The Artful Escape

Last updated

The Artful Escape
Artful Escape Header.png
Developer(s) Beethoven & Dinosaur
Publisher(s) Annapurna Interactive
Director(s) Johnny Galvatron
Producer(s)
  • Justin Blackwell
  • Dean Woodward
Programmer(s) Sean Slevin
Composer(s)
Engine Unreal Engine 4
Platform(s)
Release
  • Windows, Xbox One, Series X/S
  • September 9, 2021
  • Switch, PS4, PS5
  • January 25, 2022
Genre(s) Platform
Mode(s) Single-player

The Artful Escape is a platform video game developed by Beethoven & Dinosaur and published by Annapurna Interactive. The game was originally released on September 9, 2021 for Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S, and for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch on January 25, 2022. [1] [2]

Contents

Gameplay

The Artful Escape is a platform game, 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 characters. [3]

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. [4] [5] 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) who tells him he must meet Lightman. Recalling Violetta's words, he follows Zomm to find Lightman (Carl Weathers in his final voice acting role), 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) 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), 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), 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. [4] [5]

Development

The Artful Escape was conceived of by Johnny "Galvatron", one of the founding members and lead guitarist of the band The Galvatrons. 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. 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. [4] 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. [4]

The Artful Escape, as described by Galvatron, is a story in the vein of "David Bowie traveling off from London on an interstellar trip to create Ziggy Stardust". [4] In addition to Bowie, Galvatron cited works by Stanley Kubrick, Wes Anderson and Steven Spielberg 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. [4] Some of the character and world designs are based on doodles that Galvatron made in his school books when he was younger. [6] Johnson Vendetti is based on folk music legend Bob Dylan, according to Galvatron. [5]

Galvatron formed Beethoven & Dinosaur, an Australian studio, to work on the game. The studio includes composer Josh Abrahams, guitarist Eden Altman and programmers Justin Blackwell and Sean Slevin. The studio received $17,000 from an Unreal Dev Grant from Epic Games for The Artful Escape of Francis Vendetti in June 2015 to help them develop the title on the Unreal Engine 4. [7] The studio then got approval through the Steam Greenlight program for publishing on the Steam platform in the following month. [4] The studio launched a Kickstarter in March 2016 to secure about $35,000 in additional funds for completing the Microsoft Windows and OS X version of the game. [4] However, the Kickstarter failed to raise sufficient funds, but the studio was able to secure a publication deal with Annapurna Interactive to continue development of the game, and allowing for development of console versions on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. [6]

The game, still under the name The Artful Escape of Francis Vendetti, was first shown in playable form at PAX East during March 2017. [6] The game had a larger reveal during the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2017 that June as a featured title in Microsoft's press conference, where it was revealed that the game would have a console-exclusive release on the Xbox One. [8] 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 devices via Apple Arcade. [9] In November 2020, Annapurna Interactive confirmed that the game was delayed to 2021. [10]

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 would include voicework from Michael Johnston as Francis, Caroline Kinley as Violetta, along with supporting voice work from Lena Headey (the Tastemaker), Jason Schwartzman (Zomm), Mark Strong (Stargordon), and Carl Weathers (Lightman). [11]

Beethoven & Dinosaur were the recipients of a small business grant from the City of Melbourne in 2017. [12]

Reception

The Artful Escape received "generally favorable" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic. [13] [14] [15]

GamesRadar+ praised the voice cast, singling out the performances of Michael Johnston and Caroline Kinley as helping to "ground the world in human emotion". [21] GameSpot 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". [20] IGN 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". [22]

Rachel Watts of PC Gamer 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". [24] The Guardian liked the message of the game, describing it as "a touching tale of how to break free of the creative expectations of others". [27] Kotaku disliked the short length of the musical puzzles sequences, writing that it was "not long enough to enjoy the proceedings". [29] Rock Paper Shotgun '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". [30] 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." [31] Push Square 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. [25] Nintendo Life reviewed the Switch 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. [23]

Accolades

YearOrganizationAwardResultRef
2021 Golden Joystick Awards Best AudioNominated [32]
Best Visual DesignNominated
Xbox Game of the YearNominated
The Game Awards 2021 Best Art DirectionNominated [33]
Best Score and MusicNominated
Best Debut Indie GameNominated
2022 25th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction Nominated [34]
18th British Academy Games Awards Artistic AchievementWon [35]
Audio AchievementNominated
Debut Game Nominated

Related Research Articles

<i>The Wolf Among Us</i> 2013 video game

The Wolf Among Us is an episodic graphic neo-noir mystery-drama adventure game developed by Telltale Games, based on Bill Willingham's Fables comic book series, to which it serves as a prequel. The game consists of five episodes that were released throughout 2013 and 2014. Retail versions for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Xbox 360, and Xbox One consoles were made available in November 2014. In the game, the player controls Bigby Wolf, the sheriff of Fabletown – a clandestine community within 1980s New York City consisting of various fantastical characters from fairy tales and folklore – and must investigate a series of mysterious murders, the first ones to occur in Fabletown in a long time.

<i>Saints Row IV</i> 2013 action-adventure game

Saints Row IV is a 2013 action-adventure game developed by Volition and published by Deep Silver. It is the sequel to 2011's Saints Row: The Third, the fourth installment of the Saints Row series, and the final main installment in the original series that began with the original game. The game was released in August 2013 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360, and was later ported to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Linux in 2015. A Nintendo Switch port was released on March 27, 2020, and a Google Stadia port was released on November 1, 2021.

<i>Outlast</i> 2013 horror video game

Outlast is a 2013 first-person psychological horror game video game developed and published by Red Barrels. The game revolves around a freelance investigative journalist, Miles Upshur, who decides to investigate a remote psychiatric hospital named Mount Massive Asylum, located deep in the mountains of Lake County, Colorado.

<i>Tales from the Borderlands</i> Episodic video game

Tales from the Borderlands is an episodic interactive comedy graphic adventure sci-fi video game based on the Borderlands series. It was developed by Telltale Games under license from Gearbox Software, the developer of the Borderlands series, and 2K, its publisher. The game was released in November 2014 for Android, iOS, Microsoft Windows, OS X, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and in 2021 for Nintendo Switch.

<i>Gorogoa</i> 2017 puzzle video game

Gorogoa is a puzzle video game developed by Jason Roberts and published by Annapurna Interactive. The game was released for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, and iOS on 14 December 2017, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on 22 May 2018, and shortly thereafter an Android and Kindle Fire release.

<i>Wattam</i> 2019 video game

Wattam is a 2019 puzzle-platform game developed by Funomena and published by Annapurna Interactive. It was designed by Keita Takahashi, better known for creating the Katamari Damacy series, and was released for PlayStation 4 and Windows on December 17.

<i>Minecraft: Story Mode</i> 2015 video game

Minecraft: Story Mode is an episodic point-and-click video game developed and published by Telltale Games, based on Mojang Studios' sandbox video game Minecraft. The first five episodes were released between October 2015 through March 2016 and an additional three episodes were released as downloadable content (DLC) in mid-2016. A second season consisting of five episodes was released in 2017.

<i>Donut County</i> 2018 video game

Donut County is a puzzle video game developed by American designer Ben Esposito and published by Annapurna Interactive in 2018. The player moves a hole to swallow objects, which makes the hole increase in size. The concept originated in a game jam based on pitches from a Twitter account parody of game designer Peter Molyneux and later added a mechanic similar to that of Katamari Damacy. Other inspirations for the game included Hopi figurines—a theme Esposito later relinquished—and locations from Bruce Springsteen songs. Donut County was released in August 2018 for iOS, macOS, PlayStation 4, and Microsoft Windows platforms, while versions for Xbox One and Nintendo Switch were released in December 2018. It was also released for Android in December 2020.

<i>Outer Wilds</i> 2019 video game

Outer Wilds is a 2019 action-adventure video game developed by Mobius Digital and published by Annapurna Interactive. The game follows the player character as they explore a planetary system stuck in a 22-minute time loop that resets after the sun goes supernova and destroys the system. Through repeated attempts they investigate the alien ruins of the Nomai to discover their history and the cause of the time loop.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Annapurna Interactive</span> Video game publisher

Annapurna Games, LLC is an American video game publisher and developer. The company is a division of Annapurna Pictures, and was founded in 2016. Notable games published by the company include Donut County, Kentucky Route Zero, Outer Wilds, Sayonara Wild Hearts, Wattam, What Remains of Edith Finch, Telling Lies, Neon White and Stray.

We Were Here is a franchise of cooperative first-person adventure video games, created by the Dutch studio Total Mayhem Games.

<i>Twelve Minutes</i> 2021 video game

Twelve Minutes is an adventure game developed by Luís António and published by Annapurna Interactive. It was originally released on August 19, 2021 for Windows, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S, with versions for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 released on December 7, 2021. A version for iOS and Android mobile devices was published by Netflix on December 13, 2022.

<i>The Lord of the Rings: Gollum</i> 2023 video game

The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is an action-adventure game developed by Daedalic Entertainment, which also published the game with Nacon. The game, set in the fictional world of Middle-earth created by J. R. R. Tolkien, takes place in between the events of The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring. The player controls Gollum through a series of locations, such as Cirith Ungol, Barad-dûr, and Mirkwood, as he attempts to find Bilbo Baggins and retake the One Ring whilst battling and avoiding Sauron. It was announced in March 2019 and delayed from its September 2021 launch window.

<i>Bayonetta</i> Video game series

Bayonetta is an urban fantasy action-adventure video game series created by Hideki Kamiya. It is developed by PlatinumGames, owned by Sega, and currently published by Nintendo. The franchise was introduced in 2009 with Bayonetta, which was followed by two sequels, Bayonetta 2 (2014) and Bayonetta 3 (2022), as well as a spinoff, Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon (2023). The games follow the titular character, a witch who wields dual pistols, shooters in her high heels, and long, magically transforming hair which becomes a deadly weapon.

<i>Last Stop</i> (video game) 2021 video game

Last Stop is a supernatural adventure video game developed by Variable State and published by Annapurna Interactive for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

<i>Mundaun</i> (video game) 2021 video game

Mundaun is a 2021 first-person horror game created by Swiss developer Hidden Fields and published by MWM Interactive. In the game, the player tries to reach the top of the mountain while solving puzzles and warding off enemies. The dialogue in the game is mostly spoken in Romansh. Critics praised the game's sketchbook-like art style, but criticized some of the puzzles as being obtuse. The game was released on March 16, 2021 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows. A Nintendo Switch port was released on May 27. Versions for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S were released on June 29, 2023.

<i>Solar Ash</i> 2021 video game

Solar Ash is an action-adventure platform game game developed by Heart Machine and published by Annapurna Interactive. It was released on December 2, 2021 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and Microsoft Windows. It was also released via Steam on December 8, 2022, and it was released for Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S on September 14, 2023. The game's science fiction story explores themes of trauma and moving on from dramatic, devastating life events. It is set in the same fictional universe as Heart Machine's first and previous game, Hyper Light Drifter, but there are no direct connections between the two games' stories.

<i>SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake</i> 2023 video game

SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake is a 2023 platform video game developed by Purple Lamp and published by THQ Nordic. The game is based on the Nickelodeon animated series SpongeBob SquarePants. The player controls SpongeBob, who, along with Patrick, journeys across several alternate realities called "Wish Worlds" to save their friends and the town of Bikini Bottom while collecting Cosmic Jelly for the mermaid fortune teller Madame Kassandra. It was released for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One on January 31, 2023. It was also released for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S on October 23, 2023, iOS on December 12, 2023 and Android on December 21, 2023.

<i>A Memoir Blue</i> 2022 video game

A Memoir Blue is an interactive story and video game developed by studio Cloisters Interactive and published by Annapurna Interactive. The game was released on March 24, 2022 for Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S, and on November 3, 2022 for iOS.

<i>Thirsty Suitors</i> 2023 video game

Thirsty Suitors is an adventure video game developed by Outerloop Games and published by Annapurna Interactive. The game is about a young woman, Jala, who returns to her hometown for her sister's wedding and must navigate her relationships with her family and former paramours. The game was released on November 2, 2023, for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S. Ports to Android and iOS published by Netflix is in development.

References

  1. ↑ Verbrugge, Kieron (January 15, 2021). "The Artful Escape Has Appeared On The PlayStation Store". WellPlayed. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  2. ↑ Nightingale, Ed (January 19, 2022). "The Artful Escape heading to PlayStation and Switch". Eurogamer . Retrieved January 19, 2022.
  3. ↑ de Rochefort, Simone (June 15, 2017). "The Artful Escape is the most beautiful platformer at E3". Polygon . Retrieved June 17, 2017.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Frank, Allega (March 30, 2016). "Why one dev gave up the rock star life for a kickstarter project". Polygon . Retrieved June 17, 2017.
  5. 1 2 3 Takahashi, Dean (June 24, 2017). "The Artful Escape of Francis Vendetti: hands-on impressions". Venture Beat . Retrieved June 24, 2017.
  6. 1 2 3 D'Anastasio, Cecilia (March 30, 2017). "A Musical Indie Game Starring A Teen With A Cosmic Guitar". Kotaku . Retrieved June 17, 2017.
  7. ↑ Cowley, Dana (June 1, 2015). "Epic Games Awards Unreal Dev Grant to 'The Artful Escape of Francis Vendetti'". Epic Games . Retrieved June 17, 2017.
  8. ↑ Frank, Allegra (June 11, 2017). "The Artful Escape is Xbox One's most beautiful, rock-filled indie". Polygon . Retrieved June 17, 2017.
  9. ↑ Winslow, Jeremy (November 14, 2019). "PS4, Xbox One Getting Acclaimed Theme Park Game Planet Coaster And More". GameSpot . Retrieved November 14, 2019.
  10. ↑ Borthwick, Ben (November 19, 2020). "12 Minutes, The Artful Escape and Last Stop delayed to 2021". VideoGamer.com. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
  11. ↑ Phillips, Tom (July 29, 2021). "The Artful Escape sparkles onto Steam and Xbox in September". Eurogamer . Retrieved July 29, 2021.
  12. ↑ "Small business grants recipients 2017". City of Melbourne . Archived from the original on December 6, 2018. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
  13. 1 2 "The Artful Escape for PC Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved September 11, 2021.
  14. 1 2 "The Artful Escape for Xbox One Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved November 19, 2021.
  15. 1 2 "The Artful Escape for Xbox Series X Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved November 19, 2021.
  16. ↑ "The Artful Escape for Switch Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved April 16, 2022.
  17. ↑ "The Artful Escape for PlayStation 5 Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved April 16, 2022.
  18. ↑ Donlan, Christian (December 15, 2021). "The Artful Escape review - press your space face close to mine". Eurogamer . Retrieved February 5, 2022.
  19. ↑ Groot, Jill (September 11, 2021). "The Artful Escape Review – A Rocking Space Oddity". Game Informer . Archived from the original on September 8, 2021. Retrieved September 11, 2021.
  20. 1 2 King, Andrew (September 14, 2021). "The Artful Escape Review - Nowhere Nephew". GameSpot . Retrieved February 5, 2022.
  21. 1 2 Mercante, Alyssa (September 11, 2021). "The Artful Escape review: 'Like conducting a psychedelic alien orchestra set to acid rock'". GamesRadar . Retrieved September 11, 2021.
  22. 1 2 Ogilvie, Tristan (September 11, 2021). "The Artful Escape Review". IGN . Retrieved September 11, 2021.
  23. 1 2 Ingram, Roland (January 31, 2022). "The Artful Escape Review (Switch eShop)". Nintendo Life . Retrieved February 5, 2022.
  24. 1 2 Watts, Rachel (September 17, 2021). "The Artful Escape review". PC Gamer . Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  25. 1 2 Banas, Graham (January 25, 2022). "Mini Review: The Artful Escape (PS5) – A Visual Treat That's Light on Gameplay". Push Square . Retrieved February 5, 2022.
  26. ↑ Jarrad, Chris (September 11, 2021). "The Artful Escape review: Tangled up in neon blue". Shacknews . Retrieved September 11, 2021.
  27. 1 2 Parkin, Simon (October 2, 2021). "The Artful Escape review – Bowie meets Hitchhiker's in gratifying teenage space opera". The Guardian . Retrieved February 5, 2022.
  28. ↑ Wise, Josh (September 11, 2021). "The Artful Escape review". VideoGamer.com. Retrieved September 11, 2021.
  29. ↑ Walker, Alex (September 10, 2021). "The Artful Escape Is A Heartwarming, Psychedelic Tween Adventure". Kotaku. Retrieved November 10, 2021.
  30. ↑ Castle, Matthew (September 8, 2021). "The Artful Escape review: musical odyssey is a one hit wonder". Rock, Paper, Shotgun . Retrieved November 10, 2021.
  31. ↑ Leone, Matt; et al. (December 10, 2021). "The 50 best video games of 2021". Polygon . Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  32. ↑ Moyse, Chris (October 22, 2021). "Golden Joystick 2021 nominees include Deathloop, Resident Evil, Returnal, and more". Destructoid .
  33. ↑ Bankhurst, Adam (December 10, 2021). "The Game Awards 2021 Winners: The Full List". IGN .
  34. ↑ Bankhurst, Adam (February 25, 2022). "DICE Awards 2022 Winners: The Full List". IGN. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  35. ↑ "2022 BAFTA Games Awards Winners". BAFTA.org. March 3, 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.