Technical Information

Developer: Hazelight
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Release Date: March 23, 2018

A Way Out is a game about Leo Caruso, a 36-year-old guy, was sentenced to 8 years in prison for armed robbery, assault, and theft. Vincent Moretti is 43 years old and has to serve 14 years for committing fraud, embezzling funds, and murdering someone. Both end up meeting inside prison and decide to team up to escape.
It’s a fully cooperative game, heavily focused on the story, with touches of action and puzzles.

And before you ask, it’s not possible to play this game solo! You’ll need a buddy to help you beat it.

Final Thoughts – Analyzing the Game as a Whole

Graphics and UI

The graphics look great, and both the characters and environments are well done. What impressed me the most was the quality of the character animations and the way the camera emphasizes each scene. The game has a completely cinematic feel, it’s a very interesting experience, even though it’s not an FMV.

The game doesn’t have a HUD! Your objectives are displayed at the top of the screen, and whenever there’s an action to perform, the required button is shown on the screen.
It’s extremely easy to understand and highly recommended for playing with people who aren’t used to video games (now your crush has no excuse not to play with you! hahaha).

Soundtrack and Sound Effects

I really liked the character voice acting, but I think the game fell a little short when it comes to having memorable music. That doesn’t take away from the game’s quality at all, it’s just a personal observation.
The sound levels are very well balanced, fully supporting immersion during action, tension, and dramatic scenes.

Gameplay

The gameplay is extremely simple, as mentioned earlier in the UI and HUD section.
You can play in local or online co-op. I played locally with my boyfriend — I controlled Leo, and he played as Vincent.

The game is very visual and completely focused on the protagonists’ story. It’s impossible not to get emotionally involved, as Leo and Vincent win you over through their personal journeys.

Be prepared for a serious mind-blow. When it happened, I couldn’t even tell what I was feeling. It was a mix of several emotions, you REALLY have to play it to understand!

The game isn’t very long, it takes around 9 hours to complete.

Replayability and Game Retention

The game has two endings, and you’ll most likely want to see both of them. Other than that, the replay value was really just for earning achievements.