With the title of the prison break A way out Still popular several years after its release, it’s clear that the game took advantage of something players had always wanted from co-op. While it was a fresh and original take on the setting, it was far from the first great game to go behind bars.
Be it legendary comic book beat em ups like Batman Arkham Asylum or simulation games like Prison Tycoon, the worlds of incarceration and video games have crossed quite often. While the big house was a worthy gaming environment, only the best players had come back time and time again.
Prison Tycoon (2005)
Unlike most simulation games that dealt with fun topics like roller coasters or zoos, Prison Tycoon brought the world of for-profit prison management within the reach of the gamer. The player is tasked with building his small facility into a full-fledged mega prison by upgrading and designing the perfect big house.
The game wasn’t the most well-received title, and much of the backlash came from the content itself. Although it is a rather obscure concept, it rivaled other simulation titles in complexity and detail. Prison Tycoon isn’t for everyone, but it’s a great game for the more detailed simulation fans who like a more in-depth experience.
The Escapists 2 (2017)
As long as there are prison based games, there are prison break games, and The Escapists 2 found the perfect balance between strategy and arcade action. Imprisoned in prison, the player must follow daily routines while also going on side missions and devising methods of escape.
Unlike its predecessor, the game offers a wide variety of different facilities to escape from, and the multiplayer mode adds an extra challenge to the basic gameplay. While the graphics and gameplay are quite simple, the beauty of The Escapists 2 is that it has an extremely high replay value, and players will never want to stop escaping.
A Way Out (2018)
Many games have tried to perfect the classic prison break formula, but that lasted until the release of A way out that gamers really got the best experience. In the co-op title, two players take on the role of prisoners tasked with escaping together and on the run from the authorities.
Widely regarded as one of the best couch co-op titles of all time, A way out wouldn’t have been possible in any previous generation of gaming history. Although the players are closely linked, their experiences can be vastly different, requiring a high degree of collaboration between partners. Unlike most strategy games that lose their edge once mastered, A way outThe sheer variety keeps things fresh.
Suffering (2004)
Jail is a scary place to be, and The suffering really put the right amount of scare into the gaming experience. The player takes on the role of a death row inmate who finds himself at the center of a living nightmare when an earthquake unleashes sinister forces on the prison.
Unlike survival horror games based on stealth and strategy, The suffering is one of the best battle-heavy horror games and has a large number of engaging fighting mechanics. The game brilliantly transforms the sterile prison environment into a terrifying hellscape, and the enemies can range from demented inmates to undead horrors.
Prison Architect (2015)
Treating its prison simulation themes with a bit more brutality than its predecessors, prison architect can move away from the problematic elements of games like Prison Tycoon. The user is hired to design and manage a for-profit prison and has to make decisions about the happiness of inmates and other such goals.
Reducing inmate recidivism is a possible goal, and there are plenty of additional challenges that other games didn’t have. Interestingly, the game has a mode that challenges the user to escape from the prison they designed.
Abuse (1996)
With a suggestive and vague title like Abuse, gamers weren’t sure what to expect from the run-and-gun classic, but the experience was unlike anything a prison game had ever delivered. A man, wrongly imprisoned in a futuristic facility where illegal medical experiments are conducted, must escape before he finds himself in a prison break.
The against-style play was fast paced and violent and took quite a bit of inspiration from artist HR Giger. In addition to the typical platform and shooter gameplay, the game also required a bit of puzzling, providing additional challenges between hordes of mutated enemies.
The Chronicles Of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay (2004)
Came on the scene as a rare movie game that was really good, The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay further developed the mysterious antihero. Set years ahead of the events of pitch blackthe game casts the user as Riddick as he tries to escape from a maximum security prison.
The game is played in a first-person view, but offers very little information about health or stealth status. The player must rely on his stealth skills as he makes his way through the prison to dispatch enemies and upgrade the weapons they are allowed to use. While the game is extremely challenging, it is quite rewarding once mastered.
The Prisoner (1980)
Video games from the early 80’s are often mocked for their idiosyncratic simplicity, but the PC game The Prisoner was one of the most progressive games made in each generation. Loosely based on the TV show of the same name, the player is cast as the inmate who is given a secret code that they are never allowed to reveal as they try to escape from their own private prison.
Using its limited technology to its limits, the game played with the user’s mind and broke the fourth wall. Never knowing what is real and what is a trick, the player must be tired of almost every aspect of the game for fear of accidentally giving up his secrets.
Batman: Arkham Asylum (2009)
The Arkham series of games is one of the most acclaimed beat-em-up franchises of all time, and the adventures of the Caped Crusader are perfect fodder for a video game. Arkham Asylum sees Batman take on the Joker as the Clown Prince of Crime infiltrates the infamous asylum to destroy Gotham.
Caught among a host of his worst foes, Batman must use his wits and fists to not only escape the facility, but also stop the Joker’s dastardly plot. While other games in the series were on a larger scale, Arkham Asylum was able to bring the gameplay back to basics and provide the ultimate Batman experience.
Resident Evil: Code Veronica (2000)
Set between the second and third game in the series, Resident Evil: Code Veronica used his prison environment to further exacerbate the terror. The player plays both Claire and Chris at different points in the game and must escape from a prison run by the Umbrella Corporation.
Switching to real-time 3D backgrounds gave the game a more dynamic look and was a big change from the previous installments. The claustrophobic nature of the first two games is even stronger in Code Veronicaand the terrifying creatures of Resident Evil are made all the more scary in his prison environment.
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