The indie studio has already made a new game since their 2018 unique co-op-only adventure. Hazelight Studios, It Takes Two creators, mixes elements from various genres to appeal to a wider audience. So, we’re sharing games across various categories. These are fans of platforming, story-rich titles, or action-adventure crossovers. Games like A Way Out should thrive on either genre and feature hefty co-op features.
Selecting Games Like a Way Out
Selecting Games Like A Way Out requires us to understand the aspects of the co-op adventure. We believe fans of the games would like a mix of the following elements:
Genre: A Way Out is a co-op-only platforming adventure, and you play in a third-person perspective. Co-op: The game is not available in single-player. Moreover, either locally or online, both players’ screens will be next to each other.Setting: Each player chooses one of the two characters, Leo and Vincent. They are prison inmates, and the goal is to escape prison.Gameplay: The mechanics are mostly interacting with other NPCs and the environment to solve puzzles and resolve situations. Mini-games: There’re also many minigames across multiple scenarios. These are a core part of the experience, like fishing, or shooting bottles.Evolving mechanics: The game starts with simple diversion and stealth tactics. Then, it evolves to action set-pieces like shootings and car chases.Shooting mechanics: The game is part puzzles, driving, party exploration, and shooting. The shooting mechanics are simple and rely on taking cover.Non-simultaneous co-op: Both players could be doing different things on different parts simultaneously. That even includes cutscenes.Story-rich: The game is rich in character development, and the breakout is a thrilling, emotional, and unpredictable journey. Cinematic experience: The game taps into the cinematic genre by delivering a story akin to Prison Break. It’s full of cuts, camaraderie, and complex plans.Puzzles: As many platforming adventures, A Way Out is full of puzzles. Often, players require puzzles to go past obstacles.
Because A Way Out is a short game packing so many different gameplay segments, there might not be another just like it. We can only hope the games we’re sharing will appeal to fans based on the elements we’re focusing on. Games like A Way Out should be memorable platformers or adventure-type games. The special ingredient could be its gameplay, story, music, character, dynamics, or something in-between.
Games Like a Way Out
It Takes Two
Hazelight Studio’s latest game is It Takes Two. Their title reached critical and fan success and won several awards in 2021. But instead of a story about freedom, it’s a plot about relationships. It’s an earnest, family-friendly take of the same formula they used in A Way Out. However, it’s a dynamic platforming adventure with evolving mechanics. There’re skills, multiple puzzles, and various scenarios. The fantasy setting sets husband and wife, on the verge of divorce, playing as rag-dolls. Only by working together and possibly healing their relationship can they return to their original bodies. The setting opens up a co-op-only adventure. You can play it online, locally, or via Steam’s Remote Play (like A Way Out). Either way, both players face disruptive challenges in a fantastical world. Overall, It Takes Two is a memorable, character-driven experience. Cody and May grow, make mistakes, learn, and change along the journey. And you, as the player, get to learn new mechanics at every turn.
Monaco: What’s Yours Is Mine
Welcome to a four-person criminal operation. It’s a co-op experience where you and three other friends work together on a series of high-stakes heights. You play in a top-down perspective, though, and the visuals are simple and neon-drenched. Its unique art style and music make it special, though. The gameplay mechanics are simple to understand as well. A few minutes playing the game would allow you and your friends to pull off the craziest heights the title offer For example, each player has a role in a class to pick. Available roles include Locksmith, Lookout, Cleaner, Moler, Hacker, or a femme-fatale Redhead. You enter the game, select one of the eight classes, and play through a 4-part campaign. Overall, Monaco: What’s Yours Is Mine a co-op criminal heist game A Way Out fans would like. It’s easy to play, looks nice, and sounds great. It’s an easy pick for fans of the adventure platformer genre, as well as heist-game fans.
The Escapists 2
A Way Out tapped into complex breakout plans, strategy, and camaraderie between strangers. It’s the kind of story that made shows like Prison Break and even The Walking dead great. The Escapists 2 feels quite similar. It’s a convoluted game about escaping prison. You play as an inmate desperate to break free. However, he must go through increasingly challenging prisons. The ways you can escape get ridiculous as new scenarios come by. That’s because each prison has unique obstacles, like security cameras or electric fences. The gameplay happens from a top-down perspective. The mechanics are about interacting with the environment and other NPCs. In essence, you click on elements in the UI and make choices to move on. Also, you move your character across the prison to find relevant items and paths. However, most of your time goes by planning your strategy. You’ll need to explore the prison complex multiple times to make a plan and then execute when you think you’re ready. Lastly, you’ll be able to buy, craft, or get tools for your plans.
Portal 2
Portal 2, part of the Half-Life universe, is one of the best puzzle games in the industry. Moreover, it packs a single-player campaign and a separate co-op campaign with two different characters. The co-op campaign sets you and a friend playing as robots. Both carry a portal gun, a weapon capable of creating a portal anywhere in the maze-like research lab. The goal is to complete each level by “escaping,” You can only do it by working together and using the Portal gun. It’s a perfect co-op game, mixing humor, challenge, puzzles, and a thrilling sci-fi story. Moreover, the single-player campaign is a marvel to see. The game’s Source engine allows you to interact with anything in the environment with the weapon. That’s outstanding for a 2013 game. That gives the game a unique sandbox structure. Lastly, Portal 2 is a challenging game. However, after understanding the mechanics, you can go through its challenges simply by experimenting rather than devising complex strategies. The result is an indie-like game with a short but memorable gameplay experience.
Snipperclips
A Way Out is a short game, and it doesn’t have the greatest amount of puzzles. However, the ones present are challenging and quite creative. Snipperclips is also a puzzle platformer that works as a co-op-only experience. It may fill the gap you’re looking for, albeit it’s only available for Switch. Still, you play on teams of up to four random shapes. Each player controls a shape, and the goal varies on each mini-game, challenge, scenario, or game mode. With Snip and Clip as the protagonists, the main mode is about cutting a precise geometrical shape with simple but tough gameplay mechanics. By achieving geometrical shapes, players can fit into different elements to complete challenges. For example, carrying a basketball ball or cutting a pen. Overall, Snipperclips is an awesome puzzle co-op game. It’s imaginative, indie, and rather cute. Even so, it requires intense communication and teamwork.
Overcooked! 2
If you’re looking for fun, friendly co-op games, Overcooked 2 could be your choice. It’s a cooperative kitchen simulator you can share with your friends and family members. The cooking simulator sets a team of two to four players. The chefs cook absurd orders in nonsensical restaurants. Yet, the setting follows a story that goes through various scenarios for different challenges. So, the gameplay divides itself into tasks. One player could chop, whereas the other cooks, and others serve and wash dishes. Coordination, teamwork, and avoiding bumping into each other are paramount to completing each scenario. The levels are also dynamic and change the mechanics slightly. That includes a series of obstacles that turn the process of cooking more difficult. Some examples include moving floors, moving walkways, portals, and fires. Overall, Overcooked 2 is a fun kitchen simulator about teamwork, absurdity, and, of course, cooking. On top of that, there’s a further multiplayer option where teams can connect to other groups for versus battles.
Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime
Galaga is a spaceship with not a single commander but various people controlling every aspect of the ship. In essence, it’s a 2D co-op space shooter, and you can play alone or as a 4-player team. The setting is a colorful galaxy with neon-powered visuals. You can explore the galaxy while managing the various parts of the ship: shields, thrusters, lasers, and turrets. Teamwork is the key to defeating the forces of “Anti-Love.” The plot is about rescuing space-bunnies in dangerous deep-space. Either locally, online, or with AI players, you can only do one role at a time. Another element is ship customization. You can find space-gems as you explore to add new abilities and tools to the ship. Moreover, levels are randomized, so the loot is always different. Lastly, the controls are simple, and anyone can jump in. Like other games on our list, it’s a nice game you can share with your friends, families, and partners.
Brothers – A Tale of Two Sons
Brothers – A Tale of Two Sons came from the mind of Josef Fader, a Swedish filmmaker, and Hazelight Studios creator. The ideas the studio displayed on A Way Out and It Takes Two debuted on the older title. It’s a single-player experience, but you simultaneously control both characters, the brothers. It’s a tough gameplay mechanic, though, as you’d need both characters often to go past obstacles. The controller scheme forces you to move each character with a thumbstick. You move them through fairy-tale environments, drawn by hand, across a gorgeous puzzle platforming experience. Its cute exterior hides heavy themes, a rich story, and an emotional journey. Not unlike A Way Out, the protagonists need to overcome hardships by learning how to work together and survive. Lastly, the story follows two brothers trying to cure their dying father. They are searching for the “Water of Life” on a fantastical, dangerous, and even whimsical journey.
Payday 2
Payday 2 is a co-op-only FPS title. Also, it’s another game focusing on criminal activities such as bank robberies, kidnappings, and heists. You’re part of a four-person team, and you can play it as a local co-op or online. The four characters perform a series of criminal activities in Washington DC. To complete the goals, they need teamwork, strategy, and creativity. You get the missions via the in-game CRIMENET network. You select a contract, plan, and enter the scenario with your friends. Missions reward money for crafting resources, guns, weapon mods, gear, and more. The scenarios are dynamic and varied. It ranges from drug trafficking to light political errands. That means mechanics and gunplay feel fresh on each level, with even traversal mechanics unique to particular scenarios. Lastly, you can level up your characters and learn skills on five different skill trees. Alongside deep customization options and masks, there’s always something else to unlock on Payday 2.
Unravel Two
Unravel Two is a quirky game from the start. When you start a new campaign, you customize a “Yarny,” the little creature you control on the co-op adventure. Yet, you can play single-player, local co-op, or online co-op. Either way, both players use the same screen for the 2D platforming adventure experience. As Yarnys, the plot is about helping a dying forest blossom. The story takes you to multiple scenarios and against various monsters. From beginning to end, the game feels inspired and exuberant. There’re always two Yarnys, though, even on single-player. You need the other part to solve puzzles, mini-games, trials, and platforming segments. Overall, the problem-solving is playful and offers players various ways to complete challenges. Moreover, the world has rich storytelling, plus wonderful music to imprint the gaming experience in your mind.
Borderlands 3
Borderlands 3, the latest entry of the looter-shooter series, is the ultimate co-op shooting game. Sure, you can play its campaign alone, but it gets so much better with a friend at your party. The game is full of humor, bombastic action scenes, and explosive dialogue. It also has insane weapons and gear, millions and various classes, and three skill trees each. You play as a “Vault Hunter,” an interstellar mercenary looking for treasure. For the third entry, you’re looking for alien vaults on various planets in a race against the evil Calypso brothers. The gameplay happens in first-person. You shoot, you loot, and you use an active power. You can also use vehicles, grenades, jump, take cover, and use other tools. Overall, Borderlands 3 is the quintessential co-op shooting experience. It’s available online, single-player, or as a couch co-op when AAA studios are pushing back against local split-screen.
Halo: The Master Chief Collection
Halo: The Masterchief Collection brought remastered Halo games for PC for the first time. The bundle packs six series entries to deliver the full glory of the shooter for a wider audience. If you played A Way Out for its cover shooting mechanics, look no other than Halo. It’s a no-nonsense, fast-paced sci-fi shooter available on Steam or the Microsoft store. There’re no puzzles or mini-games on Halo. However, you can play the six campaigns in co-op or enjoy many other multiplayer modes. As for co-op, it can work locally or online. Moreover, the story is rich and quite human. But in addition to that, the combat is challenging. Thus, coordinated co-op gameplay is the most efficient way to complete the campaigns. Overall, Halo: The Masterchief Collection is one of the best games you can play like an FPS or co-op fan.
Detroit: Become Human
If you’re looking for story-rich games, Become Human is your next pick. As A Way Out, the gameplay relies on interacting with the environment and other NPCs for most of its playtime. However, the game belongs to another genre. This is a cinematic, interactive drama. You play by making choices and performing quick actions. You lead your playtime towards branching paths and dozens of different endings depending on these factors. You play as three androids in Detroit in the near future. It’s an episodic, interconnected story about a human/android conflict. The protagonists take center part in the plot. The experience features full voice-acting, motion-capture, sci-fi music, and a thriller-type story. The quality of the game is very high, and the playtime is massive. Overall, Detroit: Become Human is an outstanding, story-rich interactive experience. It’s not a platformer, and it’s not an adventure title, but it’s the kind of game A Way Out fans would like.
Fe
Fe is not the kind of game we share often. But A Way Out fans could find its memorable, atmospheric experience as the next thing to play. Also, it’s part of EA’s section of indie titles they publish. It’s not a co-op game, though. Instead, it’s a puzzle adventure game without any dialogue or narration. That means you alone make the discoveries, as there’s nothing in-game to guide you. That makes Fe an exploration-based title. You use skills you learn to find your paths across different scenarios and defeat enemies on short combat segments. You can run, climb, and glide to explore a fantasy Nordic forest. The sighs are rich, and the story holds a deep mystery to discover along the way. Lastly, the title is heavy on mini-game mechanics. In essence, you learn “animal cries” that allow you to befriend and manipulate other creatures. Doing these cries works through mini-games.
