Micro-Review: Escapee GO!

Sometimes there are games that are simply too good to fly under the radar. There are also some games which are too simple to review. Unfortunately this week saw a little gem that fits this description. That game is Escapee GO!

Yesterday, Escapee GO! launched on to DSiWare, a relatively unexplored market, and a game published by an even less known developer Gevo. Completely wrought with indie goodness this title fills the much ignored "tag" game mechanic. The game is simple: Walk around, collect items and make it to the exit without getting caught. Oh, and you and your enemies are bound by fog of war as well as line of sight. Tricky, tricky. This mechanic is exhibited in three different gameplay modes: Story, Survival and Multiplayer.

All these modes more or less explain themselves. Survival, which is unlocked after completing story, simply sends you in wave after wave of missions with a final score of total survival time and rooms cleared. Multiplayer lets you play with friends, something I've yet to try as DSi enabled friends are few and far between. Finally is story. You play as Claire, an amnesiac being held captive against her will in a mysterious medical facility.

The controls basically consist of controlling claire with the d-pad, occasionally sprinting (reducing a stamina bar) to escape various opponents, while trying to find the key to get out off the current floor of the building. It sounds repetitive, but the game has a certain nail-biting stress level that keeps the game feeling fresh. Also you get scanner style psychic powers. Combined with a visually stunning pixel based art style, the game really does feel polished for being so cheap.

Cheap you say? Yes, the game launched for the low-low price of 200 points. I spend more than that for coffee in the morning, and it certainly lasts a lot longer. The jitters, probably about the same. This is by no means a reason to buy a DSi, but for those of us that have one, it certainly makes the platform feel a lot more worth while.

For your edification, I've included a gameplay trailer after the jump.