The Artful Escape Reviews

🎸

Give the artists a raise

Repetitive and boring

Really fun. Beautiful artistry.

The Artful Escape isn’t just a game—it’s an electrifying voyage through sound, identity, and self-expression. Developed by Beethoven & Dinosaur, this indie masterpiece takes players on a visually stunning and sonically immersive journey that feels like a love letter to rock operas, cosmic storytelling, and, for many of us, the golden days of Guitar Hero. From the moment I picked up my in-game guitar as Francis Vendetti, a young musician struggling with the weight of his folk-legend uncle’s legacy, I felt an undeniable wave of nostalgia. It wasn’t just the story of an artist trying to find his own voice; it was the way The Artful Escape translated the sheer joy of shredding a guitar into a cosmic platforming experience. Much like Guitar Hero made me feel like a rockstar in my living room, this game reignited that same childlike wonder—the feeling of being on stage, hitting every note, and letting the music take over. 🥹🎸 What really hit home was how The Artful Escape doesn’t just use music as background noise—it makes it the very essence of its world. The neon-drenched landscapes pulse to the rhythm of your guitar, and the simple-yet-satisfying mechanic of holding a button to unleash epic solos brought back memories of hitting a perfect streak on Through the Fire and Flames. While Guitar Hero was all about skill and timing, The Artful Escape is more about pure expression. There’s no failure, no pressure—just an invitation to riff through the universe, carving out your own sonic identity. Beyond the gameplay, the soundtrack is phenomenal, blending space-rock, folk, and synth-infused symphonies to create an atmosphere that feels both otherworldly and deeply personal. It’s a reminder of why rhythm games like Guitar Hero resonated so strongly—the music wasn’t just a backdrop; it was the heart and soul of the experience. For those who grew up pretending to be rock legends with a plastic guitar in hand, The Artful Escape is a beautiful return to that fantasy. It’s a different kind of music game, one that trades difficulty for spectacle, but it taps into the same dream: to lose yourself in sound, to become larger than life, and to feel—if only for a moment—like a star. Would I have loved some actual rhythm-based sections to mimic Guitar Hero’s note charts? Absolutely. But what The Artful Escape offers instead is something just as magical: a personal, introspective, and wildly creative journey through the power of music. If Guitar Hero made you fall in love with shredding, The Artful Escape reminds you why you never wanted to stop.

As an ADHD kid with an overactive imagination and an affinity for rock and metal, this is basically what I'd always wished real life would be like. There were two separate moments where I just stood in place, wailed on my guitar for a few minutes and damn near teared up. I don't even really know why. I'm not sure any game has spoken to my soul this deeply.

Ever since the reveal, I wanted to try this game. It took a few years, but I finally got around to it. Now that I've started, I’d say the game is both what I wanted and not. I loved the visuals—it's definitely up there with its unique style. The music is great and fits the atmosphere well. However, the gameplay is lacking. There are at most five buttons you need to press, and I wasn’t a fan of that. Nothing much really happens—just occasional jumps and stomps. That’s basically the game, nothing more, nothing less. The characters are pretty good, but I didn’t feel much of a connection to them. They were just... okay. The voice acting was solid, though I didn’t expect it to have voice acting at all. Overall, if you enjoy being completely brain-dead and walking in one direction, this is the game for you. If you enjoy music, it’s definitely worth a shot. There are a few life lessons in the game that I found insightful, but overall, it’s not worth the time. I would wait for a sale before considering it.