A Way Out - Review of a true coop gem
Review and trophy guide – Rated 8/10
*No spoilers*
Available on: PS4, Xbox One, and PC
This game drew me and Kenny (my coop partner) all the way in during our play through of Hazelight Studio's newest coop action/adventure game, created by Josef Fares whose previous work includes Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons.
You start the game choosing your character with the choice being either the calm and collected Vincent or the more brash and feisty Leo. Both find themselves in prison but slowly become friends an starting plotting then executing their escape as you then take to life on the road whilst under constant hot pursuit. Sadly you are only in the prison for around one-hours worth of game play despite this being arguably the best portion of the game. Luckily, there's a wonderful mix of climatic action, emotional dialogue and calculated decision-making to keep you entertained.
Clearly the small development team at Hazelight Studios paid extreme attention to detail as visually the game looks stunning whilst the plot has beautifully written with unexpected twists and turns at times. Emphasis has clearly been placed on the game's unique selling point of purely being a coop title as both players even when playing online can see the other via split screen. Though some may find this somewhat annoying at first it certainly makes this game interesting as you and your partner must communicate with one another as you make choices which affect the game play. Sadly, like most chose-based games it feels like many of theses choices lead to the same outcome but in a different way.
The good:
Visually stunning - A Way out is an absolute beautiful game which makes the most of the current console technology.
Coop - I loved the coop emphasis as sadly few games on the current market place little attention on this type of gaming. A Way Out completely nailed it as both players must work together which is what makes this game stand out from others. This game offers both online and local coop meaning nearly everyone should be able to find a way to play it.
Fun - Throughout the game several minigames can be found which are often very fun (which are often trophy related). For instance, baseball, darts and arm wrestling can all be played as both players battle it out against the other adding variety to the game and showcasing the growing bond between the two characters.
Price - Costing around £23 brand new this game is possibly an absolute bargain. Plus your coop partner doesn't need to even own the game themselves as they can download a free trial to play the full game but they wont unlock any trophies themselves.
Trophies and secrets - Trophy hunters rejoice! This game is a very easy platinum as it only consists of 15 trophies with many of which possibly difficult to find without a guide. Personally, we unlocked three trophies naturally but luckily the chapter select makes getting a missed trophies a breeze. Most of these trophies are related to secrets in the game such as cut scenes and easter eggs.
Variation - This game has literally everything in terms of game play; from intense action sequences, to driving get aways, stealth kills and QTEs.
The bad:
Short length - There's no denying this is a very short game which only lasts around 5 hours from start to finish. This can be extended to perhaps 8 hours at a push to unlock any missed trophies. There's certainly some replay value as there often two different choices to be made and both characters play slightly differently.
Split screen and coop - Some may find constantly having to watch your partner's screen slightly irritating whilst others may not enjoy playing with others at all. Sadly, this cannot be avoided as this game cannot be played without someone else.
Meaningless choices - As already touched upon, this game like others which are similar allows both players to make choices on how to approach situations. Sadly, it often feels either choices leads to the same outcome but via a different way.
The game loses in focus - This game is at its best during the first hour and a half when you are in prison. After that the game sometimes loses its focus going from an intense drama to at times just a generic action shooter.
Verdict:
8/10 rating This game is certainly the best coop game I have played to date on my PS4 (if multiplayer games are excluded). All of my live stream audience repeatedly told us how much they, like us, were loving the story and game play. Sadly the game is very short but that is reflected in the lower price point and shouldn't put you off from a brilliant little game.
You can watch all of the live streams of mine and Kenny's play through at: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLt2HKCK9f3w9LxZw662xQIeuYRfIbnoRt
