A Way Out (PS4)

I talk a lot about coop games in my reviews since real coop experiences are rare but fun and I wish there were more games dedicated to the format. I've wanted to play A Way Out ever since it was released, and I finally finished it this weekend with my girlfriend. This time I actually borrowed the game from my local library. I recently found out that they have a sizeable collection of games there. The only problem is that you might have to wait a while to get them since the reservation line can be long. I managed to get my hands on this game pretty fast.

A Way Out is a coop only game. There is no single player option. Only way to play it is with a friend. You can play it either as local couch coop or a friend can join up online even if he/she doesn’t own the game, although a Playstation Plus subscription is required.

Each player controls one of the two characters, Leo or Vincent, and together you must cooperate to complete the game. There are puzzles, driving and shooting in the game so the gameplay is really diverse and never really gets boring. The chemistry between the characters is also quite good and there are both fun and emotional moments.

There are also a lot of minigames that the players can play together. Arcade games, darts and baseball to name a few. This is not a new thing in games but doing this in coop is much more enjoyable. To see who can mash the button faster and longer has never been this fun.

The game has a bit of a The Last of Us/Uncharted 4 wibe to it, with even the music resembling that of TLOU. As a prison break type of game it falls into some of the clichés of the genre but nevertheless manages to be refreshing in other aspects. You could say that it feels familiar yet the coop experience makes it stand out. It’s best not mentioning too much of the story because it’s better to just play it without knowing too much.

Some have concluded that single player is dead yet games like God of War, Spider-Man and the Uncharted series has sold millions of copies and been praised by critics. So, what about coop? Is coop dead then? A Way Out sold one million copies in the first two weeks and it has received generally good reviews. An all coop game will always be in a niche market but still I hope other developers and publishers will catch on and offer more of these types of gaming experiences.

This game I borrowed for free from the library so it was definitely worth it. So, get yourself a library card and go borrow some games from the local library.