I don’t think Nintendo and Intelligent Systems knew what lightning in a bottle they were capturing with the original Paper Mario. Here’s a game that took its own inventive twist on role-playing and ran with it, in a bold new direction. That has since resulted in a number of memorable sequels, including The Thousand Year Door, which recently got a Switch re-release. Now indies are taking their turn with the formula, and, boy, Sleepy Castle Studio truly nails it with Escape from Ever After.
This isn’t your typical storybook fare, as you portray a hero who actually ends up working for the company that robs his fairy tale. But don’t worry, he’s got revenge on his mind, and the way the story plays out is not only creative, but also hilarious. It wraps around a battle system that, while imperfect, delivers with building yourself a better party.
There are lots of collectibles to find within the world, and the abilities you have can receive upgrades. With these, you can truly create a battle party of your dreams – or nightmares, if you’re looking through the perspective of the corporate entity you’re trying to destroy. Not to mention the whole presentation is a real charmer, too.
The game’s a bit shorter than I would’ve preferred, but overall, Escape From Ever After is a delight. It’s got a lot of good fight in it, and it approaches it story with comic flair and memorable characters. You’d be a fool to turn away a good fable like this one.
Escape From Ever After Has No Trouble Opening Up To You
In the game, you portray Flynt Buckler. He’s a lovable hero who finds himself reaching the “end goal” of his story when he reaches the infamous castle of the dreaded dragon. But hang on, there’s a…corporation?! That’s right, corporate culture has taken over, and even given Flynt a job within its ranks. Seeing the opportunity to destroy them from the inside out, he literally jumps at the chance.
The story then spreads across various types of books, where he meets up with rad secondary characters and partakes in legendary battles. This is done through a battle system akin to Paper Mario, complete with timed attacks and available upgrades.
I think the upgrade system is really something, as you can acquire Trinkets to help increase strength and other little factors. These can really turn the tide, especially against tougher enemies.
As for the gameplay, it’s catchy for sure. There are timing issues with certain attacks, but once you get into the pure rhythm of Ever After, you’ll easily get over that hump. Plus some of the later battles are definitely on the epic side, as far as RPG tactics are concerned. But don’t worry, the game is quite approachable for all ages.
In fact, the most appealing factor of Escape From Ever After is its story and characters. Sleepy Castle Studio found a level of humor that works well on all levels, with hilarious jabs and quips aplenty. Plus some of the characters really grow on you – a telltale sign that you’re playing a good RPG.
My only real complaint here is that the game comes to an end all too soon. You can probably clear it in like 25 hours or so, maybe less if you skip some of the side quests. That’s still a reasonable amount of playtime, however. And the journey is still very well worth it.
Escape From Ever After is a genuine surprise, a role-playing game that nails every aspect of role-playing goodness on the same level as Thousand Year Door. It could use a slight bit of patching up, but what’s here isn’t shabby in the least.
How’s Escape From Ever After Perform?
Next, let’s get to presentation.
Like Thousand Year Door, Escape From Ever After benefits from a hand-drawn art style. It’s not quite as smooth as Nintendo’s juggernaut, but still looks refreshing on the Xbox. The worlds look fantastic, ranging across a number of landscapes. And, gosh darn it, some of these assisting characters are too darn cute. Why wouldn’t you add them to your battle party?
The game also benefits from solid voice effects, as well as a lively adventure soundtrack that keeps going with each new fight. The sound FX are good fun as well. Get yourself the best kind of headphones for this one.
Come With Me and Escape (From Ever After)
We know that The Thousand Year Door is likely your bread and butter for old-school comedic papier-mache RPGs. And we get it, it’s legendary. But Escape From Ever After pulls off a nice trick, thanks to a talented studio that understands the assignment. It’s genuinely fun to play, and brings a nice comedic approach that keeps you coming back. Plus it looks and sounds like a charmer.
Again, I’d love to see more content added, and maybe very minor changes to the timing system. But outside from that, this is one fairy tale that you should dive into. Head first.
GAMERHUB RATING: 4.5 (out of 5) JOYSTICKS
Thanks to Sleepy Castle Studio for providing us with a review code! Escape From Ever After is available now for Steam/PC/Steam Deck, Nintendo Switch, Xbox and PlayStation!
Need more adventure in your life? Check out our review of Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree!
