Escape Simulator 2 is out

Many are surely familiar with the pastime known as a quest room (or escape room). Several people must solve brain-teasing puzzles and act in unison to get out of a space they’ve been locked into. Quest designers offer various décor styles, puzzles that get harder one after another, and even live actors taking part in the action. But as computer games such entertainments are rare. The crew at studio Pine decided to fill the gap—and have already released the second part of a series of multiplayer puzzles that simulates an escape room.

The game is multiplayer—you can team up with friends in co-op. It also supports cross-platform connection, so, for example, one person may be on a PC while another is on a phone or tablet. The developers offer a ready-made set of locations right away: there are pirate levels, Tomb-Raider-styled rooms, Dracula’s castle and an abandoned starship, all built by real escape-room designers. If you wish, you can style a location yourself using the built-in editor. According to the developers, the previous game in the series already accumulated over 4 000 such homemade rooms.

If you don’t feel like gathering a party, nothing stops you from tackling a puzzle solo, yet keep in mind that the co-op here is scaled for up to eight people. Even after you escape, you and your partners arrive at a shared lobby where you can display framed screenshots and trophies—as symbols of your joint achievements. Right now Pine Studio’s title has only positive reviews on Steam, and until 10 November the game is also available with a 10 % discount.