The Escapists 2

In the game, players assume control of an inmate from a top-down perspective. The inmate must follow daily routines in the prison while at the same time, complete quests for fellow inmates and seek out opportunities to escape. The Escapists 2 features a crafting system which allows players to craft items like shovels, tasers[1] and dummies to confuse guards.[2] Once the player character is caught, all progress is lost and the inmate is put into solitary confinement.[3] Comparing to its predecessors, the game has a larger variety of prisons, including prisoner transport vehicles and incarceration facilities set in space. There are also more customization options for the player character. The game features an expanded combat system which allows players to lock onto targets, block and perform light and heavy attacks.[4]

The game features both local and online cooperative multiplayer. Two players can assist each other when the player characters are escaping prison.[5] The competitive multiplayer pits four players against each other and the player who breaks out from the confinement facility fastest wins the game.[6]

Mouldy Toof Studios created the game in conjunction with Team17. The team listened to feedback from players who have played the first game and identified multiplayer as the most requested feature. Since computer codes need to be substantially rewritten to incorporate such feature into the first game, the team decided to create a new game instead. The team also wanted to introduce something new to players. Therefore, many systems were expanded to become more complex, and the prisons featured in the game are multi-storied.[7]

Team17 announced the game on October 3, 2016.[8] It was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on August 22, 2017.[9] Team17 then released the game on Nintendo Switch on January 11, 2018.[10] The game was released for iOS and Android on January 31, 2019 as The Escapists 2: Pocket Breakout.[11] Several downloadable content packs were released for the game. These include "Big Top Breakout", "Dungeons and Duct Tape" and "Wicked Ward", all of which introduce a new prison map.[12] Sold Out served as the game's distributor for the retail version of the game for PC, PS4 and Xbox One.[13]

The game received generally positive reviews from critics according to review aggregator Metacritic.[15] The Switch version received mixed reviews.[17]