The Great Escape Review

The Great Escape

by Olly Richards |
Published on

‘Being’ the cast of POW classic The Great Escape doesn’t necessarily sound like a fantastic premise for a game, what with them generally being dead and much of the movie’s action involving digging tunnels. Instead, this adaptation uses the characters from the movie

and puts them in invented situations, interspersed with the more exciting aspects of the film.

Throughout the 18 levels, players control the characters portrayed by Gordon Jackson, James Coburn, James Garner and, of course, Steve McQueen. Pleasingly, the makers have managed to secure McQueen’s voice and likeness so that this is the nearest you’ll come to being a Hollywood legend (the others

are played by voice actors).

The mix of stealth as you avoid the Germans, good old-fashioned shooting and riding vehicles — re-enact the motorbike jump scene, woo-hoo! — keeps things chugging along at a pleasant pace, and there’s an impressive attention to detail, ranging from subtle changes in weather to flustered chickens alerting the Nazis to your hiding place. A lovingly-created piece of great escapism.

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