The Artful Escape

 Xbox One
The Artful Escape Image
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 4 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
8.2

Generally favorable reviews- based on 55 Ratings

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  • Summary: The Artful Escape of Francis Vendetti is a video game about great expectations, famous folk singers, lingering shadows, space Gods, hallucinogens, individuality, reptile shops, and wild imaginations. It's an action, adventure, exploration, narrative driven, musical-laser-light-battle kind of game.

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Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 4
  3. Negative: 0 out of 4
  1. GAMINGbible
    Sep 10, 2021
    90
    In a year of genuinely terrific indie games, including Lake, Death's Door, Chicory and more we're not allowed to talk about just yet (but please, do watch these pages), The Artful Escape has made me smile like nothing else. I can still feel the beaming grin on my face as I type these words. It's the one game in 2021 that I really couldn't put down as the clock ticked past midnight and I knew I had to get my head down, the one game where I knew what was coming next would be unmissable. It's the one game where I felt like I was playing something else, even as it adhered to certain gameplay conventions - and that feeling comes from its spirit, its personality, the drive of the artist behind it. An artist who quite evidently didn't do what they did here to fulfil expectations, but to shatter them into a million crystals - each facet reflecting a vision quite unlike anything you'll see, hear or play in this year, or any other.
  2. COGconnected
    Sep 8, 2021
    88
    The Artful Escape is by turns psychedelic, moving, exultant, and lovely. The central metaphor of a young performer bringing fantastic new worlds into existence through the art of music is a powerful one, and while the theme of a struggling musician finding his authentic voice while paying homage to the past might not be a new one, it's certainly new to videogames. The Artful Escape only missteps when it tries too hard to be a game, ironic given the story's premise of search for authenticity. Aside from that, The Artful Escape is a surprising and joyous exploration of the power of collaboration, the struggle for identity, and the mind-blowing, life-altering sound of the very loud galactic symphony.
  3. GamingBolt
    Sep 8, 2021
    80
    The Artful Escape is an incredible odyssey of self discovery, and its few shortcomings don't hold it back from being an excursion patently worth making.
  4. Washington Post
    Oct 7, 2021
    70
    Unfortunately, as a musical experience, I found “The Artful Escape” completely lacking. Even for ironic kicks, I can only happily listen to so much guitar doodling. Thankfully, the rest of the game makes it easy to tune out the soundtrack.

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 25
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 25
  3. Negative: 4 out of 25
  1. Biggiecheese991
    Sep 23, 2021
    10
    This game was, and I mean was truly one of if not the greatest experience I've ever had playing a video game, the visuals, the sound designThis game was, and I mean was truly one of if not the greatest experience I've ever had playing a video game, the visuals, the sound design and the story are all 10/10s in my opinion, if you're looking or even not looking for a one of a kind game and you have a great set of headphones then trust me and play this gane… Expand
  2. TheOldAlex
    Dec 19, 2021
    10
    This is a small perl. Unique game. Sound direction is brilliant and also the world and the characters.
  4. Whomstami
    Sep 13, 2021
    10
    This game easily has some of the most beautiful and eye-catching visuals I've ever seen, the characters are great, the music is out of thisThis game easily has some of the most beautiful and eye-catching visuals I've ever seen, the characters are great, the music is out of this world, and there is just so much of this game that just works.… Expand
  5. gandolfo1984
    Nov 10, 2022
    10
    Normalmente no suelo jugar muchos indies pero lo hice por la recomendación de un amigo y cambio mi idea por completo de jugar indies, es unaNormalmente no suelo jugar muchos indies pero lo hice por la recomendación de un amigo y cambio mi idea por completo de jugar indies, es una maravilla grafica, tiene un historia distinta a lo que estamos acostumbrados a ver, pruébenlo que no se van a arrepentir!… Expand
  6. gusmaciel
    Sep 27, 2021
    8
    Jogo com gráficos bem legais, parece que vc está em um show de rock em alguns casos, porém a crítica fica para a forçada que se da na traduçãoJogo com gráficos bem legais, parece que vc está em um show de rock em alguns casos, porém a crítica fica para a forçada que se da na tradução das legendas em relação a linguagem neutra (totalmente desnecessário).… Expand
  7. SuperkenGaming
    Nov 8, 2021
    7
    The Artful escape
    The power of music!
    The artful escape is a linear nearl 4 hour long narrative adventure, you’re the nephew of a legendary    The Artful escape
    The power of music!
    The artful escape is a linear nearl 4 hour long narrative adventure, you’re the nephew of a legendary musician trying to find yourself, and a night before a big gig youre abducted by aliens..
    This is a game about finding yourself as an artist.. youll go through these beautiful locations just rifting on your guitar, eventually getting to a boss battle that will have you playing a simon says like mini game.. then its off to the next area..
    This game is again beautiful, I was so impressed with the visuls nd I loved sliding down hills and the platforming here, the story however I was kinda bored of after a while, wasn’t one that really clicked with me so I didn’t care how it turned out all that much..
    But I still had this eautiful world to pull me through..
    Gameplay wise this was my favorite aspect, it was fun putting on a little rock show for these aliens before sliding through some caves.. but if this doesn’t sound like a story that intrigues you, the gameplay isn’t enough on its own to justify a playthrough..
    Overall The Artful escape is a good game..
    Not one Ill think about much going forward, but at the same time has the potential to be one of someone elses favorite games of the year,
    I give The Artful Escape
    a 7/10    … Expand
  8. eeeeyuke
    Sep 19, 2021
    2
    Looks great but gameplay is limited to walking and holding X. Barely a game at all. Boring and bailed after 45 minutes.

See all 25 User Reviews

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