Graphic adventures were popular even before Myst swept the planet back in 1993 and had everyone’s parents telling you they played video games too. They peaked, disappeared, came back, peaked again, and now just the occasional point and click graphic adventure is released here and there. I’ve never been a fan of the genre myself, but occasionally, one pops up that is more playable and actually fun. Seemingly out of the blue, Eastasiasoft has published Without Escape from Bumpy Trail Games and it’s a dark, almost Lovecraftian take on the graphic adventure; a modern love letter to the genre.
Without Escape is a vintage styled graphic adventure where you wake up in your house with no idea what’s going on, can’t leave and have to figure things out. There are no tutorials, nothing guides you by the hand, and the onus is entirely on you to figure out what’s happening. It’s a far cry from modern games that swathe you in swaddling and spoon feed every choreographed movement to you, but at the same time, the game is fairly linear. Simply find the next item you need to and then progress. Things are odd, creepy, and confusing with no real explanation of what has occurred, especially at first.
That being said, the entire game is compelling in a way I’ve rarely seen in this genre. Usually I’m bored in a few minutes, but things were just interesting enough to keep me playing and searching for clues and the clues are just well-hidden enough that there’s a bit of challenge without being ridiculously obtuse. The occasional puzzle is a bit more frustrating than the rest, but overall, it’s a very approachable game, even if you’re not a fan of the genre. I did encounter a weird issue with one of the final puzzles that didn’t allow me to progress, but I’m not sure if it was a glitch or if I actually simply missed a step and therefore couldn’t proceed.
There’s not a lot to Without Escape. It’s not a long game, a couple hours at most, but it’s well-crafted and enjoyable through and through. The ambience is excellent, the music is very complementary and gets pretty intense, and the overall graphic design is suitably disturbing once things get moving. You’re not playing a deep game though, basically just dipping your toes into a universe for a little while.
One thing that did leave me disappointed with Without Escape was the complete lack of touch controls. On the Switch, the game would have been significantly improved by touch sensitive controls and honestly it feels like it was designed for them. Instead, you’re left moving a small cursor about the screen slowly, looking for it to turn into a magnifying glass so you can interact with the various objects in the rooms. This is a common missed opportunity on the Switch, but it feels particularly grating here. This is the sort of game that touch screens were designed for and it’s a shame that it wasn’t an implemented feature.
Ultimately, depending on your choices and the time it takes you to get through Without Escape, there are six different endings to choose from. Some of them are pretty wild and some of them are simply anticlimactic, but it’s nice to have the options and a bit of replay value out of a title like this. Once you have the steps down, it certainly won’t take you too long to get through the game, which is good as one of those endings requires you to reach a certain point in under five minutes, virtually unachievable in your first playthrough.
For the whopping $5 it costs, you’re getting a pretty solid gaming experience with Without Escape. It’s quick, it’s fun, it’s not overpriced, and it plays well on the Switch in both docked and undocked modes, even if the font is a bit small undocked. The pacing of the game is what you make of it, but this is a leisurely experience and not an action game, so take your time and enjoy. You might manage to escape…or you might not.
This review was based on a digital copy of Without Escape provided by the publisher. It was played on a Nintendo Switch in both docked and undocked modes and was equally excellent and creepy in both. Without Escape is also available on Steam, itch.io, Playstation 4, Xbox One, and even 3DS!