Steam Puzzle Fest demo reveals How 2 Escape

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Announcements by Jack Allin
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Co-op escape game puzzler to launch this year for PC and consoles alongside free mobile companion app

They say two heads are better than one, and that's especially true when it comes to solving puzzles in Breakfirst Games' upcoming co-op asymmetrical escape game How 2 Escape, in which two players must work together using different devices.

Player one finds themselves trapped on a train car with no obvious way to escape and time literally ticking down. Their only hope for survival is to phone a friend who can assist by digging up the information needed to help overcome the traps and puzzles on board to continue through the train. Time is of the essence, as "the longer you wait, the more difficult it is to see clearly," and each car has its own unique challenges and time limits. To succeed, both players will need to cooperate, as the many puzzles will "require logic, coordination, observation and listening but most of all communication."

How 2 Escape's locomotive setting is presented in an illustrated art style and explored by player one from a first-person perspective. Player two, meanwhile, will interact directly with their phones to research whatever is needed by their partner. Each person gets a distinct, assymetrical gameplay experience but only only one purchase is required, as the mobile component is played entirely through a free dedicated companion app. Nor is a constant internet connection required so long as you both have a means to communicate. All the fun is in figuring out how to work together under pressure, however, so the only rule is to "keep your screen to yourself."

The full version of How 2 Escape isn't due out on PC, PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo Switch platforms until sometime later this year. In the meantime, as part of the Steam Puzzle Fest that runs through to May 1st, a playable demo can be downloaded this week, with the mobile companion app available from either the Google Store for Android devices or the App Store for iOS (accessed only from an iOS device via Testflight, with a definitive version to come later).