For this review, we’re going to need to set some ground rules. The first of these is that the author is dead, and in engaging with this game, we killed that author together. The moment a story leaves its creator’s head, that creator is dead to it, serving only as an egg from which something independent emerged. The media is not some fluffy baby goose, sitting in terror as its author-mother hisses at passers-by. It emerges, fully formed, from Zeus’ thigh, prepared to be marveled at for what it is, not for its origins, but for itself and itself alone.

The second is that there are many readings of any given piece of media. Their validity is determined not by what they are, but by how well they are supported by the text. My reading may not be your reading, but it is no less valid.

And third, trans rights are human rights.

Let’s go.

Damn right I’m wonderous.

The Artful Escape is an adventure game. The player plays as Francis Vendetti, a young guitar player and nephew of the local hero and famous folk singer, Johnson Vendetti. While he has undeniable talent with the guitar, Francis is constantly expected to live up to his uncle’s reputation, following in his uncle’s footsteps and becoming a folk singer. As Francis prepares for his very first public show, he gets the chance to explore other avenues and identities, and to truly decide who and what he could be once free from the weight of others’ expectations and the identities they have assigned him.

The Artful Escape’s story, fundamentally, is about self-discovery and becoming who we believe we are meant to be. However, I’d also argue that, more than simply being a game about self-discovery, the Artful Escape is also a narrative about trans identity and an expression of trans joy.

I trust the blobby coral alien to know that this was a triumph.

The Artful Escape focuses on the ideas of engaging and forging one’s own identity throughout the game. It’s not a unique theme - and indeed, the fact that the protagonist is 17 means this in some ways feels like a young adult game more than anything, and young adults focus very much on forging their identities - but its particular expression here caught my eye. Francis is continuously faced with opportunities to remake every element of himself, from his past to his look to his future, and choose to create not just a musical identity, but an entirely new being to become. By the end of the game, Francis has ceased to be, replaced by whatever persona he has created for himself along the way. He is no longer trapped in an identity he knows was wrong for him, but is instead embracing and in turn embraced by something that better reflects who he actually is.

Francis’ fear about the people of Calypso finding out who he is also mirrors the fear felt by many LGBTQ+ - and trans people specifically - around coming out of the closet and the repercussions they’ll face if they do come out. While I am not trans, I am queer, and have several trans friends. That fear of being seen by those who know you, and the experimentation with identity in a safer space resonates. When Francis tries on a new name and new outfit that more accurately reflects him, I am cheering him on, not just for him, but for all the people who do the same, and don’t necessarily have the chance to become who they are in a public way.

Okay, but look at those colours and tell me you don’t see a trans flag.

It’s the sheer joy of self-discovery and the absolute joy in resolving the paradox of identity that makes the Artful Escape a thing of beauty, though. We live in a world that increasingly and dangerously politicises identity, especially that of LGBTQ+ people, and most especially trans identities. The common mainstream narrative of trans identity is an identity of struggle, sorrow, and pain. Indeed, the most common defenses of things like gender-affirming care are framed in terms of suicide rates of people who do not have access to this care, of pain caused through dysphoria, of broken homes, and people abandoned. The narrative of the trans experience we hear most often is one of opposition and mitigation, and while gender-affirming care is a positive within this context, it is still a positive that serves to mitigate the negatives of being trans. Trans identity, in this context, is a hardship that must be survived, endured, and mitigated.

The Artful Escape doesn’t frame being caught in an assigned identity in this way, and I love it for that. It is a game about joy, about forging who we are, and the joy that stems from being liberated from an assigned identity. It’s about the joy of creating a found family and choosing where we’re from instead of having it forced upon us. It’s about the colour and music that come when given the freedom to be who we are, and it’s wonderful.

Space moths are very wise.

My love of the Artful Escape is, admittedly, stemming from what the game is rather than how well it works as a game. As a game, it has its flaws. Much of it feels more like a walking simulator than an adventure game, which is fine. I found its keyboard controls to be sticky and clunky, and its music sections are all too brief.

However, these mechanical flaws are far, far outweighed by the bombasity of the game itself. Its art and music are incredible, evoking a version of outer space that is as joyous and alive as the narrative itself. It’s a world I wanted to explore every inch of, just to see what music awaited me, and what wonderful creature I might see next. This is coupled with writing that is an effective blend of Python-esque humour and something like Wallace and Gromit, where characters take themselves seriously, while also softly acknowledging the absurdity of the world around them. When combined, the art, music, and writing just accentuate the sheer joy of the character, creating an experience that just leaves the player with a massive smile.

I loved the Artful Escape. It’s a game about joy, about authenticity, and about the pride in being who we are. It is amazing.

Developer: Beethoven And Dinosaur

Genre: Adventure

Year: 2021

Country: Australia

Language: English

Play Time: 4 Hours

Youtube: https://youtu.be/KURMQmhQHro