Overall: 8/10

The Escapists 2 is a 2D single player or co-op strategy sandbox pixel art-style game about, well, escaping prisons. This quirky indie game offers a delightful mix of careful planning, creativity, and sheer chaos, making every attempt at freedom a thrilling adventure.
The gameplay you'll find here is deep and rewarding but throws you straight into the deep end, for better or for worse. The game places you in the shoes of a pre-created or custom made prisoner, where your main goal is to break out of increasingly complex prisons. The mechanics here revolve around exploration, crafting, and innovation, with each day in prison offering opportunities to gather resources, form alliances, and map out your escape plan.
The Escapists 2's sandbox elements are show in the spotlight through its open-ended approach to problem-solving. Unlike many games that force you down a specific path, The Escapists 2 encourages creativity. Whether you prefer to dig a tunnel, disguise yourself as a guard, or incite a prison riot as a diversion, there’s no shortage of ways to achieve your goal. This freedom to choose your strategy makes each playthrough unique and offers great replayability among even the easiest prisons.
However, this is not without some drawbacks. As a new player who did not play the previous title, the game’s complexity felt daunting early on, especially in the more advanced prisons. The learning curve can be steep, with trial and error being a big part of the experience. But being someone who enjoy a good challenge, this complexity is very clearly part of the game’s charm. Along with this, The Escapists 2 offers a wealth of content that will keep you busy for hours. With multiple prisons to escape from, each more challenging than the last, the game has plenty of replay value. Additionally, the various escape methods and the unpredictability of multiplayer mean that no two playthroughs are exactly alike.
Speaking of which, one of the standout features of The Escapists 2 is its multiplayer mode. The ability to team up with friends or other players online adds a whole new layer of excitement and strategy. Coordinating with others to pull off a synchronized escape can be incredibly rewarding, and the unpredictable nature of human teammates often leads to hilarious and unexpected moments. However, multiplayer isn’t without its downsides. Even in 2024 there are sometimes connectivity issues and occasional lag, which can disrupt the flow of the game or leave your friends disconnected from your game.
Another standout features that is sure to keep the game fresh and exciting though is its robust Workshop support. Whether you're looking for a quick and easy escape or the most difficult challenge out there, the Workshop is packed with user-generated content that caters to every playstyle. The creativity of the community is on full display here, with some players having crafted incredibly detailed and challenging prisons that rival or even surpass the official ones. However, it is worth noting that if you're not sorting by most popular then the quality of Workshop content can vary, and finding well-balanced, well-designed prisons can sometimes be a bit of a hit or miss. Despite this, the sheer volume of content available means that there’s always something new to explore.
One last thing worth mentioning is how the game’s pixel art style is simple yet effective and captures the quirky and lighthearted tone of the game perfectly. The prisons are colorful and detailed, each with its unique layout and theme, which keeps the visuals fresh as you progress through the game. The animations, while basic, are satisfying and also add to the game’s overall appeal.

TL;DR:

Overall, The Escapists 2 is a challenging 2D indie strategy game that blends planning, creativity, and humor to make it a standout in the sandbox genre, and the multiplayer and workshop support adds a whole new dimension to the experience. While it’s not without its flaws, particularly in terms of difficulty and online connectivity, The Escapists 2 offers a deeply satisfying and endlessly entertaining experience for those willing to put in the time and effort and work with the game's systems. Whether you’re playing solo or with friends, this game is one that will test your patience, innovation, and problem-solving skills in the best possible way. If you’re a fan of strategic thinking and sandbox-style gameplay, then this is well worth the price, but even more so if you can pick it up on sale!

Mining away
I don't know what I'm mining but ill mine it anyway
In this mineshaft day
In hopes of escaping one day

this game is best for plan how to escape jail