Escape: Left to Die shows first signs of life

• Announcements by Jack Allin
• Published:

Side-scrolling thriller blending stealth and puzzle solving unveiled for PC, consoles and mobile devices

The nice part about solving puzzles in an adventure game is that you can take your time working through them at your leisure. Usually, at least. Just not when the deep-sea facility you're in is filling with water and the only other survivors are terrifying creatures who make drowning the least of your concerns, like in the ominously named upcoming Escape: Left to Die.

Players control a prisoner in an underwater military base with no memory of how he got there. He manages to escape from his immediate confinement, only to discover the situation outside his cell is even worse. The facility seems to have been conducting some sort of illicit research that went disastrously wrong. With corpses strewn everywhere, you seem to be the only one left alive – the only human, that is. What's worse is that the place is in shambles and slowing filling with water. If you're to escape, you'll need to overcome the many obstacles in your path, gradually revealing the facility's sordid secrets and the tragedy that occurred here along the way. 

A co-production of indie developer AzDimension and Royal Games, Escape is a tensely atmospheric side-scrolling thriller that blends traditional puzzle solving with survival elements. Puzzles come in both environmental and minigame varieties, while deadly peril from active security systems and prowling monsters must be avoided either through stealth or occasionally running like hell. Some areas have already become completely submerged, forcing you to swim for your life, and the only thing you can be sure of is that at every step, "death is always near."  

There is no firm target release date just yet, but Escape: Left To Die is on course to be launched soon on Steam, with console and mobile releases planned as well, each optimized to deliver "an equivalent gaming experience."