I can’t remember the last time I ever played a split-screen co-op game that didn’t dazzle me. I also can’t remember the last time I had a friend over just to play video games. Given my goldfish-like memory, I can safely say that A Way Out was one of the games I was most looking forward to playing since it was first announced at the 2017 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3).
What made the game more exciting was seeing its director, Josef Fares speak about the title with such passion during The Game Awards 2017. For those who remember, this was also the instance where Fares called out the Oscars with such beautiful language.
Like a Hollywood Movie
Having already directed Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons with Starbreeze Studios back in 2013, Fares is back in the helm once again with A Way Out. Thanks to his background with film making, it was easy to see why A Way Out looks very much like a Hollywood movie. I for one can certainly see it becoming an actual movie in the future.
The game focuses strictly in co-op split-screen mode to varying degrees. Sometimes it’ll be exactly 50-50 and other times, the character whose story arc revolves around will get bigger screen time while the other adjusts accordingly.
What’s great about A Way Out is its total co-op play, whether it be on the couch or online. Only one person needs to purchase the game and if played online, need only invite a friend to download a copy of the game to play. However, that doesn’t mean that said friend will have the game as the owner must be online to play.
With that said, I stuck to playing online because the friend that I played with – let’s call him Ben because his actual name is too vulgar – decided that he was too lazy to travel 10 minutes to my house.
Not Quite like Prison Break
Going into the game, I expected it to play out somewhat like 2005 TV series hit, Prison Break. Sadly, that doesn’t seem to be the case. At the start, you and your friend must decide on who controls the two main characters, Leo and Vincent. Both characters have distinct and vastly different personalities, which will I will talk about more later. If you decide to not finish the game in one day (it is achievable), the game autosaves before and after crucial cutscenes and when you resume, you can again pick which character you want to play.
Once you decide on your character, the game loads in to the prison where Leo is patiently waiting for Vincent. The game allows both characters to interact with various NPCs, often leading to hilarious results from both characters. Vincent is your logical ‘think-before-you-leap’ type while Leo is more of the ‘hit-first-think-later’. I guess it’s safe to say that I chose to stick with Vincent throughout the course of the game, mainly because Ben wanted to cause as much mayhem as possible.
Diving deeper into the game, you will have to work together with your partner to solve various puzzles and missions to break out. This includes synchronising button timings to break open doors, scaling a wall in a literal back-to-back formation and even distracting guards to steal equipment.
With communication and teamwork being the core of A Way Out, it’s safe to say that we failed our missions on multiple occasion; sometimes even with the easy ones like distracting a guard so that the other can climb up a ladder to retrieve a shiv.
As mentioned earlier, the game’s focus is co-op split-screen and that is one of its strong suits. One scene that stands out in particular is in a hospital where Leo and Vincent get separated. While both Ben and I agree that this is Fares’ showing off his Hollywood chops, it was still amazing to see it play out.
For some context, the game rotates between Vincent and Leo trying to escape the cops from within the hospital. In one instance, you’ll see Leo fighting off the brass while running for his life and the camera pans away to another section of the hospital and focuses on a vent where Vincent is hiding.
It’s that type of cinematography that really captured the essence of A Way Out.
Another great feature in the game is the option to do more. There are certain events where you and your friend will have to decide on what to do to progress. One such example was deciding between kidnapping an elderly couple or sneaking pass them to steal their vehicle. It’s not hard to guess on which route we took.
To pass the time, A Way Out also offers you great side games like arm wrestling and batting practise. I cannot even begin to tell you on how much time Ben and I wasted on arm wrestling as both of us hate losing, especially when everything is a competition between us.
Too Short and Too Linear
While A Way Out has plenty to offer, it falters with its two-dimensional storyline and cheesy narrative. It was easy enough to predict on the outcome of the story, but it does hold its own with an unexpected twist at the end.
Other gameplay elements that could be improved includes its stealth missions, which were a few. Often, I’m caught scratching my head wondering how I was not detected while Ben was on the other end of my headset, screaming at me for not moving. The game also includes driving and shooting as part of its repertoire and both were average at best.
These elements remind me of a slower, much less intense version of Uncharted.
Josef Fares is a God
All in all, A Way Out provides ample of fun in a quick eight-hour game, that is if you can complete all the missions without dying or getting caught. I cannot stress enough on how crucial teamwork is, so it’d be best to choose wisely on who you want to play with.
For obvious reasons, Ben decided to not talk to me for a few days after we finished the game. I can’t say why but you’ll know when you get there.
With A Way Out being only his second ever game, Josef Fares really knocked it out of the park. From the cinematography to the action and the co-op gameplay, he has brought back split-screen co-op to the console and hopefully, it stays.
