A Way Out Review

A Way Out's journey takes prisoners Leo and Vincent across multiple environments as they put their trust in each other. The 1970s setting and the emotionally charged story delivers an array of cliches and heart-pounding moments as you and your partner overcome one challenge after another.

However, with it also comes mediocre mini-games and poor shooting focused levels. A Way Out has a lot of highs and lows but the combination of cooperative elements and cinematic adventure provides enough excitement that you'll stick around until the end.

Players take control of Leo and Vincent. Vincent was just sentenced to 14 years in prison while Leo is serving an 8-year sentence and has been in prison for the past 6 months. The two don't hit it off till Vincent helps Leo out during a fight, then beginning a long friendly relationship.

The story blends prison drama with emotion and action. The developers rely heavily on cliches used in films, books, and other video games dealing with the prison break setting, but they offer enough unique elements to establish their footing. The story shifts from the present day to flashbacks to help build Leo and Vincent's lives.

Showcasing how they ended up as prisoners and what they're seeking after escaping. Both Leo and Vincent have their own ways of handling situations, and while the dialogue doesn't change much, the consequences of those actions do alter the story.

A Way Out cannot be played alone or with a stranger, but either with a friend online or through local cooperative play. The screen is split to showcase what the other player is doing at all times, sometimes including three screens during specific instances.

While it does provide constant information about what each player is doing, it can lead to moments where dialogue overlaps one another. Having two sets of dialogue smothers both, making it incredibly difficult to hear what either side is saying.

Much of A Way Out's gameplay is focused on the corporation. For example, when climbing, my partner and I had to input a command at the same time to climb up or fall. Other times one person had to distract someone while the other was doing something else.

This dependence adds tension as I had to focus on what I was doing and completely depend on my partner to do their part. However, much of the actions in A Way Out rely on quick-time events, which come frequently throughout the game.

When you're not talking, sneaking, or shooting, you'll be playing mini-games. While about half of them don't have any real consequences or change the story, they do help humanize Leo and Vincent.

The mini-games are serviceable, but compared to other titles that have similar mini-games, the controls are subpar. This is especially apparent in the shooting mechanics which feel floaty compared to other third-person games.

A Way Out doesn't feature a matchmaking system. Gamers who purchase the game can invite their friends to play with them, but during my playthrough, I had to beg a friend to join me. I understand that toxicity within video games is high and A Way Out's mandatory cooperative system can invite trolling players multiple avenues to cause havoc. However, providing the option to the player would've given me more choices of how I want to play.

A Way Out has a lot of great moments but just as many mediocre situations. The mini-games are average distractions but the core journey provides an enthralling tale with a satisfying ending.

The game has issues such as lack of replayability and dialogue overlapping, but where A Way Out succeeds is creating an energized tale where the person you're playing with is just as important as Leo or Vincent.