Escape from Ever After | PC Review

Can a game retain almost everything it takes inspiration from and still feel like an homage instead of a rip-off? Previously, I would probably have called it a rip-off, but Escape from Ever After, developed by Sleepy Castle Studio, has changed my perspective. If you have played any of the Paper Mario games from the 2000s, Escape from Ever After will feel almost identical, with only some minor tweaks to the combat. But it has so much charm with its story and art design that Sleepy Castle Studios clearly has a lot of respect for Paper Mario and put a lot of love into this homage.

Storybook vs. Corporate

Flynt is the titular character in his storybook, The Adventures of Flynt Buckler. He is on a quest to once again attempt to defeat Tinder, the fierce dragon that terrorizes the surrounding villages. As Flynt opens the door to Tinder’s castle, he sees… a receptionist? The receptionist, who is Red Riding Hood, welcomes Flynt to Ever After Inc., a corporation that enters storybooks and creates jobs for these characters. Red Riding Hood directs him to the manager’s office for his interview. During his interview, Flynt suspects it is a trick, attacks the manager, fails miserably, and is taken to the dungeon.

As Flynt wakes up, he finds himself locked away with Tinder. But Tinder is not this large, fierce dragon; she is now Flynt’s size due to a collar Ever After Inc. has placed around her. Both just want their storybook back, but realize they cannot physically bring down Ever After Inc. Instead, they will accept the jobs, climb up the corporate ladder, and sever the telepager network that transports them into these storybooks.

While climbing the corporate ladder, Flynt and Tinder will travel to different storybooks, both previous works or newly created, and meet familiar characters. Like traveling into The Three Little Pigs, where the pigs work for Ever After Inc. and are tearing down the Big Bad Wolf’s village to make apartments for the company. Or travelling to Shadowsbeak Inn, where you must discover what happened to Sherlock Holmes in this creepy town filled with mystery.

I find Escape from Ever After’s story about storybook characters taking down a corporation an absolute delight. Although I would have loved to see these characters fully voiced, it didn’t matter, as they are full of charm, with well-written dialogue and a spattering of timely humor. Just ask The Three Blind Mice, who are no longer blind after Ever After Inc. provided dental and vision insurance. Or the Big Bad Wolf, whose real name is Wolfgang, joins your team and is just a misunderstood musician. I may have only played some of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, but from what I have played, Escape from Ever After surpasses its inspiration in charming storytelling.

Familiar Combat

If you have played Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, you can likely skip this section because the combat in Escape from Ever After is almost identical. For those unfamiliar with Paper Mario, these games feature turn-based RPG combat with an element of timing. 

Each battle has two of your characters fighting one to four enemies, and you can swap these characters out, but sometimes for a cost. A nice difference is that you can swap out any character, unlike in Paper Mario, where Mario is required for every battle. 

There are timing aspects to both attacks and defense, either increasing attack damage or reducing damage taken, respectively. Some skills require Mocha (mana) points that can deal more serious damage, attack multiple enemies, or temporarily increase stats. Also, you gain Synergy points during battle, which can be used to restore some of your team’s health and Mocha points, or a powerful attack that uses all your characters.

Although the combat looks simple, it requires more tactics than one might assume. Different enemies have different defenses, making character selection important. An enemy might have a spike on its head, making it invulnerable to jump attacks. Or they might be on fire, and a melee attack will burn you. Also, you collect trinkets, like the badge system in Paper Mario, which add different skills, like increasing attack damage or decreasing MP cost. Although I only had a few game overs on normal mode, the game felt more challenging than I anticipated.

Environmental Exploration

Exploring the different storybooks can feel like a real treat, with platforming and puzzles interspersed throughout. Platforming is light, rarely feeling like a challenge. And falling does not cause damage, except for fire, while also respawning you quickly back to where you fell. I would not call platforming a weakness, but less of a focus.

Escape from Ever After puts much more focus on puzzles during exploration. Puzzles can be straightforward, such as moving a couple of blocks, or complex, requiring multiple steps. Also, a lot of these puzzles will include the abilities of your different characters, like Tinder’s fire-breathing, or Eva’s ability to transform animals or characters in the environment. Most puzzles were simple, but some were a real challenge.

Beauty In the Art and Sound

The main reason I requested to review Escape from Ever After was not the turn-based combat, but the art style. Watching the trailer, the design was simply charming. The cardboard cutout characters look great, and their animations during exploration or battle are near perfect. The various environments are bright and vibrant, which fit with each theme, from Tinder’s castle looking like a medieval fairytale, to sailing on a pirate ship in the Treasure Cove chapter. And the audio design is impressive, with each chapter featuring music that fits the various environments. 

Final Verdict

Sleepy Castle Studio truly had a vision for their storybook Paper Mario-clone Escape from Ever After, and they absolutely nailed it. The story is well-written with a lot of humor and various themes discussed. Combat might feel simple, but it takes a lot more strategy than it appears. Platforming might be light, but the puzzles are varied, making exploration worthwhile. And the game design is absolutely phenomenal. Besides a few minor gripes that could be fixed with patches, Escape from Ever After feels nearly flawless for the nearly 18 hours I sunk into it. If you enjoy turn-based RPGs,  this might be my easiest recommendation since I started reviewing games, especially at $25.

To hear me talk more about Escape from Ever After, be sure to listen to the January 28th, 2026 episode of The Gaming Outsider Podcast around the 1:24:00 time stamp.

This review is based on a PC copy of Escape from Ever After provided by Evolve PR for coverage purposes. It is also available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch.