The Artful Escape (2021)

Ok, so on a previous update I said that this game "works pretty well" as trans allegory and that you can "play the game with that interpretation on the back of your mind". I was wrong.

Just a few scenes further down the line it becomes clear that the trans allegory is the intended reading. I mean..

(spoilers below)

You find this trumpet being that tells you that...

Then you meet this weird-looking alien

and they tell you to go into their wardrobe to change your clothes. So you customise your character however you like, including clearly gender non-conforming pieces. And you literally come out of the closet..

You then go talk to this guy who ask you if you are Francis (the main character's name)...

whom you can correct by stating your chosen name.

And then you go back to the alien who warns you against TERFS

Of course those are just the more on-the-nose elements.

I love the colourful visuals and trippy dialogue.

One reviewer commented that the game works pretty well as a trans allegory and he was not wrong at all. You can easily play the game with that interpretation on the back of your mind and it works really well. Although this dialogue actually works even better as a non-binary narrative.

I’m not quite done yet and I don’t have a verdict on how I feel about this get just ye, but I will say that Game Pass is a weird fit for me. So far I have played a number of games that I probably would have bought sight unseen if not for Game Pass. Carto, Spiritfarer, The Wild at Heart, Psychonauts 2, The Artful Escape, Genesis Noir, and more. I feel like Microsoft’s idea is that these are the game people try risk free without purchase, while games like Forza Horizon 5 or Back 4 Blood are the incentives to subscribe. But all of these indie games are games I would buy so I feel like I’m the wrong target for Game Pass even though it serves me well. I’m sure my one purchase won’t make or break a small dev, but it is interesting to me that Game Pass actually reduces my purchasing and disincentivizes me from buying games I would normally buy. Meanwhile I continue to dish out big bucks to Sony and Nintendo because I have to buy their games. And even when I do get access to free games via PS Now or PS+, very often they are games I wouldn’t have otherwise bought like Rage 2, a fun game but unlikely one I’d spend money on. It’s interesting to think about.

I worry about Annapurna’s long term sustainability if their devs continue to pick up celebrity voice actors. It can’t be cheap, especially on an indie budget. I also think that it doesn’t bring anything that seasoned voice actors don’t already bring to the table, other than a bit of press buzz. I’m not disparaging celebrity actors or their abilities, but anytime I see an ensemble cast of Hollywood A listers attached to a project, I worry that someone is overcompensating for some failing in the work. So far that doesn’t seem to be the case with The Artful Escape but I’m skeptical about the longevity of the tactic’s successes. Paste published a piece that touches on this a bit, especially in relation to the recent 12 Minutes:

Hey, Videogames, Let's Cool It with the Famous Actors for a Bit