How many games do you know based on television series?? How many of them were there on PC?? One? Two? Of the more or less well-known ones, only Lost: Via Domus comes to mind, and even that could not boast of any accomplishments in its time. A rather boring and simply passable project appealed exclusively to fans of the story from “Lost”. First we watched, then we played and enjoyed it. Without the first point, the second, unfortunately, no longer worked. Although attracting a new audience to the original was one of the main goals of the interactive Lost. But today we are not talking about him, but about Prison Break: The Conspiracy. Will she be able to do what Via Domus was unable to do – to interest those indifferent to the TV show??

Escape from Fox River

First, a little background, in case you haven’t checked out the series yet.

It all starts with the fact that a simple guy named Lincoln Burrows goes to jail on charges of murder. And the poor fellow would not have escaped the electric chair if not for his brother Michael Scofield, who decided to arrange an escape. By a happy coincidence, Michael has detailed drawings of the Fox River prison, where his unlucky relative vegetates. So, Scofield comes up with a daring plan, and in order not to forget anything, he gets a tattoo on his body with cleverly disguised schemes and tips.

Our ward is Thomas Paxton, an agent of the top-secret organization that framed Burrows. When it becomes known that law-abiding Michael tried to rob a bank, surrendered to the police without resistance and was sent to the same correctional facility as Lincoln, Tom is sent to Fox River as a prisoner. The task is clear – to control the situation. While throughout the first season of the series the brothers are trying to break free, we, already in the game, are trying our best to stop them.

The beginning Prison Break: The https://high-flyer-casino.co.uk/games/ Conspiracy – pure delight for any fan. Familiar characters voiced by “family” actors, unforgettable music from the official soundtrack of “Escape”… You don’t even need a map here – the authors have created an almost exact copy of “Fox River”, so fans of the series can easily find out where the rest room is and how to get to the first aid station. In addition, through the eyes of Thomas, we constantly see entire scenes from the television adventure. We either follow the fierce battle between Turk and Lincoln, or watch as mafia boss John Abruzzi is taken away with his throat slit in a helicopter. The feeling from such episodes is excellent. Even if the animation is not so great, and the production is weak, it’s all secondary, as if you were watching footage from a family holiday. I don’t care that the image quality is terrible, and the would-be cameraman chose the most monstrous angles. Joyful memories and emotions are what matters.

But this is the feeling of a fan. We immediately draw attention to the obvious “cheapness” of the project – to the ugly videos; to prison cells with equally filled beds and empty bedside tables; to a feeble simulation of life, when other prisoners practically do not react to our actions. But it’s the unpleasant little things that irritate me the most—that’s what developers make mistakes on. Some characters, for example, look like anyone, but not their prototypes. Just look at Charles Westmoreland, who resembles Dr. Kleiner from Half-Life 2 (by the way, he appears on walks without his beloved cat – also a noticeable blunder). Of course, there is an explanation for this – not all actors agreed to donate their appearance to virtual heroes. However, whatever the reason, this detail prevents you from immersing yourself in the atmosphere.

Sometimes there are absurd situations, outright falsehood. You don’t have to look far for examples. Here is an incident from the beginning of the game – the warden did not get along with the prisoner Bagwell and asks us to provoke Theodore into a fight in order to put him in a punishment cell. We are talking with T-Bag, telling him various bad things – and suddenly he rushes at us with his fists… To be honest, we were even taken aback by surprise. Can you imagine that same sneaky, slippery Bagwell trying to punch a huge guy with the figure of a heavyweight boxer in the jaw?? Yes, excuse me – he would at least buy a sharp sharpener and watch for the offender around the corner. And if the authors had put some John Smith instead of Theodore, there would have been no questions. But why exactly him?

And this is the solution. They couldn’t come up with any other scenario involving Bagwell, but they wanted to stick him in so that there would be. That’s why it turned out so stupid and implausible. What can we say – since even the most colorful hero Robert Knepper got only the episodic role of a pear, then the rest don’t even show themselves. This is especially felt in scenes with characters who were not in the series. The characters of Scofield, Burrows, Abruzzi and others were carefully developed over many hours of television. And against their background, newcomers Mannix and Paxton, without such a powerful foundation, seem like pitiful mannequins, completely devoid of emotions. Here even the most devoted fan of the original source The Conspiracy starts to get disappointed..

Everyday life of a special agent

…And he will be completely upset when he understands what and how entertainment is The Conspiracy – so-so. Of the almost ten hours of playthrough, about nine are endless secretive missions. The time-tested attraction “wait until the guard turns away and run past” and simple acrobatics are, of course, pleasing at first. There aren’t many spy action films coming out these days, and when you’re hungry, as you know, any ordinary porridge is delicious. But when you’re already full, you can’t look at such food without hiccups. And we assure you that you will get fed up with your travels through the dark corridors very quickly. No interesting finds. Diversity – no. Time after time – from shelter to shelter, from shelter to shelter, turning off the lights and surveillance cameras in the rooms. And only occasionally the authors try to dilute the process with something entertaining – a mini-game with lockpicking or a dangerous walk under the rays of spotlights. But all this is a drop in the bucket.

Fierce fights, which make up the remaining ten percent of the passage (if you do not take into account scanty plot inserts and fluff like running around the levels), after this – the ultimate dream. However, you can’t find anything worthwhile here either. Normal and strong blows plus a block – that’s the entire combat system; new techniques do not appear over time. In addition, the local fights themselves look extremely comical. We’d swear we saw our opponent miss a powerful right hook? But the opponent thinks differently – he can easily ignore the punching and continue waving his fists as if nothing had happened. You get the same impressions that sometimes happen in MMORPGs: you’re hitting a damn demon, but he doesn’t give a damn – all the attacks, the infection, are parried. But in The Conspiracy fights are performed on behalf of the militants, isn’t it?

And we wouldn’t be so strict if it weren’t for the excessive length. More scenes from the series, less of everything else – and closed the topic. Perhaps it would even turn out great. But almost ten hours in the realm of self-copying is too much.

One of the main problems Prison Break: The Conspiracy — age limit “from 14 years old”. Because of him, you won’t see any blood or any truly violent scenes. That’s why, perhaps, T-Bag doesn’t shine, and in general a lot of interesting things fell into the “for adults” category and were not realized. All this is clear. But what would have happened if the project had been aimed at a different audience, we are unlikely to know now. We can only hope for a sequel with the “over 18 years old” mark on the cover. And the current game adaptation of “Escape” will appeal only to the most fanatical fans – those who are eager to return to their almost native “Fox River” at least for a short time.

Pros: many references to the original with great scenes; interesting missions for the first time.
Cons: simple plot; crooked combat system; drawn-out and boring stealth sequences; characters’ personalities are not revealed.