The Escapists can be hours of fun for those who enjoy a good challenge in a unique setting, but abundant troubleshooting can make this a hard sell for a mainstream audience.

Weaves RPG and puzzle elements together; Number of items that can be crafted; Numerous ways to escape

Too much trial and error; Tiny text

The Escapists has made its way to PS4 and Xbox One after doing its time on PC for over a year. It is a game that welcomes and rewards creativity, however the patience required may limit its audience.

Fun game

Enveloped in a charming 8-bit top-down visual style, The Escapists puts gamers in the tiny shoes of a customisable inmate, ready to break out of confinement over a range of prison levels that increase in complexity as progress is made.

The first few days in prison are always disorienting. You don't know the floorplans. The perimeter is a mystery. You have to follow around the crowd of inmates to find the mustering grounds, the workout room, the dining hall.

A wonderful throwback to '80s style British gaming, that has much to teach modern titles in terms of player freedom and open world design.

A great premise that allows complete freedom in your planning, but is just structured enough to not be overwhelming; Amusing dialogue and plenty of different prisons

The graphics are just a little too retro at times, and can make some actions difficult to follow; Crafting system is a little too obscure and there can be quite a bit of gameplay downtime

2015 was a year filled with retro top-down games, most of which were fantastic. In fact, one of them was the first game I played last year: The Escapists. A really good Earthbound-style jailbreak game that I spent so much time in.

Team 17 have always excelled at games that make you think hard about your next move. Worms was a brilliant tactical, faux war game with bright colours and an interesting premise that made it different enough to be enjoyable.

We remember fondly playing The Great Escape on the humble old ZX Spectrum many moons ago. The isometric adventure which tasked you with escaping from a German prisoner of war camp during World War II was a classic at the time, that had different ways for you could escape from the camp, all while you...

The Escapists is a great little indie title that is a throwback to a forgotten age of gaming. With 8 bit graphics and 80's electro music making it feel like an older game to a fault, this sandbox prison break out game is a lot of fun and surprisingly detailed.