Before anything else, you need to choose which lovable criminal you want to control. Both characters are essential to the plot, though you’ll spend most of your time blaming the other for getting caught.

1. Leo Caruso – A hot-headed, brash guy with a New York accent so thick you’ll feel like you’re in Goodfellas. Leo’s the type of person who tries to solve all problems with his fists and zero planning. He’s great if you prefer a "smash first, ask questions later" approach to life.


2. Vincent Moretti – The calmer, more calculated of the two. Vincent uses his brains instead of brawn, which often means he’ll be the one telling Leo not to punch guards. He’s the cool cucumber who'll try to talk his way out of trouble... until Leo ruins everything.



Once you’ve picked your favorite criminal, it’s time to prepare for the great escape! But first, you have to survive prison life, which, as you’ll soon discover, is not as fun as it looks on TV.

Welcome to prison, where the beds are hard, the guards are jerks, and everyone seems really into getting stabbed in the yard. While you're here, you’ll need to start plotting your way out, but don’t expect to just waltz out the front door.

Key Prison Activities:

Lifting Weights: You’ll want to look tough, so mash those buttons to impress the other inmates with your push-ups. Of course, if you’re Vincent, it’ll feel a bit pointless because you’re more of a "brain" guy. Leo, on the other hand, will pump iron like he’s training for the UFC.

Doing Laundry: Who knew the path to freedom started with folding someone’s dirty underwear? The prison laundry is a great place to steal things like sheets, or just stand around and complain about the working conditions.

Avoiding Shivs: If you hear someone talking about how their cousin “got shanked last week,” it’s time to keep your distance. Leo might think he can fight off every thug in the prison, but Vincent knows better than to get involved. Pro tip: use the “block” button liberally.

So you’ve been in prison for about 15 minutes, and naturally, you’re already thinking of ways to break out. That’s the spirit! This is where the real co-op fun begins, as you’ll need to work together—kind of like Batman and Robin, but with fewer gadgets and more improvisation.

Some Highlights of Your Half-Baked Escape Plan:

Stealing a Chisel: Apparently, chisels are the ultimate tool for breaking out of prison. You’ll need to distract guards, chat with fellow inmates, and pass tools between cell bars like a Mission: Impossible reject. Be careful though: dropping the chisel in front of a guard is a surefire way to get extra time in solitary confinement. Not that I’m speaking from experience or anything…

Digging Through a Toilet: At one point, you’ll be unscrewing bolts and lifting toilets like you’re a professional plumber. Leo will probably make gross comments, but Vincent will remind him that freedom smells better than prison plumbing.

Escaping at Night: Because obviously you’re not breaking out during daylight. This part is full of quick-time events, where one wrong button press means back to square one. Nothing like the stress of mashing a button while your friend yells “GO FASTER!” as you shimmy along a narrow ledge 100 feet in the air.

Congratulations, you’ve made it out of prison! Now what? Well, now the real chaos begins, as escaping prison was just the first step in a series of increasingly ridiculous events. Spoiler alert: your problems do not end here.

Some Post-Escape Shenanigans:

Canoeing Down Rapids: You’ve escaped the guards and made it to a river. Naturally, your next move is to hop into a wooden canoe and row your way to freedom. This is the part where you and your friend will scream at each other for paddling in the wrong direction. Spoiler: you will hit the rocks. It’s inevitable. When you’re not arguing about steering, you’ll be trying to keep the canoe from flipping over like the Titanic 2.0.

Stealth Gone Wrong: You’ll spend a lot of time sneaking past cops in the woods, except neither of you are particularly good at sneaking. Leo will want to knock out every cop he sees, while Vincent insists on playing it cool. This almost always ends with alarms blaring and you running like you just stole a car (which, to be fair, you probably did).

Stealing a Car: Speaking of which, yeah, you’ll steal a car. Of course, it’s not as simple as just driving away. First, there’s the awkward moment where you have to distract a couple of farmers (which you can either do politely or Leo-style, aka with a gun). Then, it’s a high-speed chase with cop cars where you’ll wish you played more Grand Theft Auto beforehand.

At some point, you’ll need to board a plane to truly escape the country. But don’t get too comfortable—planes in video games always mean something bad is about to happen.

Airport Antics:

Run, Run, Run: There’s a thrilling airport chase sequence where, if you’ve ever wanted to know what it’s like to be Tom Hanks in The Terminal, here’s your chance. Except instead of dealing with airport security, you’ll be dealing with guns and slow-motion jumps over obstacles that seem specifically designed for dramatic action scenes.

You’ve made it through quick-time events, cop chases, and brutal fights, but nothing can prepare you for the big twist that’s coming. Without spoiling too much: your bro-love will be tested in ways you didn’t think were possible. Let’s just say the title A Way Out suddenly takes on a whole new meaning.

By the end, one of you will be questioning all the life choices that brought you here. Is this the end of the beautiful prison bromance? Will you make it out alive? Why does everything hurt so much?

If you’ve made it to the end of the game, you’ll probably need some therapy. After all the drama, fights, and shocking revelations, you and your co-op partner might want to take a break from each other. Maybe play something less stressful, like Animal Crossing or Tetris.

Whatever happens, just remember: you made it out (kind of), and you did it together. Even if you occasionally wanted to throw your partner off a cliff, friendship (and a good escape plan) prevails.

A Way Out is a hilarious, frustrating, and heart-pounding adventure that will test not only your puzzle-solving skills but also the strength of your friendships. From chiseling your way to freedom to stealing cars and dodging cops, there’s no shortage of ridiculous moments that will have you laughing one minute and yelling at each other the next. But in the end, it’s all worth it—because nothing says “friendship” like breaking out of prison together.

Good luck, and remember: teamwork makes the dream work… or at least it keeps you from getting shivved in the shower.