A Mind-Bending Corridor or a Repetitive Sentence?
I’d think that ending up in prison would be a massive fear to many.
It’s funny when you think of it, because most of our information about prison comes from movies or games, things like Scum, The Shawshank Redemption, and the TV series, Oz. In games, we have A Way Out and Prison Architect; both experiences that were capable of teaching life lessons, all whilst inflicting terrible nightmares.
But what happens if your prison experience is on a loop, running as a constant journey through the same corridor, cells and prisoners, never-ending? Well, that’s the premise of Prison Loop, and I got to walk that corridor…
Trapped in Time
The whole premise of ‘loop’ games have become very popular in recent years, with the likes of The Exit 8 coming to the fore. The whole purpose of these types of games is to walk the same small route, from start to finish, perhaps over the course of just twenty seconds or so. From there, you’ll walk it again, just with an anomaly in place. This could be as large as a huge demon in the room to the smallest detail like one less light on the wall. The task is for you to spot them.
In Prison Loop the same notion applies. That means there isn’t any story or narrative to be had, unless you make one up for yourself. And make one up you will, as diving into Prison Loop and you’ll not know who you are, why you are walking in this loop or what the prison is called. The thing is, it doesn’t matter for a game like this, and instead the focus is set on spotting differences. All you know is that you are walking through a prison corridor, five cells on each side with multiple prisoners frequenting certain cells.
Prison Loop’s Anomalies and Challenges
The purpose of the game is to go through nine loops, one after another, attempting to break the loop and finish the game. You go through the corridor and see if there is any difference or not. If you don’t see any difference then you walk forwards to the end of the loop. If you see an anomaly or something is slightly out of place then you walk backwards to where you came from. If you get it right you move onto the next loop and complete the level. If you get it wrong then you have to start from the beginning loop, taking things in all over again.
Prison Loop feels pretty tricky to work out at first, as you attempt to get an idea of what is required. But once you get into the flow, it all becomes pretty addictive. Each loop is randomly generated and that means different anomalies may, or may not, appear each time you play the game. And at times, those changes are tricky to spot; perhaps a vent is on the wrong side of the cell wall. One thing is for sure, you’ll need to be so observant. Other times, things are a bit more obvious – like a prisoner who is outside the cell, running at you. It’s fun trying to work out the differences and when you have to start again it isn’t frustrating, mostly as you’ll want to jump straight back in to have another go.
Atmosphere and Simplicity
However, Prison Loop is not much to look at visually, just complete with a prison corridor with some cells and prisoners. But it is when the anomalies kick in that the fun begins; cockroaches appear on the floor or a prisoner who looks like he’s been inflated.
The soundscore is empty as well, with just the odd bit of sound effect that makes it feel eerie. At one point one of the prisoners may be found laughing, facing away from you. Let me tell you this – that sound alone was more effective than a dozen horror games I’ve played recently.
A Quick and Addictive Anomaly Spotting Experience
You’ll have a good time with Prison Loop, and the cost outlay feels about right for the amount of time you will get to spend with it. If you are lucky, correctly calling loops from the get-go, you could well have broken out of this prison in ten minutes or so. Personally, it took me just under an hour to finish the game, grabbing all the achievements in the process.
If you fancy a quick time loop in a prison and have a keen eye, then Prison Loop could be for you.
Important Links
Break Free in Prison Loop on Xbox, PlayStation and Switch – https://www.thexboxhub.com/break-free-in-prison-loop-on-xbox-playstation-and-switch/
Buy Prison Loop for Xbox Series X|S – https://www.xbox.com/en-gb/games/store/prison-loop-xbox-series-x-s/9p550qzrd2v5
Or take in an Xbox One version – https://www.xbox.com/en-gb/games/store/prison-loop/9pblf1xc32q2
