Shoring up the game before the DLC drops
As soon as I heard that the escape-room puzzle adventure game Escape Academy had split-screen co-op, I was in. And even as someone who’s not exactly “into” real-world escape rooms, it ended up being a fun, not-too-frustrating time with memorable scenarios like a room with rising water, or a scramble to find an antidote after being poisoned. I’d recommend Escape Academy — particularly after today’s update, which includes FOV options and a much-needed change to avoid accidental hints.
If you’re just here for the field-of-view slider, you can now crank the FOV from 60 all the way up to 120. That also goes for the console versions of Escape Academy — I tested it out on my PlayStation 5 copy this morning. I’ll probably settle somewhere in the middle. You can access this slider from the Graphics menu, and you can change it while you’re in an escape room, so you can quickly figure out what FOV works best for you.
Coin Crew Games also included a split-screen toggle in online multiplayer, a “hint confirmation,” and info about your best grade for each level on the replay board (though it is not retroactive). Considering Escape Academy is getting 10 new levels spread across two DLC drops (with the first, “Escape from Anti-Escape Island,” coming this fall), this is great.
No more accidental hints
I’ll admit, I did accidentally request a hint when I didn’t mean to — it was just a button press away! — which was frustrating. Solving everything on your own will lead to a better grade. Now, post-patch, in order to get a hint you’ll have to press the button twice.
Apart from bug fixes (which you can see on this Steam page), Escape Academy also has some gameplay- and scoring-related changes to note:
- Increased maximum mouse sensitivity (25%).
- Online partner’s mouse cursor is now hidden.
- Changed the grading system to be a bit more harsh — we’re not grading on a curve anymore!
- Changed key difficulties ratings for some rooms, to better match their actual difficulty.
It’s flying under the radar, and a few of the later levels left me wanting, but Escape Academy is absolutely worth playing if you have a puzzle-solving partner.
