Freddie Mercury famously sang "I want to break free!", and for all of the titles featured here that was either the main objective of the game, or your number one priority at some point. Settle down in your bunk and get ready for a great escape, as we bust out of PlayStation’s toughest penitentiaries.
Prisoner of War
Stepping into the silent shoes of Captain Stone, you find yourself slipping out of one POW camp only to wind up in another, eventually working your way up to the notorious Colditz Castle. A lack of combat means you’re relying on your wits, making it a better Great Escape game than the actual Great Escape game.
Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward
Nine strangers wake up to find themselves trapped in a facility with bracelets attached to their wrists. An AI rabbit – Zero III – informs them that to escape they must earn nine points by solving puzzles. No other prison break game is quite as surreal as this one.
Assassin's Creed Unity
Slipping out of cells is pretty common in the AC world, but it’s much-maligned Unity that supplies our favourite Creed getaway. Kicking off his journey in style, Arno liberates himself from the Bastille with Pierre Bellec. Storming to the roof, they look trapped, until Bellec demonstrates the joys of jumping off tall buildings.
Chicken Run
Putting the cape in escape, Aardman’s prolific poultry made their way onto PS1, letting gamers of the time have their own crack at taking flight from Tweedy’s Farm. Whether it’s one you got for a younger sibling or have happy memories of playing yourself, the stealth action meant you could effectively prepare for more demanding games.
Metal Gear Solid
Poor ol’ hapless Johnny Sasaki. Tasked with guarding Solid Snake, he finds himself suddenly afflicted with a case of the bum vomits and dashes off, buying your caged merc enough time to get help from Otacon. When Sasaki returns, he might find Snake lying in a pool of tomato ketchup, prompting him to foolishly rush into the cell and get knocked out by the hero of the day.
Prison Break
Okay, so it’s super awful, scooping a 3/10 from Official PlayStation Magazine when we reviewed it. But, by snagging the majority of the television cast to lend their voices, at least it sounds like the show. And you know, there is a prison and you do break out of it. Top marks for not being misleading.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Trying to track down the villainous Makarov, your team discovers a potentially valuable captive in a Russian gulag and decides to bust him out. After the shooting, much whooping and hollering occurs when owner of the finest ‘tache in all of games, Captain Price, is revealed to be the man you’re after.
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
It’s not every day you’re given a cell with a secret passage, but that’s the situation you find yourself in at the start of Bethesda’s classic. While the prison break is a technical success, Emperor Uriel Septim gets murdered in front of you, tasking you with closing up Oblivion. Jail was preferable.
The Escapists
Well, of course. This charming indie escape-’em-up asks you to break out of the clink, using your smarts, muscles and whatever you can lay your hands on. Its visuals are presented in a gorgeous pixel-art style, meaning you’ve never before seen an exercise yard scrap or tunnelling-out attempt that’s so adorable.
This article originally appeared in Official PlayStation Magazine. For more great PlayStation coverage, you can subscribe here.
"Will today’s players still enjoy a game from 30 years ago?": JRPG icon Kei Shigema says he was thrilled to see Lunar getting a remaster even after all this time
CD Projekt boss says "cutting-edge single-player games" – you know, like The Witcher 4 and Cyberpunk 2 – will "continue to enjoy great popularity" despite industry shifts
