When comparing GoNNER 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 GoNNER is ranked 31st. 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
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Pros
Pro Intense platforming gameplay
While the vast majority of GoNNER's gameplay consists of running, jumping, and shooting groups of mysterious red creatures, two design choices really up the intensity of each playthrough.
First, the procedurally-generated environments are fairly narrow. This means combat turns into claustrophobic encounters where there's very little room to evade and kite enemies. Because of this, most kills will happen at point blank range, making it feel a little too close for comfort.
Second, while enemies and objects of interest are always visible, the level's platforms fade into existence as you move close to them and disappear as you move away. This adds a layer of uncertainty, slowing down the exploration since it's hard to tell where you'll hit a wall and where you'll tumble down into a pit of enemies.
These two aspects combined with the permadeath mechanic, create a very intense roguelike experience that can easily keep you entertained for dozens of hours.
Pro You retain progression after dying
Playing roguelike games can be disheartening, because messing up means all your effort will go to waste. In GoNNER, even after you die, you still retain the gear you've collected, which can be viewed by visiting "Death" in its monochrome domain. There you can select from the collected pieces of gear and head into a new playthrough. As a result, GoNNER is a great choice for players that would like to try a roguelike game, but dislike the idea of starting from scratch every time they die.
Pro Unique visual style
GoNNER takes a very minimalist approach to visuals, using the bare minimum to decorate its levels and portray the on-screen action. There's a solid color background, sketched lines that create the world's platforms, yellow projectiles and colorful (mostly red) characters. Despite the sheer simplicity, it looks really nice while also making the worlds inhabitants more interesting, since you're not excessively focusing on environmental details. GoNNER feels like a refreshing change of pace in an era of games where every developer tries to cram as much into a single screen as possible.
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 Might feel a little too cryptic at times
Aside from the intro sequence where you're taught to jump and shoot, GoNNER never provides an explanation about anything, whether it's the gameplay mechanics or its mysterious setting. While the concept of "figuring stuff out on your own" works well in other games, here it just serves to needlessly add confusion on top of difficulty, which can worsen the experience for some players.
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.