Review: Time To Escape - Escape From Alcatraz

RATING: 4 Keys RESULT: Win REMAINING: 5:43

A cliched storyline executed so well that we’ll let you off with a warning… this time.

Story

The year is 1962. Alcatraz is about to see its greatest escape attempt – earlier this evening a prisoner named Frank Morris made a successful prison escape. You must follow the clues left behind by Frank but you have only one hour before daybreak – so this is your last chance to escape.

Falsely accused of jaywalking, a group of fresh fish are thrown into a dingy jail cell at one of the most infamous prisons in the world. The good news is that the jail cell was recently vacated in an untimely fashion by Frank Morris via an ingenious escape plan.

Thankfully, Frank is a benevolent con and has left behind a series of clues that will lead any future cellmates to the same unofficially sanctioned exit. With no time for the slow gears of court system to clear their good name, inmates have just one hour to take justice into their own hands and get out for good.

The storyline here isn’t exactly breaking new ground, but it provides a nice back drop for this prison caper. The presence of Frank Morris is felt throughout the game, even in audio form, as the narrative thread never loses sight of the benevolent escapee that has left behind the clues allowing prisoners to make their exit.

Scenic

At this point, it almost seems predictable that any prison break game is going to begin with a split start scenario. This obligatory gimmick often lends itself to an unsatisfactory start.

Thankfully, this escape attempt begins within a singular prison cell that is sparsely populated by a sink, toilet, a bare mattress and, mercifully, a bit of reading material.

The lack of in-cell stimulation accompanied by the general coating of grime on all surfaces easily impressed upon us just why it was important to get out as soon as possible.

The cell feels lived-in, as if it has barely been cleaned over the years as dozens of inmates have spent their tenure within its walls. Ambient noise containing all manner of prison sounds, from shouting guards to slamming cell doors, adds an extra immersive layer.

Puzzles

What, at first, appears to be a relatively bare cell is soon revealed to be a treasure trove of hiding places, no doubt created by a long line of former inhabitants attempting to hide a variety of contraband, most notably the requisite shiv.

As the search and find mission gives way into more traditional puzzle fare, inmates will have to decipher the notes, journals and even audio cassettes of Frank Morris.

We appreciated the wide variety of puzzles that play to all manner of problem solving techniques. From memory tests, code cracking, big picture thinking, clever word play, and physical challenges, the puzzles contained within were generally connected to the storyworld.

Some puzzles even mimic actual real world tasks one would need to complete to accomplish such an escape.

Overall

We appreciated the well-executed scenic that made for a believable stretch in the slammer. One of our favorite elements was the floorpan that allowed for foreshadowing, providing inmates a glimpse of their final exit location early on and then not allowing access for quite some time. It gave us the impression that we truly were sneaking around in an off limits location that would surely get us in trouble if caught. We also loved that the final exit felt truly like an actual escape much more so than simply stepping back into the lobby.

The commissary-purchased-cherry on top is the hint system which is delivered via a contraband walkie-talkie. On the other end is an in-character guard that has been bribed to help, at least until his shift is up. Interacting with the guard who was as humorous as he was snarky was one of the greatest sources of pleasure during our brief stint in Alcatraz.

Prison breaks are nothing new to the world of escape games, and Escape From Alcatraz certainly isn’t seeking to reinvent the wheel here. Although we would have preferred to see a more unique take on the genre, it is a very self-assured adventure that knows what it is trying to be and pulls it off in a solid fashion.