As someone with a penchant for thrilling visual novels, the emergence of Inescapable: No Rules, No Rescue caused much intrigue. It appears as though the concept is reminiscent of such gripping experiences like Danganronpa and Zero Escape. But can Inescapable: No Rules, No Rescue deliver some dastardly delightful drama to satisfy our desires, or is it actually all filler and no killer?
Inescapable: No Rules, No Rescue is a visual novel that places you in a rather difficult predicament from the outset. Taking on the role of Harrison “Harri” Taylor, you’re unexpectedly gassed and kidnapped alongside ten other unsuspecting individuals. Orchestrated by the DeWinter sisters, their devious plan is to transport the group to an isolated island resort filled with cameras. It’s for some twisted reality TV show where there are no rules; you merely have to stay and enjoy a life of luxury for six months to earn $500,000.
First and foremost, it’s not as easy-going as it sounds. The shady sisters want entertainment and will manipulate anyone they can to stir the pot, causing drama along the way. At the core of the narrative, there’s something really intriguing about the social experiment they’re conducting here. In reality however, the flare-ups and potentially enthralling moments are few and far between.
You see, each day is split into three segments – Morning, Afternoon, and Evening. So, for 120 days (or less if you’re unlucky) you’ll have to choose where to go and who to talk to on a daily basis. That’s fine, but this leads to a lot of unnecessary interactions and filler conversations. Discussions may reference pop culture, and sometimes allow you to garner information about your fellow contestants’ lives prior to the island, which fleshes out their characters at least. Usually though, it’s pointless, cringe, or needlessly crude, and you’ll be wishing the days away at times.
In a bid to keep your interest, a number of side activities are introduced throughout your stay on the island. At one point, a Games Room opens up and allows access to an arcade machine featuring three different games. Within the machine is an Asteroids style shooter, another sees you shooting seagulls for a BBQ, and the final offering is a side-scrolling platformer. There’s also a rhythm-based fishing mini-game, a word guessing app similar to the once-popular Wordle, and – potentially – a slot machine to gamble cash on. The distractions are welcome, but the novelty barely lasts for one attempt at each, with only Word Guesser having any longevity.
Whatever you decide to do, who you choose to hang out with, and the conversational options you pick, will have an impact on the end-game. I say end-game, though in effect it’s everything beyond the halfway stage of the six months. It’s great that there are four unique pathways to experience, with one path in particular being full of grisly murders. The rest, not so much. Finally though, after in-game months of enduring the slow build, it ramps up for the latter stages.
Not everything is rosy however. The main problem with Inescapable: No Rules, No Rescue is not knowing how your choices lead to these different paths, which means you’re going in blind. Hence, future playthroughs might see you on the same path again, and that’s just boring.
Moving on to the cast, and it is brilliantly diverse, featuring people from different countries and all walks of life. There’s a sporty fitness fanatic, a spoiled rich brat, an eloquently eccentric goth, a timid maid, an egotistical misogynist, a sassy non-binary person, and more. Perhaps the star here though is Eva, a social media influencer who craves attention and does her utmost to create entertainment for the hosts. She’s everything you’d expect an influencer to be like. During the fully-voiced sections, the acting is impressive for the majority of the characters, with exaggerated accents and occasionally hammy moments being the only downside.
Unfortunately, our protagonist Harri, a bus driver without any real career prospects, is not the least bit interesting and at times is very unlikable. To be fair, the rest have annoying aspects to their personalities, but at least they have a personality to make up for that.
From an aesthetic perspective, the characters are very well designed on the whole. Their looks don’t just suit their personality, but also ensure they stand out and have a memorable presence. The CG scenes are excellent and the colours really pop, while the backdrops fit the setting perfectly too. Inescapable: No Rules, No Rescue is a visually impressive game, there’s no doubt about that.
There are definitely reasons on both sides of the argument as to whether Inescapable: No Rules, No Rescue is worth your time and money. Having multiple narrative routes, a varied bunch of well-voiced characters, and excellent visuals are positive aspects for sure. On the flip side, the slow-burn storytelling, the sheer volume of filler, and the lack of knowledge regarding the consequences of your actions, are quite detrimental to the experience. It soon becomes a slog that’s going to put off people who lack patience to wait it out for the more exciting second half of proceedings.
Inescapable: No Rules, No Rescue isn’t a bad game, it’s just that others of a similar ilk, like Danganronpa, do the social thriller visual novel concept much better.
