(EA)
A Way Out is a brand new co-op adventure from the creators of Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons. The game is coming as a digital download in early 2018 on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Here’s everything you need to know.
1. The Game Stars Two Convicts Trying to Escape
A Way Out stars two convicts, Leo and Vincent, who work together to escape from prison and run on the lamb. Along the way, they’ll encounter car chaces, stealth passages, melee fights, shootouts, and more as you get to know the two characters.
2. It’s a Co-op Adventure Only Played in Split-Screen
The game can be played online or local but will be split-screen co-op only. Players will have to work together to get through the levels. A character can also be controlled while the other is in a cutscene.
Writer and Director Josef Fares explains how he got the idea for the game in a press release from EA:
The idea for A Way Out came when me and a friend tried to find a story driven co-op game that wasn’t a drop-in/drop-out experience. We simply could not find a game like that. We’re also bringing an innovative look into how to tell the story of both these characters. Players will be immersed in the game with the way we change the display from a full screen experience seamlessly to different cinematic split-screen formats. By focusing on the two characters in different ways, it opens up a huge variety of gameplay, as we really wanted to avoid repetitions so they will get to know the characters through very different situations.
3. The Game is Behind the Developers of Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
Fares was also behind the critically-acclaimed Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, developed with Starbreeze Studios and released on August 7, 2013. In the game, you controlled both brothers with both analogue sticks and trigger buttons solving puzzles and working in tandem with each others’ strengths and weaknesses.
The game has won over 50 awards including D.I.C.E. and BAFTA. The PC version of the game has an average score of 90 on Metacritic.
4. Josef Fares Created Hazelight and is Partnering with EA
Fares and the core team of Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons created Hazelight Studios in November of 2014. They first teased A Way Out during the Game Awards 2014 when it was still very early in production.
The game is being made in partnership with Publisher EA as part of its EA Originals program. EA Worldwide Studios Executive Vice President Patrick Soderlund applauded the studio in the press release.
Josef and his team at Hazelight represent everything that EA Originals stands for. They are a small and very talented group with a vision and passion for a game that is truly unique in the video game industry. A Way Out is going to surprise people with its innovative co-op gameplay and the way it tells an emotional story solely through these two characters.
Fares is a Swedish filmmaker who has created five feature length movies and has received many awards for his work as a writer and director.
5. It’s not the Only Game Under EA Originals
A Way Out isn’t the only game that’s a part of the EA Originals program. The first game under the partnership is Fe, a game by Swedish developer Zoink. The game has you flying and exploring around a surreal landscape interacting with other creatures. It was first revealed during EA Play 2016 but wasn’t shown off during EA Play 2017.
Soderlund writes that EA Originals was formed to find promising games from smaller developers and support the creation of said games.
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‘A Way Out’: Five Fast Facts You Need to Know