This may turn off gamers seeking a challenge, but the game’s simplistic nature is empowering and made me feel like a superstar.ĭuring your travels, you can hit a button to play your guitar, and typical platforming actions trigger fun, rock star-like animations. Sprinkled throughout every distinct location are designated performance platforms where you play through a short rhythm game. You move through aesthetically stunning side-scrolling levels jumping over gaps and obstacles. The levels include alien snowscapes, deserts, and jungles, each exploring a different aspect of identity, helping Francis discover himself and create his new stage persona.įor all its appearance of incomprehensible cosmic grandeur, The Artful Escape is mechanically simple. Between those two points is an intergalactic trek, with each extraterrestrial location looking as impressive as the next. It builds up from frustrating moments where Francis’ insecurity gets in the way of what he wants, to the final epiphany leading to self-acceptance and stardom.

The path from small-town strummer to stellar sensation is satisfying. To escape his community’s expectations and the pressure of being the other Vendetti, Francis develops a dramatic alter-ego, and the action moves away from his pleasant small town into the enthralling expanse of the cosmos. The narrative teeters toward heavy-handed but quickly moves on to Francis’ transformative space escapade. And – due to the ongoing Johnson Vendetti festival – the singer’s music continuously plays throughout the city.

An elderly neighbor remarks on his family resemblance to the deceased artist. Francis’ hometown welcome sign proudly displays a towering depiction of its most famous native son. Throughout the initial chapter, Johnson Vendetti’s looming shadow becomes darker and darker. It’s dominated by a picture of his famous relative, barely leaving space for the actual headliner.

The starting screen features a poster for Francis’ upcoming debut concert.

Download xbox the artful escape