The Artful Escape, the preview
The Artful Escape
Annapurna Interactive showed off big hits during her first virtual showcase. One of the most interesting is certainly The Artful Escape, a video game developed by Beethoven & Dinosaur. Announced several years ago, it is finally on the finish line, as it will be released on Xbox and PC on September 9th.Let's see together what are the main features of the title in this preview of The Artful Escape.
The weight of a legacy
The Artful Escape: a boy in search of his musical identity The Artful Escape is a narrative adventure in which the aim is to overcome different environments to the sound of music. The protagonist is Francis Vendetti, a boy who has to live with his family name, renowned in the musical field as his uncle was an important singer-songwriter. Eager to pursue a career in the world of music, but frightened by the legacy that grips him, Francis finds himself, shortly before his live stage debut, wondering what his true and peculiar identity as an artist is.It is from here that he will leave for a long journey into the maze of a colorful and flamboyant galaxy, inhabited by bizarre alien creatures eager to test the skills of the protagonist. The player will be able to sculpt Francis's personality through a whole series of choices ranging from his stage name, to his home planet, to his aesthetic appearance.
A gameplay to the rhythm of music
The Artful Escape: you step forward in the adventure by dint of guitar solos At the level of gameplay, The Artful Escape seems to be an adventure strongly focused on the use of sound as a primary interaction element. Francis has at his disposal an electric guitar that can be strummed at any time, mainly on the go, which leads to creating a long solo capable of awakening the world around him. Everything seems to blend smoothly, probably with different "abilities" that will be unlocked as the adventure progresses and which will allow you to perform increasingly complex solos.From the presentation trailers we have also glimpsed several bosses, ranging from wild creatures to club owners. It remains to understand how we can interact with the latter (if only with a rhythmic-style minigame or even through more varied solutions) and if we should defeat them or entertain them with our stage presence (we believe more in the second hypothesis).
A luminous visual sector
The Artful Escape: visually promises exciting sequences While it is true that sound plays a major role in The Artful Escape, the visual sector is certainly not left in the background. Made in a very interesting 2.5D, the title has always presented itself perfectly structured on an artistic level. It is evidently an element that Annapurna explores in detail before deciding to bet on one title rather than another.Each element seems not only well packaged, but also perfectly integrated with its surroundings, thanks with the help of various graphic precautions and non-trivial effects. Of course, we have to see how he will fare when we have the opportunity to immerse ourselves in the adventure in its entirety, but the premises seem more than positive.
A stellar cast
The Artful Escape : an exceptional cast for an ambitious title Apparently so "minute" games usually do not boast an exciting cast of voice actors (often they don't even use it). However, the one employed for The Artful Escape seems anything but irrelevant. In fact, we find names like Lena Headey, Mark Strong, Carl Weathers and Jason Schwartzman. An exceptional cast of Hollywood talent for a title that promises to be a small gem.The Artful Escape seems to be yet another winning bet from Annapurna Interactive. Never say never, that's for sure, but the premises give hope for the best. We look forward to trying the title firsthand and venturing into this gaudy galaxy to the sound of the guitar, in search of the musical identity of the young Francis Vendetti.
