Campus

The open, explorable campus of Escape Academy that players access after the first major chapter, featuring interconnected design and a zip line travel system. The school opens up gradually with secrets, side-quests, and many unlockable rooms, though navigation can be tricky and the open-world studen

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Details

type

Open-world campus area

design

Fun interconnectedness with a zip line travel system that lets players zoom across the map; zip lines can reach places otherwise hard to navigate to.

visual_issues

Open world looks like an ugly mess in places, particularly plant life which appears variably green and purple depending on distance.

technical_issues

Consistent frame drops while exploring open areas, even after dropping a full resolution tier; not present in dedicated escape rooms.

progression

The experience starts off fairly linear, but the school quickly opens up with plenty of secrets and side-quests. After completing the first enrollment challenge, players start earning credits to unlock more areas of the Academy while finding Escape Bucks. New rooms continue to unlock as the player progresses, surprising even players who thought they had seen most of the academy.

currency

Escape Bucks are needed to get through progression roadblocks and to purchase zip lines; side quests scattered across campus must be completed to earn enough Escape Bucks to progress.

travel

Zip lines allow fast travel across campus rather than simply teleporting between locations. The first zipline is bought in the courtyard; purchasing and using the zipline in front of the school reaches the top of the Clocktower (the tallest point on the map, tied to the 'Don't Look Down' achievement).

sub_areas

Campus includes distinct sub-areas: the Science Campus (reached outside the main front door, down some steps and through a green arch, past the garden; unlocked via story progression) containing the Biology Lab; the Humanities Campus; and the Arts Campus, each unlocked through story progression.

activities

Side quests are scattered across campus and include 'Extra Credit' quests given by other students (e.g., the sudoku puzzle in the cafeteria). Clicking on an NPC starts a conversation; having over 300 conversations around campus unlocks the 'Extrovert Extraordinaire' achievement (progress persists across save files). Completing 10 Extra Credit quests unlocks 'This Should Help My Grades'.

hazards

Falling from a large height, drowning, or jumping into lava sends the player to the infirmary ('dying'), tied to the 'Tis But A Scratch' achievement.

navigation

The open school can be tricky to navigate at times despite the open-world premise being excellent for fleshing out the puzzle-solving loop.

npc_quality

The students filling the academy felt a little underbaked, and character models and animations are among Escape Academy 2's weaker elements.

Sources

• Escape Academy 2: Back 2 School Review: A Whole World Of Puzzles ...
• Escape Academy 2: Back 2 School walkthrough - Full guide and puzzle ...
• Escape Academy 2: Back 2 School Review - Escape Rooms Ace It, Open World Flunks
• Escape Academy 2: Back 2 School - Achievement & Trophy Guide

Related

• Escape Academy
• Escape Academy
• Science Campus
• Humanities Campus
• Arts Campus
• Clocktower