Inescapable: No Rules, No Rescue Preview

Inescapable: No Rules, No Rescue is a visual novel by Dreamloop Games. Now, everyone knows I love a good visual novel, especially when the plot has the right feel of the drama. So, naturally, I had to play the demo.

In Inescapable: No Rules, No Rescue, you play as a young man named Harrison — or Harri, for short. You’re all set to go and visit your friends, who you haven’t seen for quite some time. However, while you’re on the bus, nothing goes according to plan; thankfully, you also get the option to message one of your three friends or not. While I like to think they got your text, it doesn’t look like you’ll be seeing them anytime soon.

The bus you’re on fills with gas, and when you wake up, you find yourself in a storage container. To escape, you need to unlock a puzzle that’s pretty easy to figure out, as you need to connect all the lines to reach the exit. It’s not too challenging, but it takes a little bit to get everything in place.

When you emerge, you meet a cast of characters of a wide range of nationalities. Inescapable has a rather tongue-in-cheek approach to handling stereotypes, so it’s quite refreshing. Are the characters a little annoying? Yes. Are they supposed to be? Absolutely. Was this a bad thing? No, absolutely not. I loved this. We have Eva, the walking meme; Annika, the maid; Isak, the edgy goth; Daan, the competitive cyclist; Mia, the sisterly figure; and several more. Naturally — because this is a visual novel — there are a lot of characters, and it’s up to you to build relationships with them to find a way to escape.

Your kidnappers have been following you for who knows how long, and they’ve ensured that you have no way to contact the outside world by replacing your phone with another one. This is the only way they have to contact you, and your mobile is the only way to get anywhere. On it, you’ll find a compass, character bios, messages with the others on the island, and settings to open the menu.

What is the purpose of the kidnapping, you ask? Entertainment, of course! Your kidnappers have made a show where they expect you to descend into chaos. No laws apply, and they clearly want a Purge or Lord of the Flies-esque situation. While no one wants to play into their hands, the one-hour demo reveals there’s no chance of escape. In fact, the plot of the demo revolves around Harrison and the others finding an escape, only to discover that the boats on the island are incapable of travelling to another island. You can paddle all you want, but who knows when you’ll all reach civilisation?

With that, there’s no escape. You have to go back to the island, and the demo ends. I can’t say that I wasn’t intrigued, and they’ve worked hard to ensure there’s some good voice acting. Personally, I enjoyed how all the characters appear as acrylic board game pieces when you explore the island on your own. It’s a great way to show that you’re only pawns in a game.

Now that I’ve played the demo, I’m looking forward to seeing what other elements Dreamloop Games will add to the full release. I’m curious to know what will happen next and how all the characters will cope now that they’re all certainly trapped on the island together for the whole six months.

Plus, it’ll be fun to know who survives and who doesn’t. Remember, there are no laws. Also, did I mention there was a prize of 500K in Euros? No? Well, now you know. While we don’t know when Inescapable: No Rules, No Rescue will be released, you can add it to your wishlist on Steam! You can also keep an eye out for it on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, and Xbox!