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The Artful Escape

The Artful Escape

This is one psychedelic musical journey worthy of being cranked to 11.

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With the exception of Brutal Legend, we haven't really seen many titles over the years that have enabled us to go on a grand adventure in the shoes of a rockstar. The majority of music-inspired titles on the market are rhythm games such as Rock Band, Fuser, and SingStar, and that's what makes The Artful Escape all the more refreshing. Developed by The Galvatrons' lead vocalist Johnny Galvatron, it sees you forge your very own rock & roll persona and take to the stars to dazzle audiences across the entire universe.

In The Artful Escape, you play as Francis Vendetti, an aspiring musician who is widely known in his hometown of Calypso, Colorado, as the nephew of folk icon Johnson Vendetti. When we meet Francis we see him struggle with the identity that others have carved out for him - as playing folk music on the guitar he can't help but depressingly sigh and he can barely strum a handful of basic chords together. The truth is Francis is an incredibly talented lead guitarist, but he is unable to let his skills flourish and develop a career of his own as he is forced to carry on the torch and play his uncle's material.

On the night before Francis' big hometown show, we see him daydreaming and further developing this fantasy of escapism and taking on another identity. His mother saying "you don't seem yourself" appears to be a big lightbulb moment for him. When going to bed there is a strange knock at the door and it turns out to be a mysterious alien creature who has scouted him to fill a support slot for Lightman, one of the universe's most beloved guitarists. Francis reluctantly comes along and ends up setting out on a journey of self-discovery where he learns to establish his own musical persona and shrug off the expectations of his peers.

I found the story to strike a chord with me due to how relatable it felt. We might not all be guitar prodigies, but anyone can learn to empathise with Francis if they have had unwieldy expectations placed on them from a parent, for example, or if they have felt unable to break free from a job or a particular situation that they have been pressured into. The story here is beautifully told too and the a-list vocal talent (which includes voice acting from Michael Johnston, Carl Weathers, and Jason Schwartzman) helps to bring life to each and every character. What I will say though, is that the lip-syncing is jarringly off and distracting, as often characters will move their mouths even after completing lines of dialogue.

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The Artful Escape

Whilst the story unfolds in largely the same way for everybody, it's completely up to the player to decide the characteristics of Francis' on-stage persona. You have the freedom to select your own stage name, kooky backstory, and you can also dress Francis up with an entire wardrobe of rock & roll attire. It's not anything that we haven't seen before, but I felt so much more connected to the story when watching Francis blossom from this shy young teenager to this flamboyant and overly confident rocker that I had shaped myself.

Across Francis' journey to the stars, you get to explore many vividly colourful alien worlds that are just bursting with personality. Exploring these new areas does factor in light elements of platforming, but that isn't the main focus as here the game's dazzling soundtrack and breathtaking layered 2D visual style are on full display. Something that I loved is that shredding your guitar in many of these locations changes the world around you, as creatures will begin to awaken, lights will flicker on, and flowers will bloom to life. The only criticism I have with these sections is that some of the jumps can feel a little off and sometimes it wasn't clear whether I'd be able to scale a gap by double jumping across it.

The other main pillar of The Artful Escape's gameplay centres around Francis' guitar. Here you'll get to jam alongside many of the strange alien creatures you encounter in an effort to earn their approval with your fretboard skills. This acts more like a memory game than a rhythm one, as the creatures will flash up a pattern of lights that you'll need to copy using the buttons on your controller. Whilst these moments do make for quite a visual spectacle, they feel shallow and repetitive, as there is no punishment for failure besides the deafening screech of your guitar. It doesn't even matter here about the rhythm or timing of notes - two things that are, of course, vital to guitar playing and that I thought would be present.

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This breathtaking musical journey that is centered on self-discovery is one that is beautifully voiced and deeply relatable and you shouldn't hesitate to check it out, especially if you are an Xbox Game Pass subscriber. Many music-inspired games have come and gone over the years, but none have captured the spirit of escapism and self-invention quite like The Artful Escape and for that, it does indeed stand out. It does have a handful of clunky aspects, as I touched on before, but it's worth pushing past them to experience both its story and visuals.

The Artful EscapeThe Artful Escape
The Artful Escape
08 Gamereactor UK
8 / 10
+
The story is relatable and well-voiced, the visuals are absolutely gorgeous, there is freedom for expression.
-
Shredding sections are shallow and repetitive, lip syncing is off, some platforming can feel clunky.
overall score
is our network score. What's yours? The network score is the average of every country's score

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The Artful Escape

REVIEW. Written by Kieran Harris

This is one psychedelic musical journey worthy of being cranked to 11.



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