Xbox Game Pass’ Latest Addition Is a Nearly Perfect Couch Co-Op Game

Co-op games have given couples plenty of reasons to pick up a controller together, from Split Fiction to Big Walk. Escape Academy 2: Back 2 School deserves a place on that list. With inventive puzzles and a strong focus on collaboration, it’s an excellent choice for a night on the couch.

Coin Crew Games’ follow-up to 2022’s Escape Academy leans further into split-screen play, offering a collection of digital escape rooms that put communication to the test. Its expanded story doesn’t always land, but the approachable challenges and satisfying teamwork make up for it.

Although it’s a sequel, Escape Academy 2 feels like a fuller realization of the series’ potential. The original benefited from its creators’ experience designing real-world escape rooms, but its short campaign felt more like an introduction than a complete course. Downloadable content added more to do, while the sequel arrives with a longer adventure and a stronger sense of connection between its puzzle rooms.

The premise remains familiar: You’re a student at a school devoted to solving puzzles, and escaping elaborate rooms is part of the curriculum. Those rooms are still the main attraction. Each brings together smaller riddles that gradually feed into a larger solution. In one memorable challenge, you and your teammate race to the top of a clock tower, piecing together clues involving shapes, rope, scattered moons, and more.

The rooms work especially well for two players because there’s usually more than one problem to tackle. Partners can split up, investigate different clues, and compare discoveries when they’re ready. Split-screen remains available online, too, making it easy to see what the other person is examining or carrying. Friends and family can enjoy that setup, but it’s particularly appealing for couples with different levels of gaming experience.

The sequel also extends that cooperative spirit beyond the escape rooms. Players can explore the school grounds, uncover secret puzzles, collect red herrings, and take on side quests. Much like Super Mario 64, the campus opens up gradually as you complete more challenges.

That freedom gives partners room to pursue separate interests while still contributing to a shared adventure. During my playthrough, my fiancée and I often went our own ways between missions: one of us earned money through side quests while the other unlocked zip lines to make getting around easier. It’s a small but welcome reminder that good teamwork can include a little independence.

The greater emphasis on storytelling is less convincing. The game explores the academy’s past and the secrets surrounding its founders, providing a mystery worth following. But much of that story unfolds through static, visual novel-style scenes that can interrupt the momentum of cooperative play. The pun-heavy dialogue may also tempt players to skip ahead, although my partner and I had fun laughing at its cheesier moments together.

Escape Academy 2 doesn’t reinvent multiplayer gaming, but it understands what makes a co-op puzzle satisfying. Its challenges rarely leave you stuck for long, yet they’re clever enough to encourage conversation before that rewarding moment of realization. The result is a relaxed, enjoyable experience that leaves both players feeling proud of what they’ve solved. Personally, I’d rather tackle these puzzles with my fiancée than assemble another piece of IKEA furniture.

Escape Academy 2: Back 2 School launches November 5 for PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X. It will also be available through Game Pass at launch.

Source: Polygon