10 Games like “A Way Out” – Great Co-Op Alternatives

One of the saddest things about gaming in the 21st Century is the slow demise of co-op. Though online campaigns are all the rage, there’s something special about sitting down with someone else in the same room and playing a game together. One game that helped to recapture this feeling was A Way Out.

games like a way out

Essentially a 70s-style prison break movie in game form, A Way Out stood out because it could only be played in co-op. Players had to work together, often asynchronously, in order to make it through the game. Though there aren’t many games that are exactly the same, the ten below will definitely remind you of A Way Out.

a way out by EA

1) The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan

The Dark Pictures Anthology certainly didn’t start out trying to be anything like A Way Out. The series takes much of its inspiration from Supermassive’s previous game, Until Dawn.

That game was meant to be an interactive horror, but the developers were surprised to find that a great deal of joy came from passing around the controller in order for multiple players to impact that the rest of the party had with the game.

Man of Medan uses the same basic control scheme and set-up as Until Dawn, but it’s clear that the game is designed to be played in co-op.

The game is asymmetric, though, and the controller must be passed from person to person in order to enjoy the experience as intended. With that said, though, the same kind of spirit of cooperation and sometimes even conflict that A Way Out inspired among players.

2) Unraveled 2

Unraveled 2 is, at its heart, a game about cooperation. A relatively gentle game that casts players in the role of a pair of yarn creatures, the game involves a great deal of cooperative exploration.

The game is a sequel to the popular Unravel, which used many of the same mechanics but that did not necessarily need the involvement of a second player.

Unravel 2 definitely lifts quite a bit form the playbook of A Way Out. While two players aren’t absolutely required, the game does feel like it was built around having two humans controlling the creatures.

It’s absolutely vital that you learn how to work with the other player in order to pass obstacles and to survive, which creates an interesting kind of tension between those behind the screens.

3) Brothers: a tale of two sons

It shouldn’t be too surprising that Brothers is one of the games on this list. After all, it was also developed by Josef Fares and many of the basic ideas in this game would go on to inform how A Way Out worked.

While the game certainly is quite different aesthetically and in tone, it’s very easy to see that so much of what this game did laid the groundwork for how Fares’ next two games would work.

Brothers is a tale that takes place in a medieval time period, with two brothers sent to work together in order to save their dying father.

Players control both brothers, each of which is able to perform certain actions and each of whom must rely on the other to pass through certain obstacles. In fact, one could even go so far as to say that the end of Brothers telegraphs a bit of how A Way Out would later end.

4) Dying Light

To be fair, Dying Light is probably not the first game to come to mind when most people think of games like A Way Out. In truth, the vast majority of players probably played the game in its single-player mode and were driven by the exciting parkour mechanics and the excellent combat.

If you stuck around long enough to play the co-op mode, though, you’d find a game that really did end up being a totally different experience than you may have initial expected.

Dying Light allows players to do quite a bit in co-op. In some cases, they are able to engage in simple combat and take out zombies.

There are, however, certain challenges that require both players to perform specific actions and to work together in ways that leverage their individual strengths.

In fact, the various multiplayer modes of the game let players work with and against each other in a number of interesting ways, all of which push and pull on the same kind of dynamics that are so important in A Way Out.

5) Outward

Outward is a fairly unique action-roleplaying game that meshes some of the best parts of the role-playing world with some of the most important mechanics of the survival genre.

Players take on the role of a commoner in a dark fantasy kingdom. What really makes this game stand out, though, is that every choice that players make really matters.

Outward can be played with more than one player, which not only changes the way that the basic survival functions of the game works but that also has an impact on how making decisions work.

Suddenly, you’re not the only one who has input on the things that can change the world of the game; instead, you’re looking at a group effort that can radically change how all of you experience the game. As you might imagine, this is a fairly familiar feeling for anyone who has played A Way Out.

6) Halo 3 co-op

Halo 3 is one of those shooters that helped to define a generation of consoles, both by pushing forward the narrative of the popular Halo franchise and by making online play more of a presence in the console world.

Halo 3 might be best-known for Master Chief’s story, but it should also be noted that the game has an incredible co-op mode.

Co-cop mode in Halo 3 puts one player in the shoes of Master Chief and the other in the shoes of the Arbiter. The two characters play similarly in this mode and can use the same weapons, but learning how to work together in order to flank enemies or to use devastating vehicle combinations definitely makes co-cop mode feel much more like A Way Out than you might expect.

7) Lara Croft: Temple of Osiris

The various Tomb Raider games aren’t known for co-cop. In fact, the main line of the series has been an entirely single-player affair. The Lara Croft games, however, have been co-op isometric shooters that expand the cast of the game while also giving players a very different experience.

Temple of Osiris is a fairly unique entry in the Tomb Raider series not just because it allows up to four players at a time, but because of how those characters work together.

Each character has not only a unique weapon but also a unique tool, which can help them to not only solve certain combat puzzles but that can help out the entire team.

Learning how to synergize character abilities and work together is a key part of learning how to master this game.

8) Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime

Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime is one of those games that’s really defined by co-op play. While A Way Out may require two players to play together, it’s entirely possible – if not significantly harder – to play this game on your own.

When the game shines, though, is when players are able to work together to take on the game’s various challenges. If your favorite part of A Way Out was working together, you’ll love this game.

Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime puts a set of up to four players on a spaceship that has five stations. Players must constantly communicate with one another to keep the ship moving and the right stations manned in order to clear levels and make it through boss fights.

Though you can scramble about and play alone, there’s something very special about being able to play along with others.

9) Monaco: What’s Yours Is Mine

Like A Way Out, Monaco: What’s Yours is Mine is ultimately a game about criminals. Unlike the game, this one isn’t as much about breaking out as it is about breaking in and committing crimes.

Monaco is a game that eschews modern graphics for a simplified, stylized look and an incredible campaign that runs much deeper than you might expect.

Monaco sees a team of players teaming up to complete various heists. The catch is that each player controls a character with a specific set of skills, all of which can be used together to conduct a perfect break-in.

If things go south, though, players have to decide whether they’ll actually help one another or if they are out for themselves. As you might imagine, the themes of this game can really resonate with players of A Way Out.

10) It Takes Two

Finally, there’s It Takes Two. The latest game from the developers of A Way Out, this game is likewise a cooperative game that requires two players in order to enjoy. Unlike the more realistic A Way Out, though, this is a fairly fantastical game that casts players in the role of toy-like versions of two parents who are on the edge of a divorce.

It Takes Two is, at least mechanically, a game that owes quite a bit to A Way Out. You’ll experience some very specific moments that feel reminiscent of that game as you play, but you’ll also note that this game features a fair bit more of the cooperative teamwork that made that game so successful in the first place.

With a story that is, at least on its surface, a little lighter, this game can be a fun palate cleanser after A Way Out.

Image Credits

By May be found at the following website: http://www.giantbomb.com/images/1300-2530748, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=38242135

By Supermassive Games / Bandai Namco – Giant Bomb, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=63665664

By Hazelight – Hazelight, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=66442579

3 thoughts on “10 Games like “A Way Out” – Great Co-Op Alternatives”

  1. Brothers a tale of two sons this game story, however, focuses on heavy themes of family bonds and perseverance after grief and tragedy, and it lingers long after the player is done playing.

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