Publisher 8-Bit Legit has brought us yet another port of a game that was actually released as a physical NES cartridge! This time its NEScape! from developer KHAN Games, which was Kickstarted back in 2019 and is the retro game equivalent of an escape room. The game combines the look and feel of an authentic retro game with the modern day elements of an escape room. You will need to assemble the clues and connect the dots in order to overcome the challenges and see what lies on the other side of the door.
Kevin Hanley of KHAN Games began making video games in 2009, starting with a focus on the system he cherished most from his childhood, the NES. He quickly began to make a name for himself in the NES community by producing many quality games.
“I think my biggest inspiration has come from point-and-click adventure games from the DOS era.” Kevin Hanley of KHAN Games said. “King's Quest, Leisure Suit Larry, and Manhunter have directly inspired a few of my games”
“Every year my friends and I do an escape room on my birthday,” Hanley said. ”I wanted to bring that fun to the NES for everyone to experience!”
“I highly recommend getting together with some friends and putting this game on.” Hanley said. “Everyone will know exactly what to do... or so they think!”
The aim of the game is a basic one. You start in darkness and there is a door in front of you that is locked and its upto you to get through it within 60 minutes. The game also throws you straight in and doesn't hold your hand with a tutorial. To even start the game you have to complete a small puzzle where you turn dials to spell the word "BEGIN". If you played games like this back in the day then you will probably find this way of working a welcome breath of fresh air, however for people who are used to the modern style of point and click games that offer hints, prompts and in depth instructions, may find this style too difficult or frustrating. You interact with the room and the items within it by moving your cursor around the screen. Expect to encounter alot of trial and error when it comes to interacting with things, using items and completing puzzles. It took me a while to work out how everything worked, and even longer to work out some of the puzzles. I found myself completely stuck and scratching my head on many an occasion but when I finally figured them out I felt true accomplishment. The whole game takes place within one single, four sided room and its amazing how they have managed to translate the escape room feel into a NES game. The game looks great with its NES style pixel graphics and bright colours, all running at a smooth 60fps.
The game is also a must for "Cheevo" hunters out there. With it's 10 simple achievements being able to be gained in less than half an hour! The game itself isn't very long, with a guide you could be through it in 10 minutes but playing normally you will probably get through it within an hour, and there isn't much draw to replay-ability bar the retro nostalgia of it all.
NEScape! is a fantastically authentic retro slice of escape room madness. It doesn't hold your hand and throws you right into the deep end, leaving you to work everything out yourself. Yes it's not the longest of experiences, but at the low price its on sale at it's more than worth the price of admission. More of these old school style games please! TOTAL SCORE: 7.5/10
NEScape! was released on the 13th January 2023. It's playable on Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S consoles as well as the Nintendo Switch. The game is priced at £3.99 and can be purchased HERE. A copy of the game was provided for this review. A huge thanks for that!
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