enthusiasts and puzzle lovers alike.
Criticisms
Common criticisms focus on technical issues and bugs that occasionally disrupt gameplay, including un-interactable items and clipping problems that can softlock puzzles. VR support is considered subpar by some, with awkward controls and jarring transitions.
Some players feel the base game’s content is somewhat limited relative to its price, especially when factoring in paid DLCs. Community-created levels vary widely in quality, often not matching the polish of official content. Additionally, the absence of a storyline leaves some desiring more narrative depth.
Pros
- • Highly interactive environments with realistic physics enhance immersion and puzzle solving.
- • Engaging puzzles that balance challenge and accessibility for diverse players.
- • Strong cooperative multiplayer mode promotes teamwork and fun with friends.
- • Robust community support with a level editor for endless user-generated content.
- • Regular updates and free DLCs provide ongoing fresh content.
- • Good graphics and sound design create an immersive escape room atmosphere.
- • Wide variety of escape rooms and thematic scenarios to explore.
Cons
- • Occasional bugs and glitches can cause puzzles to become unplayable or softlock.
- • VR controls are awkward and not well optimized, leading to frustration.
- • Base game content may feel limited compared to price without DLCs.
- • Community-created levels vary greatly in quality and polish.
- • Lack of a narrative or story reduces emotional engagement.
- • Some gimmicky tools reduce puzzle enjoyment for certain players.
- • Multiplayer sabotage can disrupt cooperative play experience.
Rating Criteria
About This Game
Escape Simulator is a first-person puzzler you can play solo or in an online co-op. Explore a growing set of highly interactive escape rooms. Move furniture, pick up and examine everything, smash pots and break locks! Supports community-made rooms through the level editor.
Interactive Puzzles: Rummage through 28 rooms filled with puzzles designed by real-life escape room operators. If something is not nailed to the wall, you can pick it up.
Online Co-Op: All the rooms are playable in an online co-op. We recommend to play built-in rooms with up to 3 players (but you're welcome to play with more). Community rooms have been tested with up to 10 people. Customize your character and join with friends to work-out puzzles together. More heads are better than one!
Examine Everything: Read through books, examine ancient artifacts and find clues to riddles. Need to cross-reference a clue? No, problem - just pin it to the screen.
Community-Made Rooms: The game includes a room editor with which you can design your own escape rooms and puzzles. Through workshop integration, you get to play awesome things the community has created.
The rooms are arranged into packs:
Labyrinth of Egypt
"You and your mentor discovered the ancient Labyrinth of Egypt. By accident, he activated a
trap, and you got separated, with no way out in sight."
Adrift in Space
"An explosion wakes you up. Your spaceship has been hit by debris, and you're heading straight into the sun."
Edgewood Mansion
"You were invited to attend a special dinner at Dr. Edgewood's mansion. Instead of eating food, you'll be solving a victorian mystery."
Omega Corporation
"Your friend disappeared while investigating the mysterious Omega Corporation. Follow their tracks and uncover the truth."
Extras
Escape Aperture Science Laboratories in a Portal themed room, escape the iconic Among Us spaceship, find a way out of Santa's Workshop, play with Cats in Time, visit a spooky Graveyard, a funky 70's Room, escape Leonardo da Vinci's workshop, find the pirate treasure on The Island, and in our latest room you can finally play Versus your friends!
Kotaku
“This is by far the best virtual escape room game available, and well worth picking up.”
The Game Crater
“Escape Simulator is a puzzle fan’s dream! If you like escape rooms and solving puzzles, then this is a game that needs to be in your library!”
Game Tyrant
First-person puzzler you can play solo or in an online co-op. Explore a set of highly interactive escape rooms. Move furniture, pick up and examine everything, smash pots and break locks! Play thousands of community-made rooms through the level editor.
