Thanks to a multiplayer renaissance, we’re currently living in a golden age of couples games. Whether you and your significant other are playing Split Fiction or pairing up for Big Walk, there are no shortage of great trust-building co-op games out there currently. You can add another great option to the list, thanks to Escape Academy 2: Back 2 School, a near-perfect new inclusion to couch co-op canon.
A sequel to 2022’s Escape Academy, the latest game from Coin Crew Games doubles — even triples — down on split-screen play to deliver a bounty of digital escape rooms that will test your communication skills. Though a newfound emphasis on story mostly falls flat, Escape Academy 2’s balance between clever puzzles and approachable play makes for a killer date-night choice. Though it's a sequel, Escape Academy 2 very much feels like the real start of Coin Crew Games’ series.
The first Escape Academy was a well-designed puzzle game made by people with experience creating real-world escape rooms, but its very short runtime left it feeling like an appetizer. Additional DLC helped beef up the package, but Escape Academy 2 feels far more complete out of the gate as a longer game with more thought put into how all its various puzzle rooms connect. The fundamentals are the same: You’re still a student at a school dedicated to puzzling, and you need to complete escape rooms as part of your education.
Those core puzzle boxes are still the star of the show, and sharper than ever now that Coin Crew Games has had experience translating the real thing into game form. Each one is built around interconnected micro-puzzles that all neatly come together for one grand answer. One highlight throws you and your teammate inside of a clock tower.
You’re in a race against time to reach the top, but getting there requires figuring out what to do with stray shapes, a spool of rope, scattered moons, and more clues. What works so well about that structure as a co-op experience is that Coin Crew Games never creates a moment where one person is left out. There are always multiple riddles you can solve at a time in a room, letting you divide and conquer as you scour a room for clues and figure out what to do with them.
Split-screen play, even in online play, makes it so your partner can always see what you’re doing, or the clue you’re holding, so you can communicate clearly and work out a solution together. You can enjoy that with a friend or family member, but it’s especially great for couples who want to work together without dealing with the frustration that can come from a mismatch in digital skill. What’s impressive is how Coin Crew Games finds new ways to bring that design ethos outside of its puzzle-room expertise.
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