When comparing DEEMO vs The Escapists 2, the Slant community recommends The Escapists 2 for most people. In the question“What are the best indie games for the Nintendo Switch?” The Escapists 2 is ranked 19th while DEEMO is ranked 30th. The most important reason people chose The Escapists 2 is:
There is no right or wrong way to do anything, and it's entirely a risk vs reward scenario for anything you want to try. You are only limited by your creativity in escaping, as each prison has almost endless possibilities and encourages the player to make the best use of their inventory and be creative in handling every situation. Bed sheets can be used to cover cell windows from the prying eyes of guards, desks can be moved to reach out of reach vents, crafted tools can be used for various purposes such as breaking through walls or doors, and shovels can be used to dig holes. You can try to sneak around guards, or opt to hide in vents until they're out of sight. If you're feeling especially brave, you can even attempt to fight the guards and take their keys allowing easier access around the prison.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Mysterious and heart-warming story
Deemo, a shadowy being is sitting alone in his castle when a girl named Alice mysteriously falls from a trapdoor in the sky. In order to help Alice get home, Deemo must play songs that will grow a magical tree tall enough to reach the sky. This opening is almost dreamlike, which helps set a mysterious tone and give the story a surreal edge.
However, the core of the story itself is a rather a heart-warming tale that focuses on the friendship that forms between Deemo and Alice. It takes some twists and turns through some melancholy and rather touching moments between the two protagonists, and has a heavy emphasis on the bond between the pair. As the two work together to help Alice get home, it's hard not to get attached to the characters and cheer for them along on their journey.
Pro Fun piano based gameplay
The rhythm based segments of Deemo are done incredibly well. Notes are falling from the top of the screen and you'll be tapping and sliding your fingers in rapid movements to catch them. Often times, the notes are falling in such a way so that your actions mirror the hand movements of a real piano player. Whether you're just tapping the basic chords or wildly waving your fingers around during chords and arpeggios trying to hit each and every note, it's quite fun to hear the songs play out knowing you're the one making it happen.
Pro Sense of accomplishment thanks to the difficulty scaling
You don't have to have lightning reflexes or be a piano virtuoso to feel like you're making progress. For the easiest of songs, you'll just be following along with the rhythm and hitting the basic anchor notes. As the difficulty slides up, more chords, parallel movements, and arpeggios are thrown into the mix. Regardless of the difficulty level you're playing on, there's a distinct sense of accomplishment every time you make your way to the end of a piece knowing you hit all the important notes (even if you don't nail every solo).
Pro Great song selection
Deemo features over 200 songs to learn and play along with. These songs cover a wide range of genres and styles including rock, jazz, lounge, dubstep, folk, ragtime, jpop, and more. From fast to slow, hard to soft, and everything in between - no matter what your musical tastes are, you'll be able to play along and enjoy a plethora of various songs.
Pro Encourages experimentation and creativity
There is no right or wrong way to do anything, and it's entirely a risk vs reward scenario for anything you want to try. You are only limited by your creativity in escaping, as each prison has almost endless possibilities and encourages the player to make the best use of their inventory and be creative in handling every situation.
Bed sheets can be used to cover cell windows from the prying eyes of guards, desks can be moved to reach out of reach vents, crafted tools can be used for various purposes such as breaking through walls or doors, and shovels can be used to dig holes. You can try to sneak around guards, or opt to hide in vents until they're out of sight. If you're feeling especially brave, you can even attempt to fight the guards and take their keys allowing easier access around the prison.
Pro Good balance of game systems make for a rewarding simulation
Taking action in the game uses up your stamina, so you'll still have to make time for things like eating and sleeping if you want to have energy for things like digging through walls, fighting other inmates, or cutting through vents and gates.
Items such as shovels and cutters have limited durability, so they can't be used endlessly. Raw materials can be found around the prison to craft items, or you can buy items from fences using money earned by running fetch quests for other inmates. No matter how you acquire them, crafting materials and finished goods are limited so you'll have to use your items wisely.
Time is an important factor that has to be managed too, with certain activities having to be done at certain times. This limits the amount of time you have to roam the prison, since you have to show up for meal times and roll calls. Free time can be used to craft, roam the prison to determine the guard patterns, or finally put your ultimate escape plan into action.
Juggling each and every one of the various aspects of the game results in a very deep and rewarding simulation experience.
Pro Solid progression of difficulty
The difficulty increases as you progress, with each prison becoming just a little more intricate and more challenging to escape from than the previous. The prisons themselves get more complex with more obstacles to overcome such as tougher guards which results in more ways things can go wrong. The progress feels good and natural, as you're always building on what you learned in previous prisons to escape from the newest one.
Pro Great pixel art style for retro fans
If you enjoy a more retro style, then this game is pure eye candy. Simple but charming, the pixel art is colorful, with the sprites having a nice variety in animations when they're shoveling, searching, running around, fighting, or partaking in any kind of activity that would require movement. The tile sets for the game world are nicely detailed, colored and shaded. You won't get tired of looking at the same tiles over and over due to the sheer amount and variety of the art assets created for the game.
Pro Lots of replayability
No two games will play out alike. Each prison is an open sandbox, so it's definitely not a linear experience with a defined escape blueprint. Prisons can be replayed over and over to beat your previous time, measured in how many in-game days it took you to escape, which leaves plenty of room for trying new things on each successive playthrough.
Pro Co-Op multiplayer mode adds a new depth to gameplay
Working together creates a whole new experience with loads of possibilities. In co-op mode, you play with up to 3 teammates either online or locally as you work towards escaping the prison together. This adds a whole new dynamic to gameplay as working together creates experiences that just aren't possible when playing solo. Someone could distract the guards, while another searches rooms for crafting materials. One player could run around collecting items, while another scopes out the guard's patrol patterns. Some can complete quests to collect money while others are working on digging tunnels.
Pro A couple of alternative prisons add a change of scenery
Tired of bricks, cold floors, and cement cells? For those who want a change of scenery, there is a prison set in the wild west, and even a futuristic space prison. This adds a little bit of variety to the look of the game while keeping the same gameplay mechanics. It's a nice touch and gives your eyes a break from staring at the same tilesets over and over.
Cons
Con Can get repetitive
In order to advance the story, sometimes you will have to play the same song over and over until you get it right.
Con Hard mode can be frustrating
Some of the hard mode songs contain certain piano solos with a lot of minor tempo variations. These don't translate well into the gameplay due to the way the notes fall. As a result, unless you can sightread music, it's an exercise in frustration.
Con Getting caught by guards can be overly punishing
It's frustrating when you spend several hours grinding quests for other inmates, collecting items, crafting, and carefully planning your escape, only to get caught by guards and lose all your items or killed. This effectively means you have to start over, wasting hours of your own time and days of in-game time.
Con Can feel grindy at times
Running around doing fetch quests for other inmates, or searching for crafting materials for hours on end can get stale after a while.
Con Tutorial doesn't cover much
The tutorial will only walk you through the barest of basics, resulting in the player having to learn the game's various mechanics on their own.