A Way Out | Xbox One Review
Some of my favorite memories of playing videos games center around playing with somebody else. I even played through the entirety of Super Mario Sunshine by passing the controller back and forth with my best friend at the time. But the best experiences were the ones that had you team up cooperatively with a buddy to work through a story together. Co-op games are harder to come across these days, especially ones that don’t expect you to commit over 20 hours of gameplay. Thankfully, Hazelight Studios has given us a quality, yet short, narrative game in A Way Out. If you’re tired of skill trees and experience points getting in the way of a quality story, then you won’t want to miss this one.
Vincent and Leo are incarcerated felons in prison who decide to work together to escape. The story goes much further than the title suggests, however. Once the pair escapes prison (spoiler alert), we learn much more about each character’s past. There are plenty of genuine surprises to keep you engaged till the very end. Some may find the plot twists predictable, but I found myself staring at the screen in disbelief. It’s impressive how much I cared about these two characters in such a short amount of time. What starts as Shawshank Redemption turns into an emotional guilt trip when the credits finally roll.
Not only does A Way Out offer an intriguing story, but it also delivers when it comes to gameplay. You literally cannot play this game on your own. It’s impossible to complete sequences with just one player; co-op isn’t a feature, it’s a necessity. Each player assumes the role of either Vincent or Leo on their half of the screen. Yes, even while playing online, both players will watch both characters on-screen at the the same time. While this may sound distracting, the game expertly flows conversations and situations that keep both players engaged at all times. If you’re familiar with the television show “24“, you’ll no what I’m talking about. You’ll see the same scene from the perspective of different characters, and it’s a very clever way to tell a story.
I only have two real critiques of this game, but they’re both very minor. If you’re not a fan of QTE’s, this probably isn’t going to be a game for you. Even then, you might find the cooperative nature of this now old gameplay mechanic rekindled with a friend. Communication goes beyond casual conversations and forces you to work as a team. It reminds me of those team-building activities that employers send their employees to in order to teach them the values of teamwork.
Secondly, I think relying on shooting made for a slight missed opportunity. The beauty of a game like A Way Out is that you can play with anyone. I could have easily played the first two-thirds of this game with my wife, who doesn’t play games at all. But I know that as soon it turned into a shootout, I would have lost her completely. I understand that it was necessary considering how the story develops, but I wish there had been a passive alternative for those portions of the game. Where the rest of the game flowed so naturally, I could see some players’ experience come to a screeching halt after repeated deaths.
A Way Out Final Verdict
Although we’ve know about A Way Out since EA’s press conference last year, it still managed to surprise me. We need more games like this one. As much as I love the character development in RPGs, I miss sitting on the couch with a friend enjoying a story together. Although my friends were on their own couches, I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Vincent and Leo. It’s an easy recommendation as it has more than one memorable moment that will stick with you even after you complete it.
Pros
- Characters Worth Caring About
- Plot Twists Keep You Invested
- Split-Screen Effect Used Well Throughout
Cons
- Last Act Devolves into Shootouts
- QTE's Will Bother Some Players
