Inescapable: No Rules, No Rescue is a horror visual novel in development. Currently, only a demo is available, and no release date for the full game has been announced.
Please note that the following article covers only my opinions on the existing demo and no one else’s.
If you’re interested in trying the demo for yourself, you can play it on Steam. I have a VOD coming to my channel about my experience with it.
Inescapable: No Rules, No Escape is a visual novel published by Aksys Games and developed by Dreamloop Games, a Finnish publisher established in 2014. Dreamloop Games has been involved in other projects, including Stardust Galaxy Warriors and the cyberpunk-inspired The Ascent.
The story follows Harrison Taylor, an Englishman looking forward to meeting up with his “musketeers.” But unfortunately for him, he finds himself trapped with several other people.
After meeting the mysterious twins Naima and Naomi, the trapped group discovers that the one who survives this harrowing, game show-styled situation will win a cash prize of €500,000. In addition, the twins reveal that in this game, there are no rules, and there is no escape.
Inescapable strikes me as a visual novel inspired by the Danganronpa series. Within the exploration system, the characters are reminiscent of Cluedo’s acrylic cutouts. After the introduction, the player chooses a character to interact with in the world map. There’s also the possibility that more puzzles will appear on the world map later on.
There are multiple locations to explore, and different characters occupy each one. The mobile phone given to “participants” in this survival game is your UI. As the game progresses, players will be able to access character profiles that grow more detailed. More interesting even is the inclusion of a character messaging system, which actively changes when the character profiles are updated. I like this system, as it gives each character extra offscreen development.
Personally, I would have wished for more character development, especially for certain contestants. My current favorites are Giovanni, Naomi, and Mia. The cast is diverse, which could lead to some interesting cultural clashes and build tension within the death game. I hope they don’t waste that kind of opportunity.
I would also prefer a save function for the full release. Since I played without one, I was always concerned that I would lose all of my progress in the event of a crash.
The game’s title music was… fine, though it wasn’t as memorable as some of the other tracks. I hope that when the full game releases, the soundtrack will include appropriately strong music for key events and heartfelt character interactions. The voice acting suffered from some strange line deliveries in a few places, but this is something that can be easily fixed in the full release.
My current score for Inescapable: No Rules, No Rescue is 5.8/10. This doesn’t mean that it’s bad by any means. It does show a lot of promise, and I hope that the developers take my critique in good faith.
Do you agree or disagree? Please give the demo a try and share your thoughts below!
