When Pine Studio released Escape Simulator in 2021, I enjoyed solving puzzles in colourful, fantastical rooms. Now, in 2025, the sequel arrives: Escape Simulator 2, promising to push further — larger environments, a more mature and realistic aesthetic, and a revolutionary room editor. After playing it co-op and solo, I can say this is a chapter that both fascinates and disappoints, a game with two distinct moods.
A radical makeover (not for everyone)
The first immediate change is visual. Forget the vibrant colours and cartoonish style of the first chapter: Escape Simulator 2 embraces a dark, hyper-detailed realism. The three themed campaigns – the gothic Castle of Dracula, the cold metallic Astronave EOS, and the adventurous Treasure of the Pirates – are built with meticulous attention to lighting and textures.
Atmosphere, yes. Life, no.
And here comes my first personal note. The initial immersion is powerful, but fades quickly. The worlds, though magnificent, seem like static dioramas. There’s no breath: no spontaneous dynamic element (a bat flying, a reflection in the water, an unexpected ambient sound), no 'life' beyond you. Even the character’s movements are stiff, unnatural, and this — combined with some awkward animation — occasionally shatters the spell.
The heart beats fast: the puzzles
Here, though, the game really turns a new page. The puzzles are the true engine, and Escape Simulator 2 elevates them to art. Compared to its predecessor, the rooms are larger, explorable, and interconnected. It’s no longer about solving puzzles in 15 minutes: each level is a 30-45 minute little adventure, rich with clues, combinable objects, and ingenious mechanisms.
Logic and satisfaction: Most puzzles are perfectly contextualised. You’ll need to observe paintings, decipher codes, and use objects creatively. The ‘Eureka!’ feeling is frequent and gratifying.
Balanced difficulty: The game knows how to measure the challenge. The hint system (usually effective) offers gradual assistance, from a small hint to almost explicit solutions. Yet, some puzzles (especially in the space section) can fall into pure trial-and-error, resulting in frustration.
Excellent solo, sublime co-op: Played alone, it’s a meditative and satisfying experience. In co-op with 1-2 friends, it reaches its peak: sharing intuitions aloud, splitting the research, shouting ‘I found it!’ is pure fun.
Multiplayer: the promise broken
And here we arrive at its Achilles’ heel. Escape Simulator 2 supports up to eight online players. Unfortunately, the rooms aren’t designed for that many people. Playing with four or more becomes quickly a counterproductive mess:
• Scattered items: The inventory is personal. You’ll spend half your time asking, 'Who has the skull-shaped key?' without effective tools to visually share items.
• Funnel puzzles: Almost no puzzles require simultaneous interaction between multiple players, leading to queues and delays.
• Minor but irritating bugs: During my sessions, I encountered occasional audio glitches (voice loops on load) and the absence of an integrated microphone selector.
For a co-op-focused mechanic, it's a serious design flaw that significantly dampens the group play potential.
The Editor 2.0 and the question of longevity
Where the game truly leaps forward is in the Room Editor 2.0. It’s a powerful, intuitive, and feature-rich tool that lets you build multi-level rooms with working staircases, complex logic, and cinematic lighting. Alongside the Steam Workshop, it’s the guarantee of infinite content. Steam, it's the guarantee of infinite content.
But there’s a 'but'. At launch, official content consists of just 12 rooms (four per theme), takable in 8–12 hours. Without the Workshop, the game feels thin. The central lobby, though nicely decorated with its secondary puzzles and chessboard, seems underutilised. The price of €19.99 is justified only if you consider this title as a platform for community creativity. If you’re looking only for official rooms, it might feel a bit pricey.
Performance e Accessibilità
Technically, the game is solid:
Steam Steam Deck: Works well. With a few tweaks (dynamic resolution fixed at 0.5), you get a great balance between fluidity and battery life.
Accessibility: Wide options: you can adjust movement speed, disable the timer, filter profanity in chat, and invert axes. Controller support is complete.
VRVR: Developers have confirmed it will arrive, though not at day-one.
In conclusion
Escape Simulator 2 is a game split down the middle. On one side, it offers some of the best-designed and most satisfying puzzles in the genre, set within visually breathtaking environments. It's a superbly optimised experience and a powerful creation tool.
On the other, it lets down its cooperative promise with a chaotic multiplayer experience beyond pairs and presents a beautiful but overly static and rather "dead" world.
Who should I recommend it to?
✅ Yes, if you enjoy complex puzzles, play solo or co-op, and believe in the community's creativity.
✅ Yes, if you're a maker and dream of building your perfect Escape room.
❌ No, if you're looking for a chaotic-friendly party for 6–8 friends.
❌ No, if you were into the light, colourful tone of the first game.
A respectable sequel that shines in its essentials, but stumbles over its own ambitions.
Pros and cons
✅PRO✅
✅ Smart, interconnected puzzles, very satisfying
✅ Visually stunning and atmospheric environments
✅ Room Editor 2.0 is a powerful and intuitive tool
✅ Excellent optimisation and good accessibility support
✅ Solid solo or co-op experience
❌CONTRA❌
❌ Multiplayer with more than two players is chaotic and poorly managed
❌ Static worlds, lacking dynamic elements that bring life
❌ Official content limited to launch
❌ Character movements feel stiff and unnatural
❌ Minor technical bugs (audio, hint system)
