2021's Best Game NOBODY Played
From Bowie To Ziggy
The boy's woes will be immediately familiar to anyone with famous family members, and perhaps unexpectedly familiar to anyone with an older sibling. The bid to break away from the shadow they cast is a mighty task to undertake, especially if it involved deviating from that which you're expected to do. Following something great, unique or all-encompassing is anxiety-inducing, and the shackles of people-pleasing often far outweighs the lure of revolution.
Shedding the banal skin of Francis Vendetti to become The Unmissable Francisco (or whichever name you so choose) is, at surface level, just a cosmetic upgrade, but the significance of the character breaking free of conventional expectations to discover true musical satisfaction is a narrative quirk we can all find a worthy metaphor in.
Traversing through Glimmerdimm, sailing aboard the Cosmic Lung and juking it out in a jam for the ages with the galaxy-famous Glamourgonn is accompanied so beautifully by jaw-dropping visuals, a piercingly appealing colour palette and euphoric prog-rock soundtrack that makes even the most mundane gameplay segments feel like an intergalactic marvel.
Standout performances from a star-studded cast round out the wonderful presentation, as Lena Headey, Carl Weathers and Mark Strong all simply revel in their roles. Weathers, in particular, has a substantial role as Lightman, the iconic guitarist who's touring of the Cosmic Extraordinary needs a new support act.(Guess who that might be?)
Lightman and Violetta have wonderful dialogue, and the latter's scepticism of Francis' presence makes for some of the game's most amusing moments, as the former childishly extinguishes her concerns. Alongside Francis, they're the most significant characters in the story, and each have a small, but charming development arc that always keep the story fresh.
Narratively, it's easy to see that The Artful Escape draws more inspiration from a turntable than any book, movie or game. Mimicking Bowie's reinvention as Ziggy Stardust, Francis' development from shy, unassuming boy with the weight of the world on his shoulders to a confident, self-assured musician with the eyes of the galaxy on his antics is an arc that unfolds wonderfully.
Like a great prog-rock concept album, The Artful Escape leans on appealing to emotion and feeling rather than rigid storytelling, though it executes both with relative ease.
