Gameplay

The object of this simulation, role-playing, and crafting and resource management game is to successfully break out of one prison where doing so will unlock another one. In each of the six prisons there is a checklist of things that must be done at the same time every game day otherwise you face the consequences. You start off in Center Perks a medium security prison where the daily grind is easy and you have lots of free time to wander around and you work your way up through the prison system to HMP-Irongate, a maximum security prison and the hardest prison in the game to escape from, here you will find yourself locked up most of the day and the schedules are more rigid and the guards a lot more strict.

As you stick to your daily routine to avoid suspicion from guards you secretly plot your escape. There are a lot of different ways to escape and formulating a plan takes time and patience, it also requires Tools which means gathering components and crafting what you need. When money is needed to buy components from other inmates you can either earn it by doing the prison job you are assigned or by doing favours for them which can be anything from finding a particular item to giving a beat down. Some components you can just steal when the opportunity arises, guard uniforms for example can be stolen from the laundry and plastic knifes, forks and spoons can be pilfered from the cafeteria, and there is always the option of entering other inmates cells when they are not around and rifling through their things to find what you need.

You will discover that lots of the items you acquire, and much of what you craft are considered contraband in the prison and if you are caught with anything illegal you will have it confiscated and be sent to solitary confinement. Crafting can be depending on what you decide to make either easy or complex if what you need are several hard-to-find components. When you start the game you will know some basic recipes, saved as notes with your journal, and you will learn more as you go.