Joseph Fares’ new game is coming in just a few weeks. If you do not know him, he directed Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons back in 2013. He is currently the director and writer for Hazelight studios, and their new game is A Way Out. The announcement caught the gaming industry by surprise by its unique premise and cooperative gameplay. Here I will give you a rundown of what you need to know for A Way Out.
Release Date and How to Play
The game is scheduled to be released March 23, 2018, and play it on Xbox One, PS4, and PC.
Story and Characters
Set in the 70s, two prisoners team up to escape prison. Leo and Vincent are the two playable characters who become friends during incarceration. They make a plan to escape, but their adventure does not stop there. Players will follow these characters as they are on the run from the police to find a place to be safe. As you go on the adventure, more information will be discovered about Leo and Vincent. Their characters will flesh out as you learn about their past, goals, and who they are as people.
Gameplay
Just like Brothers, the game will have a unique mechanic that will be the central core of the gameplay. The entire game is meant to be played cooperatively. Whether that is split-screen or online. One player will be Leo, and the other will be Vincent. Even in online you will be playing split-screen to see what the other player is doing. Each person will tackle situations by completing separate assignments. Options for how you go about these situations are up to you. The player as Leo might want to sneak away through a problem, but your friend playing as Vincent knocks out a guy to get through instead. Neither character is assigned a particular objective. The power is in the hands of the players. The gameplay and story are intertwined, so a player could be in a cut-scene while the other is completing an objective. A wide variety of situations from shooting, driving, sneaking, and interacting with characters will all be there to give players more expansive gameplay experience. The game is being clocked in to take 6-8 hours to complete.
Other Facts
The most unusual aspect of this game is that the second player does not need to purchase it. If your friend buys A Way Out, then there will be a way for you to play the game with him/her without spending your money. Players experiencing this narrative is more important to Joseph than making money, which earns a lot of respect from the gaming community. That could draw more respect towards EA who have had a terrible past year regarding how the public view them.
There is not a ton of information on the game, but this will be one experience to go in with being as blind as possible since the narrative is so important. Are you excited for A Way Out? Discuss your opinions about the game in the comments.
Image via EA
Here is the trailer:
Preorder here:
Tristan Zelden 