One of EA’s more ambitious announcements at E3 2017 is breaking out this week. A Way Out is a cooperative adventure game from Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons director Josef Fares and his new studio Hazelight. While it’s stayed in the limelight, in part due to Fares’ outspoken personality, the final release puts all of its big ideas to the test.
One of those big ideas was to make the game co-op-only. Since the narrative focuses explicitly on a pair of prison escapees in the 1970s, having dual perspectives was vital to the experience. This seems like the next logical step from the creator of Brothers, which had the player controlling two characters simultaneously. The idea is so central to A Way Out, and so prone to issues if players had trouble finding a partner, that EA announced plans to let a partner play along for free.
Fares estimates the full experience will take about 6-8 hours to complete, and there are currently no plans for a Nintendo Switch version. In GameSpot’s A Way Out review, Oscar Dayus suggests some of its heady ideas were held back by cringe-worthy dialogue, tonal inconsistency, and a boring finale. A few dramatic set-pieces and inventive cooperative puzzles helped sustain it, though.
Ahead of its release tomorrow, March 23, other outlets have also started posting reviews of A Way Out. We’ve collected a sample below, and you can take an even broader look at the critical consensus by visiting GameSpot sister site Metacritic.
- Game: A Way Out
- Developer: Hazelight
- Platforms: PS4, PC, Xbox One
- Release date: March 23
- Price: $29.99 / £22
GameSpot — 6/10
“A Way Out has problems. By the time the credits rolled, my partner and I didn’t really feel like we’d been on much of a journey with Leo and Vincent. We’d been on a geographical tour, sure–one that was often trite, gimmicky, or cringeworthy–but we didn’t feel the pair had learned anything or grown in any meaningful way. I did, however, enjoy the journey I’d been on with my friend sat next to me. We had to look out for each other while escaping prison, work together to solve puzzles, and save each other’s life on multiple occasions. Our characters might not have grown closer together, but A Way Out’s forced co-op is worth it for the few standout moments it provides.” — Oscar Dayus [Full review]
IGN — 8.3/10
“If you go into A Way Out thinking its mandatory two-player co-op is a gimmick, you’ll likely come out of it realizing that it couldn’t have been done any other way. Vincent and Leo’s journey will have you and a friend performing tasks together both mundane and dramatic, and the result is a memorable, variety-packed cinematic adventure that feels like what Telltale’s games might’ve evolved into if they’d leaned into game mechanics instead of phasing them out.” — Ryan McCaffrey [Full review]
Polygon — 7.5/10
“Leo and Vincent work well as conduits for the players, allowing us to role-play through these two men, and to experience the thrills of escaping prison. The ability to spend time with them, and with my player partner, is A Way Out’s biggest strength, even if the details sometimes lack pizzazz.” — Colin Campbell [Full review]
GamesRadar — 4.5/5
“In fact, aside from the similar character design, the only thing that slightly–and I mean slightly–irked be about A Way Out was that the opening was a little QTE (quick time event) heavy. But I think the only genuine problem A Way Out has is getting people playing. Co-op can put a lot of players off, but not experiencing A Way Out is denying yourself of one of gaming’s greatest adventures to date.” — Sam Loveridge [Full review]
GameInformer — 7/10
“A Way Out’s co-op vision is a bold choice that works because it uncompromisingly places players in a co-op context, joining them onscreen and off. But given the weakness of the gameplay at times, perhaps the game isn’t bold enough.” — Matthew Kato [Full review]
USGamer — 3.5/5
“Overall, A Way Out is a fun ride because of its co-op shenanigans. While the story is nothing to marvel over, its characters blossom beyond their bare opening descriptions, making seeing their journey together through worthwhile. Plus, it’s a good exercise in working together with someone, whether it’s a loved one, a colleague, or a friend. You’ll really hate (or love) them by the time the game is through. If nothing else, A Way Out will be remembered as a great excuse to test the strengths and weaknesses of all your relationships.” — Caty McCarthy [Full review]
