Escape Academy 2 Reviews Are Divided: Great Puzzles, but Technical Problems Hold It Back

Escape-room games depend on clever puzzles, teamwork, and the satisfaction of solving complicated challenges. Escape Academy 2: Back 2 School builds on those ideas with a larger environment, new puzzle rooms, and a campus that players can explore between challenges.

Developed by Coin Crew Games and published by iam8bit, the sequel launched on November 5, 2026, for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.

Although critics generally appreciate the puzzle design and cooperative experience, opinions about the overall game are less consistent. Its technical performance and open-world elements have become major points of criticism.

Why Escape Academy 2 Is Receiving Different Review Scores

The difference between the game's review aggregator scores is one of the most interesting parts of its launch.

According to the available review figures, Escape Academy 2 has a score of 73 on Metacritic, classified as mixed or average, while OpenCritic lists it at 84, with 80% of critics recommending it.

These numbers are based on different groups of only five critic reviews each. As a result, the gap does not necessarily indicate a major disagreement about the game's core gameplay. Instead, different reviewers have placed different levels of importance on its technical problems and overall presentation.

The positive reviews focus heavily on the puzzles, exploration, and cooperative features. More critical reviews give greater attention to performance issues and the limitations of the open campus.

Critics Praise the Puzzle Design

The strongest part of Escape Academy 2 appears to be its escape-room challenges.

The sequel combines traditional puzzle rooms with a larger campus environment where players can explore, complete quests, and discover additional activities. This gives the experience more structure than simply moving from one locked room to another.

Video Chums awarded the game an 8.3/10, praising its combination of traditional escape rooms and a campus hub that creates a sense of progression.

TheGamer also gave it 4/5, describing it as a strong choice for puzzle fans. Its review highlighted the mixture of puzzle-solving, detective-style gameplay, and escape-room challenges.

Other positive reviews have praised the variety of puzzles, with some challenges offering a more demanding experience than others.

The game also supports players who prefer solving puzzles without constant time pressure through its optional No-Timer Mode.

Cooperative Gameplay Remains a Major Strength

Co-op is another area where Escape Academy 2 performs well.

Players can work together online or through local split-screen, making it possible to solve challenges with a friend. Teamwork is particularly useful when puzzles require players to investigate different clues or communicate information from separate locations.

Some reviewers highlighted how well the cooperative experience recreates the feeling of working through a real escape room with another person.

The sequel also supports solo play, so players do not need a partner to enjoy its challenges.

Another welcome feature is that newcomers can jump into the sequel without having played the original Escape Academy.

Performance Problems Affect the Console Experience

The biggest criticism concerns technical performance, particularly outside the puzzle rooms.

Insider Gaming gave the PlayStation 5 version a 6/10, reporting frequent lag and freezes in the areas surrounding the school. Its review also criticised the open-world implementation, including NPCs blocking paths and an inconvenient fast-travel system.

Altchar similarly reported crashes and frame-rate drops on PS5.

These problems can interrupt the experience, especially in a game that depends on exploration and moving between different challenges.

The open campus is supposed to make the Academy feel like a connected world, but technical instability can make travelling through it less enjoyable.

Visual Quality and Puzzle Difficulty Are Also Criticised

The game's presentation has received a more mixed response.

Video Chums criticised the dated appearance of some graphics, particularly the character models. TheGamer also pointed to uneven visual quality, while SmashPad reported blurry textures on PC even when using ultra settings.

Puzzle difficulty is another point of disagreement. Some reviewers found the hints inconsistent and certain challenges frustrating because of sudden difficulty increases.

SmashPad also noted that a day-one update was planned to improve the visual experience.

These issues do not appear to undermine the quality of every puzzle, but they contribute to the feeling that the sequel needed more polish before release.

Escape Academy 2 Release Date, Price, and Platforms

Escape Academy 2: Back 2 School launched on November 5, 2026.

Here are the main details:

• Developer: Coin Crew Games
• Publisher: iam8bit
• Release date: November 5, 2026
• Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
• Listed price: $19.99
• PC Game Pass: Included according to the launch coverage
• Game modes: Single-player and cooperative multiplayer

The game is also included with PC Game Pass and Game Pass Ultimate, according to the launch report.

Is Escape Academy 2 Worth Playing?

Escape Academy 2: Back 2 School appears to deliver where it matters most for fans of the genre: its puzzles and cooperative gameplay.

The expanded campus adds a fresh layer of exploration, while the option to play without a timer makes the experience more accessible to players who prefer solving challenges at their own pace.

However, performance problems, dated visuals, and some weaknesses in the open-world design make the overall experience less polished than its strongest reviews might suggest.

For players who mainly want clever escape-room puzzles and a cooperative adventure, the sequel could still be an enjoyable purchase. Those who are particularly sensitive to frame-rate drops, crashes, or visual quality may want to wait for further updates.

Ultimately, Escape Academy 2 is a promising puzzle sequel whose strongest ideas are held back by technical issues that still need attention.