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An adventure game for two

> ‘A Way Out’ video game review

Lauren Kelly
Graphics Manager

 

Way Out is a new game by developer

Hazelight Studios and directed by
Josef Fares. This is Fares’ second game,
as he previously created the critically-
acclaimed Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons.

In Brothers, you play as the two
titular brothers, controlling one with
each joystick. This seems like an
opportunity to have a co-op game, but
the story and experience require single
players to play it by themselves. In Fares’
new release, gamers will find the exact
opposite. A Way Out is a forced split-
screen co-op game and is unplayable
by only one person. Luckily, you only
need one copy of the game, whether the
two of you are sitting next to each other
or playing together online. However,
even if you are playing online, the
game will still keep the split-screen.

A Way Out stands out as a split-
screen game due to its genre. It’s not a
shooter, or a racing game—it’s a QTE-
centric adventure game more along the
lines of Heavy Rain, Until Dawn, and any
of Telltale’s offerings. In it, you play as

Bey G
- - ae:

Leo and Vincent, who are two inmates
trying to find—you guessed it—a
“way out” of prison. They start off as
strangers, but quickly become tentative
partners in this quest when they
discover that they both want revenge
against the same man on the outside.
The game’s graphics aren't the
hyper-realistic style found in Until
Dawn or Beyond: Two Souls, but they
are a large step up from Telltale’s. The
two leads look like real people who
act believably and immersively, which
works well in a game where the primary
focus is on telling an engrossing story.
The co-op style opens up tons
of options not seen in games of this
genre. In one early segment, Leo gets
attacked in the cafeteria, and the player
can only delay the assault until their
friend comes in and saves them as
Vincent. In another scene, Vincent’s
player needs to use their brain to
distract nurses and workers while
Leo’s player stealthily steals a hammer.
There is also time for players to explore
their environments and interact with
NPCs. Both characters play differently
and have unique approaches to their

problems, so players will have different
experiences even while playing together.

The game is being sold for $39.99
and is available on PS4, Xbox One, and
Steam. It should last around 10 hours,
and if you split the cost with your friend
or SO, $2 an hour is incredible value

 

Y ‘Isle of Dogs’ film review
(¥ Bringing music to the concrete jungle
( Quit complaining, and go enjoy some

culture

And more!

 

Promotional screenshot of ‘A Way Out’

for what this game offers. If you're a
fan of cinematic games, prison breaks,
or split screen gaming, make sure to
take this one for a spin—just be sure
to find a friend committed to playing
it with you first, so you don’t have an
unplayable game sitting in your library.

Chairman of the Board: Everything Is vine

> ‘Viticulture’ board game review

Ed Appleby
Senior Columnist

kkk

have always tried to imagine what

it would be like to run a winery.
It’s just farming, but in the end you
produce a fine product that can be sold
for lots of money. It’d be like growing
saffron, or vanilla, or having a unicorn
orchard. How hard can it be, right?

Viticulture (2013) is a worker

placement game for two to six players
designed by Jamey Stegmaier and Alan
Stone, and published by Stonemaier
games. In the game you play as the
owner of a small, family-owned winery,
and you have to judge the seasons in
order to produce grapes and wines
as well as build various structures
to support the winery. Players place
workers in different areas order to grow
grapes, turn grapes into wine, and
utilize the skills of various specialists.
Every year is split into seasons, with
only certain actions being available each
season. Players score victory points by
filling wine orders, giving winery tours,
and partaking in other events. Once
a player reaches 20 points, the game
proceeds to the end of the year and

 

the player with the most points wins.
The game utilizes many moving

parts. Vines must be planted and
harvested, grapes may be crushed or
sold, and wine and grapes are aged
to certain levels in order to for fill
wine orders. This leads to a deep
strategy game where player order can
have a huge effect on what actions
you can accomplish each season.

6¢

You need to go into the game with solid
strategy and accept that other players are
going to inadvertently sabotage it.”

 

Grapes harvested one season may
take several more to age to the right
level before they can be sold. This
leads to some long planning, with a

lot of chance for things to go wrong.
There are also visitor cards that
can be played in the summer or winter
season. These cards can be deceptively
powerful, and a good draw from them—
or from the vine or wine order decks—
can really make or break your long-term
strategy. This makes for a game where
the random nature of the draw ends up
being a major aspect of the gameplay,

rather than a flavour or minor nuisance.
I found the game extremely
stressful, but also a lot of fun. You
need to go into the game with solid
strategy and accept that other players
are going to inadvertently sabotage it.
If you are looking for a high concept,
high strategy worker placement game
then I would definitely recommend this
one, but only if you are really willing to
give yourself up to the game and accept
some of its more random aspects.

 

Illustration by Ed Appleby