We’re astounded by how limited the online co-op space of games is in such a vast market. There are tons of games open to play online with others, but if you’re looking for a quality story-driven campaign to experience with a friend, like in the golden days with Halo or Gears of War, your window of selection is surprisingly narrow. It’s jarring how online co-op, to this day, still isn’t the standard for co-op games released. There have been several occasions where I’ll assume a game will have online co-op capabilities like Untitled Goose Game, and then find out that it’s exclusive to couch. Fuck me. Hazelight Studios is making leaps and bounds in this genre. With director Josef Fares leading Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons before Hazelights inception, the studio has proven capable of giving us a duo-buddy experience with a strong narrative. Brothers, despite common misconception, actually wasn’t co-op based. With their recently announced Split/Fiction coming in 2025 and their mega-successful Game Of The Year winning title It Takes Two, they have generated a solid track record. A Way Out was their first attempt at such an endeavor.
In 2018 we got A Way Out, which established Hazelight as “The studio that revived co-op focused games”. I made that up. A Way Out is a title influenced by prison/crime dramas. Oz and Prison Break are ones that come to mind. The prison feels grim, murky and hostile. The intro of the game, when the prisoners are first being processed, is depressingly accurate. Walking around and interacting with the other inmates paints a picture of people with no hope or anything to lose. The two protagonists, Vincent and Leo form an unlikely bond and have to hatch an escape plan. The players must navigate their way within the prison, whether it’s finding or bribing other inmates for supplies in order to gain their freedom. The chemistry between the two leads is solid enough, but I get the feeling that Hazelight should hire a stronger team that handles the dialogue. Although the dialogue is serviceable, I think it could’ve been better to serve the story as the game tries to carry some emotional weight. It’s nothing awful, but I feel like the game could’ve had a lot stronger writing. The set pieces are more memorable than the characters themselves. They’re not bad, just undercooked.
A Way Out established the split-screen co-op experience as a staple in all their games. Each of the two leads will have mission-specific tasks. Your primary goal is, just as you’ve guessed it; to find a way out and escape captivity. In the prison you will primarily be looking for supplies, studying guard routines, and escape routes. The plan has many moving parts and variables, which gives it a heightened sense of intensity. The gameplay is surprisingly varied and non-repetitive. The game pulls many rabbits out of its hat. There are plenty of the standard elements you’d expect going in- collecting items and objects for a means to see your escape plan through and making connections with other inmates with mutual interests. Then the game goes batshit, and you find yourself in high-speed car chases to hunting down a bad guy and torturing him for information. There’s even a tiny section where the game turns into a 2D- side-scrolling beat ’em up. Other enjoyable moments are surprisingly quiet and laid back. The game rewards exploration to the player. Being able to walk around and interact with characters, play corn hole, or even Connect-4 in a lobby. While fun, the game suffers from one huge drawback. If you’re a friendless loser, then you’re screwed and need to find one because you need one to play this game. I suppose you could control both characters, but there are certain objectives that require simultaneous undivided attention from both, so unless you’re a fucking octopus, I don’t see how that’s going to fly.
A Way Out is a nice start in Hazelights Studios catalog. Strong presentation and gameplay are at the forefront. However, weak writing is what keeps this great game from being a stellar game. Hopefully Hazelight Studios can take note and perfect their craft. We shouldn’t complain though really… As far as co-op online games go, Hazelight is doing us a huge favor in bringing this genre back to life, and if you’re looking for high-quality modern games to experience with a friend then Hazelight is the go-to. The market has been begging for the return of story-driven co-op games and Hazelight has answered our prayers. Grab a friend, hatch a plan, and find a way out.
Salute,
-Mikhail & Fil
Verdict: 8/10 (best prison game)