It’s been a hot minute since The Artful Escape’s initial debut back in 2016, and if anyone were to lay claim to being the first music video, video-game then The Artful Escape definitely has it.
The Artful Escape
Developer: Beethoven and Dinosaur
Price: $19.99
Platform: PC and XSX
MonsterVine was supplied with a PC code for review
The Artful Escape introduces you to a young Mr. Francis Vendetti; nephew of the late Johnson Vendetti and a kid who’s struggling to get out of his folk singer superstar uncle’s shadow. The core of the game is identity and accepting who you truly are as a person, whereas some people pay for hours of therapy to see this conclusion, Francis goes on an interdimensional journey instead. He’s got his debut show the entire town is waiting on, to see a glimmer of their long passed town sensation, and in usual comical fashion Francis is whisked away on a starship where you’ll follow him as he learns a bit more about who he is as a person, and maybe you’ll do the same. The game really hammers this in as you quite literally craft your own musical persona for Francis, from his backstory to the entire outfit, making sure everyone who plays the game finishes with their own unique Francis Vendetti. It’s a sweet story if pretty by the book, that’s carried heavily by some stellar voice-acting and some of the best visuals you’ll see in a game to date.
The game’s come a long way from its initial trailer, which you should look up to compare, as they really went for the fences with this game’s look. As you explore the various alien planets with Francis, you’ll come across some genuinely jaw-dropping visual set pieces that are just begging to have posters made of them. Paired with this is a soundtrack that swings from ethereal to bombastic as you move from world to world.
Playing tourist isn’t the reason why you’re here though, Francis has to entertain millions. He’s roped into touring the cosmos as the supporting act and your romps through these worlds are being streamed across the universe. Each world has these “jam sessions” that function like a game of Simon, as you hit the appropriate buttons in order as they light. These moments are neat and visually over-the-top, but they never get particularly complicated which I know isn’t the intention, but this causes them to start to feel a bit samey at a point.
The game really comes off as more of an interactive piece than your standard adventure game and is almost excruciatingly noninteractive at times. You’ll quite literally spend the game’s 5-6 hour runtime holding the stick to the right to walk as you take in the sights, while occasionally stopping for a brief moment to do a quick jam session before continuing on your walk. Francis can whip out his guitar at any moment to shred some tunes as you power walk through a psychedelic wonderland, but as cool as that was at the start, I eventually stopped. Partly because it just strained the thumb holding the button down for hours on end for the occasional background environment visual flair to trigger, but also because for the most part Francis’ guitar playing usually clashed with the game’s soundtrack.
Don’t get me wrong, there are some moments where the two collide together in this really wonderful way. You’ll sometimes find yourself sliding through these bizarre alien worlds playing your guitar, where the music and visuals match in a way I haven’t seen since Journey. But for the most part, Francis’ guitar playing starts sounding a bit too repetitive and begins to overwhelm the soundtrack rather than play in harmony with it. Worst yet, some of the ending musical set pieces build up to these sweeping crescendos that just come to a sudden stop when it felt like it should have gone on for a moment more. Really jarring camera cuts to odd angles/compositions during these moments don’t help either.
The Final Word
The Artful Escape is a visual and auditory feast for the senses, but the final result almost makes you wonder if this would have worked better as a short film than a game.
– MonsterVine Rating: 3.5 out of 5 – Fair
