Summary
Prisons have existed as long as societies have had laws and people that were deemed guilty of breaking them. They come in many different shapes and sizes, but ultimately, they have the same basic goal of detaining people for pre-determined amounts of time. In theory, prison acts as a natural consequence of criminal activity. As the saying goes, “If you can’t do the time, don’t do the crime.”
With this in mind, it’s understandable that stories aboutescaping from prison, especially one that has a reputation for being “inescapable,” have resonated with fans for centuries. There is a certain sense of artistry that comes from seeing the creative ways prisoners come up with to get around the prison’s security. And of course, there is a sense of satisfaction to seeing a wrongly convicted hero finally get out or at the very least get some sort of payback against the warden. Naturally, a lot of video games have also embracedthe prison break narrative. The interactive aspect of the medium means the player gets to be a participant, not just an observer.
The place may be called Arkham Asylum, but it’s functionally a prison at this point. It acts as an incarceration center for the scum of the Earth, and it isn’t even very good at being that. This is, of course, the setup for Rocksteady’sBatman: Arkham Asylum. Joker’s antics cause a big role switcheroo, and suddenly, the guards are prisoners, the prisoners are guards, and Joker’s the warden.
The whole plot essentially becomes a prison break, with Batman needing to find ways around Arkham Asylum’s security and take on each of his nemeses to have any chance at getting out in one piece.
Perhaps one of the most famous prison breaks in gaming was the Vorkuta level in the originalBlack Ops. The game opens with the real-life Bay of Pigs Invasion, an attempt to assassinate Fidel Castro that didn’t go well for the Americans. After failing to kill Castro, protagonist Alex Mason ends up being captured and sent to Vorkuta, a brutal Soviet prison that’s also being used for questionable experiments. Fortunately for him, he makes an unexpected ally infellow inmate Viktor Reznov.
The iconic level depicts their eight-step escape plan, which is still recited by fans to this day. Though it doesn’t go perfectly, and most of the people involved end up dying in the process, it does show just how far people are willing to go when they have nothing left to lose. As Reznov himself says, they were going to escape or die trying.
One thing about prisons is that they’re often built in remote places, so inmates have nowhere to go even if they do escape. There’s a reason Alcatraz was built on an island surrounded by freezing water and strong currents. Building a prison onone of Jupiter’s moonsis about as remote as it gets. It makes escape all the more difficult, and it makes it easier for the warden to work around pesky things like “regulations” and “prison reform.”
This is the predicament faced by Jacob Lee inThe Callisto Protocol, a cargo pilot who survives a crash on the titular moon only to be incarcerated in a prison so isolated he is told he might as well be dead to the outside world. Not helping matters is a zombie pandemic that Lee also has to survive if he wants any hope of busting out, and there are a few other strange secrets for him to still uncover.
Arkane’s classic RPG begins with protagonist Corvo Attano being framed for murder, and his whole world falls apart as a result. So, it is fitting that the level that introduces a lot ofstealth and combat mechanicsshould be a prison. He begins in a pretty miserable position, being stuck in Coldridge Prison for six months. Between an attempt to coerce him into signing a “confession” through torture and his looming execution, things seem pretty bleak for Corvo until he finds some unexpected help. A guard manages to sneak a key into his cell, and suddenly, the situation starts to turn around. Setting up the pattern of later levels, there are a few different ways Corvo can escape, and it is up to the player how messy they want to make it. Regardless, Corvo gets to make his way out and escape with some help from future best friend Samuel the Boatman.
Interestingly, the DLC expansionThe Knife of Dunwallhas the player returning to Coldridge prison, this time as the assassin Daud. In this case, he is actually trying to breakinso he can find and bust out a local river pirate captain.
Mouldy Touf’s wacky blend of role-playing and strategy centers around getting out of various prisons. Players can experience a bunch of different scenarios, ranging from prison transport vehicles to the moon, but either way,The Escapists 2offers a playground for creative escape methods. That’s not to say it is without its challenges, of course.
A big part of the game is still strategizing. Crafting equipment and evading detection from guards is crucial. There is also the challenge of keeping up with everyday prison tasks to avoid drawing suspicion, preventing the risk of tighter security or even a lockdown.
Getting captured by the bad guys tends to happen a lot intheFar Cryseries, to the point where most of its games have at least one sequence where the player is taken hostage and subjected to some form of punishment. ButFar Cry 4takes a strange turn with Durgesh Prison, a political prison notorious for the cruel and unconventional methods employed by warden Yuma Lau.
This one gets a bit weird. The prison is built into a mountain, complete with cells overlooking huge cliffs, and the staff has a habit of drugging the prisoners. So, when Ajay gets betrayed by CIA Agent Willis Huntley and handed to Yuma, he gets an unsettling experience, stumbling around in an effort to find a grappling hook, all while hallucinating supernatural creatures and seeing what prisoners become when they stay there too long. Even after escaping the main prison, Ajay still has to climb down the side of a mountain and get through a labor camp to be free.
Technically, as the name implies, this game is about building and managing a prison. The player effectively takes the role of warden, a role that usually acts as a major antagonist. However, the developers clearly saw the appeal of the other side.
While running the prison might be the primary selling point,Prison Architectalso includes a mode where the player gets to be a prisoner with the goal of escaping. The fun part is this can be done with one’s own prisons, meaning that players can design a maximum security prison and then test its effectiveness by trying to escape from it.
5Prisoner Of War
Escape From A German Prison Camp During World War II
This classic 2002 stealth adventure follows an American POWduring World War IIwho tries to escape from a German prison camp. There’s some obvious influence from classic POW movies likeThe Great Escape, but the game has gained notoriety for its unconventional mechanics.
In a very unusual move for a World War II game, there are no options for combat. Captain Stone can’t exactly shoot his way out like one might in aCall of Dutygame, so escape requires stealth and character interaction. Earning favor with his fellow prisoners and tricking the guards is crucial to getting out in one piece. This also makesPrisoner of Wara lot more challenging since it has a greater margin of error.
When fans think ofTom Clancy’s Splinter Cell, they usually think of protagonist Sam Fisher trying to breakinto a place while equipped with hisblack suit and nightvision goggles. A prison break might not be the first thing that comes to mind, but that didn’t stop one from happening inDouble Agent.
Sam has the task of infiltrating Ellsworth Prison so he can get close to terrorist Jamie Washington and, from there, an entrance to the wider JBA organization. What’s the best way to gain a terrorist’s trust? Why, by breaking him out of prison, of course. Sam gets to help Jamie by inciting a riot and even gets to save him from being recaptured.
Uncharted 4is a somewhat unusual case in that it actually featurestwoprison break levels. From the same prison. The first section features Nate Drake working undercover with his brother Sam and new partner Rafe, all three of whom are masquerading as prisoners to get at some nearby ruins. The plan gets out of hand when the Warden doesn’t want to honor his end of their arrangement, and they run the risk of becomingactualprisoners, with only Nate and Rafe managing to escape.
The second happens when Sam Drake returns, and players get a flashback level where he becomes playable. In this one, he gets help from a drug lord named Alcazar, who has already planned a breakout and agrees to help Sam in exchange fora share of the treasure.
