HomeNewsEscape Academy
Co-op escape room puzzler Escape Academy is free to keep on Epic Games Store for the next dayEasy to get into, harder to exit
Easy to get into, harder to exit
Escape Academy Launch TrailerWatch on YouTube
Escape Academy Launch Trailer
Escape Academy released over the summer of 2022 as a virtual alternative to hunting around a confined space for clues and codes in order to puzzle your way outpu of a locked room as quickly as possible. Like most escape rooms, you can work together with a pal to crack riddles and find hidden secrets together, or go it alone in single-player if you find yourself getting annoyed at someone not quite being on the same wavelength as you while you’re trying to think your way through brainteasers.
Having been on a bit of an escape room fix for a few years now, whether it’s in person or one of thosehome escape roomsin a box, I enjoyed my time playing Escape Academy with my wife back when it came out. It’s a polished, charmingly presentedpuzzle gamethat manages to strike just the right balance between being thinky enough to give you the real pleasure of working out a tricky answer without being too obscure to end in frustration.
Unlike the more nuts-and-bolts sandbox ofEscape Simulator, it’s tied together with a bit more of a curated story experience too, though the narrative is definitely a secondary element versus the escape rooms themselves. That’s probably not much of a surprise given that developers Coin Crew Games enlisted the help of real-life escape room designers to craft the virtual rooms.
Ed found the samein our review, calling it “a fantastic co-op brainteaser that’s perfect material for catch-ups and corporate days”. Personally, it’s one I’d recommend playing in local or online multiplayer if you can, but I imagine the puzzles hold up nicely solo if you’re just after a nice bit of brain-tickling to fill the dark January evenings.
Escape Academy can begrabbed for free over on the Epic Games Storeuntil 4pm GMT tomorrow, January 2nd, being the latest daily game giveaway via the PC marketplace afterSaints Row,Cat Questand more.
Looking for more free games? Read our round-up of thelatest free games on the Epic Games Store, as well as our list of thebest free PC gamesyou can play today. Want to take your free Epic games on the go? Then here’show to install the Epic Games launcher on your Steam Deck.
