Game Review: Winter Fugitives by HeavyBoat SRL

Who doesn’t like a good prison escape movie, or even better- a game where you must lead one or more inmates to their freedom? Reality rules don’t apply in these mediums and for that reason it’s extremely challenging and exciting for the player. That’s why I decided to give Winter Fugitives a try. This one is a stealth game that could easily be called the prison break of Crossy Road, in that it is an endless game where taking a wrong step or not moving in time will most likely cost you your freedom.

Plot

Winter Fugitives is a stealth game that takes place in an isolated prison in the mountains and our main character here is the last prisoner of his ward who tries to make an escape and he must reach the freedom without being seen by the many guards and pass through a large number of barricades, and even help his fellow prisoners who got unlucky and were captured again. You will also uncover clues regarding this strange escape plan and what’s behind it.

Gameplay

The game begins with our mc being at the start of his long journey to reach the outer world. As the name suggests, it all happens during winter and everything is covered in snow. The only things visible are the barriers and the guards that move around trying to prevent any inmate from attempting an escape. What’s interesting is that the barriers actually work in your favor, as you can hide in them to avoid contact with guards. They are scattered in various places and take the form of a small wooden maze. They even include doors and underground passages that we will talk about later on.

The controls are as in most endless games very easy to use. All you have to do is swipe in order to move towards any direction- even backwards, which isn’t common in these types of games. The screen moves slowly towards though so even if you turn back, you won’t achieve much unless you’re quick enough.

The guards walk in red squares and the only way to be noticed by one is if you come face to face with them, or in other words if you step on the square that is in front of them. In any other occasion, you will pass by them without issues. Yeah I know… amazing guarding skills! You even have the ability to take them out if you’re behind or next to them with a sleeper hold move. Every time you do that, you are rewarded with one coin. Keep in mind though, that guards become more competitive as you progress, thus rendering your sneaking abilities less powerful.

In your way you will collect coins, keys, help other inmates, unlock doors and stockpiles. Later on you will also come across abilities that will help you escape more easily. The coins are important for two reasons: one is to buy keys and the other is to bribe the guards when you’re caught so that you can continue the game from where you left off, instead of starting over. The keys unlock doors that lead to tunnels and transport you instantly to a further point in the game, and also unlock stockpiles that hide more coins. Last but not least, when you come across other prisoners they talk to you and slowly you learn more about the situation you got yourself into.

In-App Purchases

And here we are on the least favorite part of the freemium game reviews, the IAPs. Winter Fugitives comes with two different IAPs, and these are the coin and keys bundles. To buy coins you need to spend real money but to buy keys you need to spend the game’s coins. Since both of them are important as we analyzed earlier, it will be quite tempting to purchase both by spending most of your coins on keys, but that would mean you’ll have less coins to bribe the guards with, so in the end it all comes down to which is more important for each player, since everyone has their personal style of playing and have different priorities and plans.

The prices range from $4.99 for 2000 coins and reach up to $14.99 for 10.000 coins plus 15 keys. The keys in turn cost 100 coins for 4 of them and reach up to 400 coins for 30 keys. They’re not much considering how hard it is to collect coins but at least you have the option to earn coins by watching a game add every while, by using the option available on the Store. Also, every day you are given for free 15 coins (as long as you open the game app of course).

Graphics & Sounds

Visually the game looks good, with cartoony designs and moody colors that fit the wintery atmosphere and the feeling of imprisonment. The BG music sounds like it came out of an action movie and the blizzard sound effect is very realistic and fitting to this snowy and freezing environment.

Conclusion

Overall, Winter Fugitives is a worthy addition to the endless games category and unique in terms of story and setting. The stealth part of the game, while not the main point, certainly adds some spice to the experience. Give it a try and let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

Download Winter Fugitives for iOS devices here.

Download Winter Fugitives for Android devices here.

Screenshots above, Gameplay below