''The Artful Escape'' is a
platform video game
A platform game (often simplified as platformer and sometimes called a jump 'n' run game) is a sub-genre of action game, action video games in which the core objective is to move the player character between points in an environment. Platform game ...
developed by Beethoven & Dinosaur, published by
Annapurna Interactive
Annapurna Games, LLC (trade name: Annapurna Interactive) is an American video game publisher. The company is a division of Annapurna Pictures, and was founded in 2016. Notable games released by the company include ''Donut County'', ''Kentucky Rout ...
for
Microsoft Windows
Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...
,
Xbox One
The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third base console in the Xbox series of video game consoles. It was first released in North America, parts of ...
, and
Xbox Series X/S
The Xbox Series X/S are home video game consoles developed by Microsoft. They were both released on November 10, 2020, as the fourth generation Xbox, succeeding the Xbox One. Along with Sony's PlayStation 5, also released in November 2020, t ...
. The game was released on September 9, 2021, and released for
PlayStation 4
The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013 in ...
,
PlayStation 5
The PlayStation 5 (PS5) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 4 in April 2019, it was launched on November 12, 2020, in Australia, Japan, New Zealand, North Ame ...
and
Nintendo Switch
The is a hybrid video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. The console itself is a Tablet computer#Gaming tablet, tablet that can either be docking station, docked for use as a home video ...
on January 25, 2022.
Plot
The fictional town of Calypso, Colorado is the birthplace of the deceased folk-music legend, Johnson Vendetti. On the 20th anniversary of his groundbreaking album during the 1970s, the town is holding a large festival, and Johnson's nephew, Francis Vendetti (
Michael Johnston), is expected to play Johnson's folk songs at a concert. However, Francis struggles with living in the shadow of his uncle and follow folk music when he really wants to play rock music.
The day before the concert, he meets an odd woman, Violetta (Caroline Kinley), who dares him to take risks, such as climbing a tree he had been scared of climbing before. She tells Francis to look for Lightman's before she heads off, despite Francis not knowing of any such place in Calypso.
That night, Francis is visited by an alien Zomm (
Jason Schwartzman
Jason Francesco Schwartzman (born June 26, 1980) is an American actor and musician.
Schwartzman made his film debut in Wes Anderson's 1998 film '' Rushmore'', and has gone on to appear in six other Anderson films: ''The Darjeeling Limited'' (20 ...
) who tells him he must meet Lightman. Recalling Violetta's words, he follows Zomm to find Lightman (
Carl Weathers
Carl Weathers (born January 14, 1948) is an American actor and former professional football player. He is known for his roles as boxer Apollo Creed in the first four ''Rocky'' films (1976–85), George Dillon in ''Predator'' (1987), Action Jac ...
), a guitarist that says he needs Francis to play as his opening act. Francis follows Lightman and Zomm through an impossible space below Calypso and finds himself in the Cosmic Extraordinary as they head towards the Cosmic Lung, Lightman's ship. Once there, Lightman explains that to travel through the Cosmic Extraordinary, they need to put on a show for the Glamourgonn (
Courtenay Taylor
Courtenay Taylor is an American actress. She is best known for her video game voice roles as Jack in the ''Mass Effect'' series, Ada Wong in the ''Resident Evil'' series, and the female Sole Survivor in ''Fallout 4''.
Career
Taylor has been na ...
) to gain clearance for the next station, which will be the only way Francis will be able to get back to Calypso in time for the concert. Francis discovers Violetta works as the head of Lightman's laser show but has reservations for Lightman's plans for Francis.
For Francis to be able to perform as Lightman's opening act, he first must travel to meet Stargordon (
Mark Strong
Mark Strong (born Marco Giuseppe Salussolia; 5 August 1963), is a British actor, best known for his film roles such as Prince Septimus in '' Stardust'' (2007), Archibald in ''RocknRolla'' (2008), Lord Henry Blackwood in ''Sherlock Holmes'' (20 ...
), a talent agent. There, Stargordon helps Francis conceive of a new name and identity to help sell himself, though senses that the weight of Johnson's influence still haunts Francis' life. With this identity, Francis performs for the Heliotromm, who is impressed with his performance and offers to broadcast it across the galaxy, but Francis declines, still fearing drawing attention to himself. Lightman then sends Francis to the planet of Glimmerdimm to play at a highly exclusive nightclub, but after his performance, Francis finds the only way back is to locate the warp turtle, held in fashion-strict Glimmer City. An alien, Frida, helps Francis to create a new outfit purposely to cause a ruckus in Glimmer City and reach the turtle.
Back at the Cosmic Organ, Francis learns that Lightman is no longer captain of the ship but instead Francis has been promoted due to his performances. Feeling guilty, Francis offers Lightman to be his opening act but allows Lightman to select the stage. Lightman heads to the Hyperion Wailzone, where the Glamourgonn lives. Violetta tells Francis that Lightman was the only person to have performed and survived the Glamourgonn twenty years ago and may be trying to recapture his glory. Francis follows and eventually meets with the Glamourgonn's agent, the Tastemaker (
Lena Headey
Lena Kathren Headey ( ; born 3 October 1973) is a British actress. She gained international recognition and acclaim for her portrayal of Cersei Lannister on the HBO epic fantasy drama series '' Game of Thrones'' (2011–2019), for which she re ...
), to arrange to see the Glamourgonn. She sees that Francis still has doubts about accepting this new identity and reveals that when Lightman had faced him, he had brought Johnson Vendetti along, who himself had disliked the folk music he wrote about. Because Francis is still in doubt, she denies both from seeing the Glamourgonn. Francis comes to an epiphany and comes to fully accept his new persona, and demonstrates this to the Tastemaker. She sees Francis has changed, and allows him to perform for the Glamourgonn. Francis's performance, aided by Violetta's laser show, impresses the Glamourgonn, and she grants passage for the Cosmic Lung as well as providing them with a separate vehicle.
Violetta returns Francis back to Calypso, well after the concert was to go on, and promises that she will come back to see him some day. Francis goes to perform at the planned after-party event, showcasing his rock styling and new persona and stunning the crowd.
Gameplay
''The Artful Escape'' is a
platform game
A platform game (often simplified as platformer and sometimes called a jump 'n' run game) is a sub-genre of action video games in which the core objective is to move the player character between points in an environment. Platform games are charac ...
, where the player controls Francis in moving him across a musical-infused landscape. Besides running and jumping, Francis has a guitar which he can play to create various effects, such as interacting with the scenery or facing
boss
Boss may refer to:
Occupations
* Supervisor, often referred to as boss
* Air boss, more formally, air officer, the person in charge of aircraft operations on an aircraft carrier
* Crime boss, the head of a criminal organization
* Fire boss, a ...
characters.
Development
''The Artful Escape'' was conceived of by Johnny "Galvatron", one of the founding members and lead guitarist of the band
The Galvatrons
The Galvatrons are a four-piece rock band who formed on 28 August 2007, in Geelong, Australia. Lead singer Johnny Galvatron stated on radio station 101.3 Sea FM on the Central Coast that the band got their name from the 1986 animated film Tra ...
. Prior to forming the band, Galvatron had studied film and computer animation in college in Melbourne, Australia, but then formed The Galvatrons and had a record deal with
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...
shortly after graduation. During the nearly ten years he spent with the band, he also continued his interest in video games, submitted some articles for various publications and creating small games based on the band's music while they toured Australia and the United Kingdom.
Galvatron grew weary from the long tours and had been drawn more into the artistic goals. The band eventually went on hiatus, which allowed Galvatron to pursue other creative efforts, including writing a book, creating a short film, and eventually into game development.
''The Artful Escape'', as described by Galvatron, is a story in the vein of "
David Bowie
David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...
traveling off from London on an interstellar trip to create
Ziggy Stardust".
In addition to Bowie, Galvatron cited works by
Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick (; July 26, 1928 – March 7, 1999) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and photographer. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, his films, almost all of which are adaptations of nove ...
,
Wes Anderson
Wesley Wales Anderson (born May 1, 1969) is an American filmmaker. His films are known for their eccentricity and unique visual and narrative styles. They often contain themes of grief, loss of innocence, and dysfunctional families. Cited by so ...
and
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Spie ...
to help establish the art style he used for the game, as well as using his own experiences from the music touring and the music industry.
Some of the character and world designs are based on doodles that Galvatron made in his school books when he was younger.
Johnson Vendetti is based on folk music legend
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...
, according to Galvatron.
Galvatron formed Beethoven & Dinosaur, an Australian studio, to work on the game. The studio includes composer
Josh Abrahams
Josh Abrahams (born 1968 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia) is an Australian musician who emerged from the underground dance music scene in the early 1990s. He has performed and recorded under the stage name Puretone, and is also known as The ...
, guitarist Eden Altman and programmers Justin Blackwell and Sean Slevin. The studio received $17,000 from an Unreal Dev Grant from
Epic Games
Epic Games, Inc. is an American video game and software developer and publisher based in Cary, North Carolina. The company was founded by Tim Sweeney as Potomac Computer Systems in 1991, originally located in his parents' house in Potomac, M ...
for ''The Artful Escape of Francis Vendetti'' in June 2015 to help them develop the title on the
Unreal Engine 4
Unreal Engine (UE) is a 3D computer graphics game engine developed by Epic Games, first showcased in the 1998 first-person shooter game ''Unreal''. Initially developed for PC first-person shooters, it has since been used in a variety of genre ...
.
The studio then got approval through the
Steam Greenlight
Steam is a video game digital distribution service and storefront by Valve. It was launched as a software client in September 2003 as a way for Valve to provide automatic updates for their games, and expanded to distributing and offering third ...
program for publishing on the Steam platform in the following month.
The studio launched a
Kickstarter
Kickstarter is an American public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative projects to life". As of July 2021, ...
in March 2016 to secure about $35,000 in additional funds for completing the
Microsoft Windows
Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...
and
OS X
macOS (; previously OS X and originally Mac OS X) is a Unix operating system developed and marketed by Apple Inc. since 2001. It is the primary operating system for Apple's Mac computers. Within the market of desktop and lapt ...
version of the game.
However, the Kickstarter failed to raise sufficient funds, but the studio was able to secure a publication deal with
Annapurna Interactive
Annapurna Games, LLC (trade name: Annapurna Interactive) is an American video game publisher. The company is a division of Annapurna Pictures, and was founded in 2016. Notable games released by the company include ''Donut County'', ''Kentucky Rout ...
to continue development of the game, and allowing for development of console versions on the
PlayStation 4
The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013 in ...
and
Xbox One
The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third base console in the Xbox series of video game consoles. It was first released in North America, parts of ...
.
The game, still under the name ''The Artful Escape of Francis Vendetti'', was first shown in playable form at
PAX East
PAX (originally known as Penny Arcade Expo) is a series of gaming culture festivals involving tabletop, arcade, and video gaming. PAX is held annually in Seattle, Boston and Philadelphia in the United States; and Melbourne in Australia. PAX was ...
during March 2017.
The game had a larger reveal during the
Electronic Entertainment Expo 2017
The Electronic Entertainment Expo 2017 (E3 2017) was the 23rd E3, during which hardware manufacturers and software developers and publishers from the video game industry presented new and upcoming products to the attendees, primarily retailers a ...
that June as a featured title in
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology corporation producing computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at the Microsoft Redmond campus located in Redmond, Washing ...
's press conference, where it was revealed that the game would have a console-exclusive release on the Xbox One.
At Microsoft's Xbox London event in November 2019, the game was confirmed for a 2020 release date on Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, and for
iOS
iOS (formerly iPhone OS) is a mobile operating system created and developed by Apple Inc. exclusively for its hardware. It is the operating system that powers many of the company's mobile devices, including the iPhone; the term also includes ...
devices via
Apple Arcade
Apple Arcade is a video game subscription service offered by Apple Inc. It is available through a dedicated tab of the App Store on devices running iOS 13, tvOS 13, iPadOS 13, and macOS Catalina or later. The service launched on September 19 ...
. In November 2020, Annapurna Interactive confirmed that the game was delayed to 2021.
The game was one featured during Annapurna Interactive's July 2021 showcase. In addition to the planned September 9, 2021 release, it was shown that the game will include voicework from
Michael Johnston as Francis,
Caroline Kinley as Violetta, along with supporting voice work from
Lena Headey
Lena Kathren Headey ( ; born 3 October 1973) is a British actress. She gained international recognition and acclaim for her portrayal of Cersei Lannister on the HBO epic fantasy drama series '' Game of Thrones'' (2011–2019), for which she re ...
(the Tastemaker),
Jason Schwartzman
Jason Francesco Schwartzman (born June 26, 1980) is an American actor and musician.
Schwartzman made his film debut in Wes Anderson's 1998 film '' Rushmore'', and has gone on to appear in six other Anderson films: ''The Darjeeling Limited'' (20 ...
(Zomm),
Mark Strong
Mark Strong (born Marco Giuseppe Salussolia; 5 August 1963), is a British actor, best known for his film roles such as Prince Septimus in '' Stardust'' (2007), Archibald in ''RocknRolla'' (2008), Lord Henry Blackwood in ''Sherlock Holmes'' (20 ...
(Stargordon), and
Carl Weathers
Carl Weathers (born January 14, 1948) is an American actor and former professional football player. He is known for his roles as boxer Apollo Creed in the first four ''Rocky'' films (1976–85), George Dillon in ''Predator'' (1987), Action Jac ...
(Lightman).
Beethoven & Dinosaur were the recipients of a small business grant from the City of Melbourne in 2017.
Reception
''The Artful Escape'' received "generally favorable" reviews, according to review aggregator
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
.
''
GamesRadar+
''GamesRadar+'' (formerly ''GamesRadar'') is an entertainment website for video game-related news, previews, and reviews. It is owned by Future plc. In late 2014, Future Publishing-owned sites ''Total Film'', '' SFX'', ''Edge'' and '' Computer ...
'' praised the voice cast, singling out the performances of Michael Johnston and Caroline Kinley as helping to "ground the world in human emotion". ''
GameSpot
''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. In addition ...
'' liked the game's art and aesthetic, but criticized the writing, saying that the cast "speak in strange metaphors that aim for artful but end up hitting hackneyed". ''
IGN
''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
'' enjoyed the levels and the audio of ''The Artful Escape,'' writing that "the performances of its cast and the quality of its soundtrack are every bit as stellar as the eye-popping celestial realms it crisscrosses through".
Rachel Watts of ''
PC Gamer
''PC Gamer'' is a magazine and website founded in the United Kingdom in 1993 devoted to PC gaming and published monthly by Future plc. The magazine has several regional editions, with the UK and US editions becoming the best selling PC games ma ...
'' felt the gameplay of ''The Artful Escape'' didn't live up to the graphical side, "The Artful Escape's musical guitar mechanics never reach the heights of its showstopping visuals". ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' liked the message of the game, describing it as "a touching tale of how to break free of the creative expectations of others". ''
Kotaku
''Kotaku'' is a video game website and blog that was originally launched in 2004 as part of the Gawker Media network. Notable former contributors to the site include Luke Smith, Cecilia D'Anastasio, Tim Rogers, and Jason Schreier.
History
...
'' disliked the short length of the musical puzzles sequences, writing that it was "not long enough to enjoy the proceedings". ''
Rock Paper Shotgun
''Rock Paper Shotgun'' (also rendered ''Rock, Paper, Shotgun''; short ''RPS'') is a UK-based website for reporting on video games, primarily for PC. Originally launched on 13 July 2007 as an independent site, ''Rock Paper Shotgun'' was acquir ...
''s Matthew Castle wished the game had more replayability beyond the initial playthrough, saying the game was "An awesome ride, but it does mean you've heard everything it has to offer in a couple of hours".
''Polygon'' cited it as the 44th best game of 2021, saying the game offered "the most over-the-top, luxurious, self-indulgent, entertaining moments of any game this year." ''
Push Square
Gamer Network Limited (formerly Eurogamer Network Limited) is a British mass media company based in Brighton. Founded in 1999 by Rupert and Nick Loman, it owns brands—primarily editorial websites—relating to video game journalism and other ...
'' gave the game seven stars out of ten, praising its guitar battles, art direction, soundtrack, writing, and voicing while criticizing the lack of substantial gameplay, frame drops, and occasionally clunky platforming. ''
Nintendo Life
Gamer Network Limited (formerly Eurogamer Network Limited) is a British mass media company based in Brighton. Founded in 1999 by Rupert and Nick Loman, it owns brands—primarily editorial websites—relating to video game journalism and other ...
'' reviewed the
Switch
In electrical engineering, a switch is an electrical component that can disconnect or connect the conducting path in an electrical circuit, interrupting the electric current or diverting it from one conductor to another. The most common type of ...
port of the game, giving it eight stars, lauding its sights, sounds, and imaginative ideas while taking issue with the underused best bits, light gameplay, and sacrifices made to port the game to the Switch.
Accolades
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Artful Escape, The
2021 video games
Music video games
Platform games
Nintendo Switch games
PlayStation 4 games
PlayStation 5 games
Windows games
Xbox One games
Xbox Series X and Series S games
Unreal Engine games
Single-player video games
Annapurna Interactive games
Video games developed in Australia
Video games set in Colorado
BAFTA winners (video games)