Without Escape Review – Welcome To the Hell House

Not too long ago, I was talking a lot about modernised deus ex machina as it seems to be an increasingly popular story-telling trope, yet I can’t help feel it’s somewhat lazy too, with countless games, films, TV shows and comic books delivering intentionally dark and harrowing stories which doom a beloved cast, only to undo the damage with last-minute magical macguffins, time-travel, multi-verses and ‘what if’ reveal stories.

This is why I love Without Escape, as it’s a dark game that isn’t simply remedied by deus ex machina, but rather the game itself is that deus ex machina. You don’t simply stumble across a fix for a damaged world, you actually contribute to that chaos and resulting aftermath. It’s difficult to explain, and as such it’s a game I recommend everyone try for themselves, and yet when I’ve done so in the past I get a lot of resistance from those with outdated expectations of what an adventure game should be, or those who consider the genre demoted to ‘easy trophy’ games.

Introduction

Without Escape is a first-person point-and-click adventure game developed by Bumpy Trail Games and published by EastAsiaSoft Limited. It was released on the PlayStation Network on January 14th, 2020 to both the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita. The game handles like those beautifully detailed mystery games from the Myst and Riven era, which sadly fell out of fashion.

Without Escape is a tribute to the first-person graphic adventure games of the early ’90s, with an interactive story told through pre-rendered backgrounds and full-motion video. Exploring the confines of your own home uncovers a seamless flip between a familiar mundane house and a terrifying ‘otherworld’. You also get generous helpings of grotesque imagery and sci-fi, taking nods from the works of H.P Lovecraft and Clive Barker.

Story

Our unnamed protagonist returns home after a day at college only to find their parents missing. Exploring the house reveals increasingly creepy phenomena. Objects seem out of place for seemingly no reason, and exploring the house and interacting with these out of place objects seems to trigger unexpected events; minor at first, before the mundane gradually twists into the surreal, and doors which were perfectly normal moments earlier are now gateways into twisted hellscapes. What the hell is going on?

Gameplay

Without Escape is a traditional point-and-click adventure game. A cursor allows the player to examine the various rooms and objects within the house. The cursor grows in size when moved over something the player can observe or interact with, and a small inventory of items can also be viewed and utilised. There are no ‘game over’ hazards or unwinnable situations.

Puzzles cannot be forced or really stumbled through, pushing the player to enter a word or number which must first be discovered. Some of the puzzles are a little on the tricky side, and sometimes clues are so well-hidden that they can be easily overlooked. The game is designed for experienced adventure game aficionados. There are save points that the player can freely make use of. If the player resists the urge to look at a guide, a first playthrough could take 2 to 3 hours or more, depending on one’s puzzle-solving skills and experience.

Graphics/Sound

The photo-realistic still images only grow in quality and variety as the game progresses, with the graphical quality making this horror story become frighteningly alive. The creator did well to move beyond the cartoony drawings he originally envisioned (in the making-of bonus content). Without Escape’s detailed graphics are the key to triggering the player’s dread.

As the dark mystery progresses, eerie sound effects and discordant music ramp up the overall chilling factor. Each piece is rare and random, startling the player when in play, yet not in a way that feels like a cheap jump-scare, but rather in response to just how well the game utilises simple silence to maximum effect.

Replayability/Trophies

You can get a very easy platinum for finishing the game, so long as you interact with a few extra items along the way. The trophy requirements are straightforward enough though there are one or two missable bits and pieces. With speed-runs being achievable in under an hour, it’s hardly a disaster if you need to restart the game, though you might want to glance at a guide in advance to save on a little frustration.

However, there are three possible endings; Two of these endings are straightforward enough, but the third ‘secret’ ending requires the player to speed-run the game in record time and then solve a handful of obtuse, additional puzzles. These aren’t required for the platinum trophy, but getting the secret ending will go towards total mastery of the game and help unlock the bonus ‘making of’ content.

Conclusion

Like Myst and Riven, the game features several intricate and challenging puzzles designed to test your problem-solving skills by thinking outside the box. This is where the gameplay can go either of two ways. If you play without a guide you can find yourself stuck for hours on a single puzzle, feeling like you’re not progressing, however if you use a guide you can sit back and enjoy the story without the challenge and finish the game in a fraction of the time. Perhaps a hint option might be handy for the anti-guide players?

I’d still recommend using a guide as I’m a sucker for progression. Even so, try to take your time and enjoy the atmosphere, admire the gorgeously detailed visuals and cinematic sequences (even when running on the Vita) and you’re in for a fun yet deliciously dark time. Yes, you could breeze through the game in as little as 15 minutes with total reliance on a guide, but this doesn’t have to be the case for you. Give it a go, and considering Without Escape’s budget price tag and regular place in PSN sales, it’s a bit of a bargain.