Why can’t people ever fix their security in prisons? I mean, for goodness sake, you’d think that after years of people breaking out through the sewage system Shawshank Redemption style, prisons would increase security, or at the very least, use some stronger cell bars. But, no, they always leave one crack in their prisons to allow prisoners to escape… So, naturally, video games have quite a lot of those. In video games, it seems that getting out of those prisons are as easy as getting out of any. So, today, I want to share with you all the ten best prison breaks in video games. First, some rules. Only one game per franchise. Also, I am including games that I haven’t played, because if I didn’t, I would have no idea what I am doing here. Also, it doesn’t matter if the protagonist is trying to break out himself or if they are trying to break someone else out. If it involves a prisoner breaking out, than it goes on the list. So, with that said, let us start the list.
#10: Stilwater Penitentiary from Saints Row 2
Let’s start with one that’s pretty simple. After waking up from a coma, The Boss, along with the prisoner, Carlos, are forced to find a way out of prison in order to get back to the mainland. So, naturally, the first the the Boss does after waking up from a coma is running through the prison yard, shooting police officers as he and Carlos make their way to the boats. Granted, you could sneak up to the roof, but that only delays the inevitable shooting from the outside. After getting to the boats, Carlos will drive the boat to the mainland as the Boss shoots at police boats and helicopters in order to lose them… That’s something I find funny in sandbox missions. You can slaughter officers and they will be gone in a few minutes during missions, but outside of missions, killing officers only increases their numbers. I never understood that. Still, this is a pretty interesting and attention grabbing way to start off a game like Saints Row 2. Good job, developers
#9: Castle Jail from Chrono Trigger
So, for a game that was rated E back in the day, you should expect that having a girl with you is punishable with death…. Oh, those old medieval times and their extremely unnecessary punishments. So, after being captured by the royal guards for the supposed kidnapping of Princess Nadia, you are put on trial for it. Of course, if you’re found innocent or guilty, you are still given the death penalty no matter what. What I find neat about this one is that you have two options of escape. You can either wait for three days, and your friend Lucca will come and save you, or you can piss off the guards enough to where you can attack them and leave through the door. Eventually, you will regroup with your friends in time to face the boss, a Dragon Tank, which can heal itself if you don’t destroy the head. It’s pretty simple, and it’s kinda dumb that the king just decides to let you go once you escape, but whatever. It’s a JRPG. When did those ever use logic
#8: Coldridge Prison from Dishonored
Just like Saints Row 2, Dishonored starts you off in a prison as the game's tutorial. However, this one is a bit more interesting. After being told that you were used by the Spymaster as a fall guy (That’s old noir talk) for the Empress’s death, you are then given a letter by a group of rebels who wish to have you join them, and leave a key under the note to help you escape. So, from here, you are now on your way to the exit. However, there are guards here that you must be aware of. You could just walk over and kill them, but the true challenge comes when someone wants to avoid killing everyone in the game, in order to keep Chaos low. Here, you will need to do an assortment of sneaking through alternate routes and choking guards until they go unconscious. And it all ends with you jumping off a bridge into the water as guards shoot at you (Unless you are better at stealth than I am, which, let me tell you, I am not the best with). It’s simple, sure, but still a neat start to a stealth game.
#7: Bargate Prison from Fable
You know, I never understood some things about prisons, but tell me why the guards of Bargate prison feel the need to take your clothes when you are arrested? Seriously, they end up leaving you in your boxers. Oh well, the escape is pretty interesting. In order to get out of Bargate prison, you will need to spend a full year there, being tortured, and when a whole year comes around, you will be forced into a race, where guards bet on prisoners to see who will win. After winning, you will be sent to the Warden’s Office, where the prison warden will read to you a line of poetry… I’m not making this up. While he is reading, you need to look over the combination on a wall in order to open one of the three books that holds the cell key to your cell. After this, you will be able to break out of prison, as well as your mother, and maybe even the other prisoners if you’re feeling like a good guy. And after that is done, you will make your way out, only to be faced with a fight against a giant Kraken… It’s not as dangerous as it sounds. As horrible as Peter Molyneux is, at least this was a time before he lost what little of his mind he had left.
#6: Imperial Prison from Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Man, there are a lot of game tutorials that take place in prisons. Anyway, you know you have a good game when the first person you meet is a prisoner who insults you due to what race you chose. Boy, racism right off the bat. Quite a tutorial. But what makes this one interesting are the many different ways you can escape. You can go with the Imperial guards, who will be flanked by assassins and killed, leaving you to fight them, you can go through a crumbled wall, filled with rats, skeletons, and the body of a Goblin Shaman. After which, you will arrive to meet the Emperor, who will try to be attacked by Mythic Dawn members, which you will basically kill. And for the first time in forever, the member of royalty actually DOESN’T want the guards to kill you. What a shock. Instead, he gets killed by assassins, and you kill them as well, with the last of the Imperial guards giving you a key to leave and go out into the world of Oblivion. With all the story being told and all of the events occurring, it’s interesting to see how this all happens just within the tutorial. Easily the best of the prison tutorials.
#5: Forsaken Fortress from Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker
After having Link’s sister, Aryll, taken by a giant bird, what is the best thing for a twelve year old boy to do? Go to a large prison alone filled with giant monsters with no weapons to find her. Either bravery or stupidity. I’ll let you decide on that one. Anyway, This is the only moment besides the opening where you are empty handed. The place is filled with Moblins and Bokoblins using large search lights. The only way you can hide is by either staying out of the light or by hiding underneath the barrels. This is so much like Metal Gear Solid in a way (And don’t worry, we’ll get to a Metal Gear Solid entry soon). This is completely different from the other sneaking sections from other Zelda games before. Ocarina of Time had you going through some Castle hedges. Majora’s Mask had you go through a Deku garden. All of which had the punishment for getting caught being thrown out with no penalty. They both also had you go into the Gerudo thieves hideouts, but those were pretty simple. Here, you are a young boy sneaking past real dangerous monsters. And all this without a weapon. At least Link had weapons in Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask. Here, you got NOTHING! Toon Link is truly the Snake of Zelda.
#4: Island from Resident Evil 4
So, after Ashley gets sent to a prison island, the only thing for the badass Leon to do is to go to that island with a multitude of weapons to go and get her out… Resulting in a lot of things, like much more intelligent Ganados that wield better weapons, a J.J, with a mini-gun, a psychotic ex-marine with incredible knife skills and the dumbest boss fight ever (Krauser), a giant centipede-ish monster, and don’t even get me started on the nightmare inducing Regenerators. This is a lot different from the Spanish village and the large castle just outside of it. I mean, this is a maximum security facility, complete with gatling guns, large trenches, and even a room with freaking lasers. All of that just screams what Spain is known for. But, of course, this is still a great place, as it is where the climax for the game is, and is a very fun idea. Also, if you ever wanted to see just how much of an action film this game is, look no further than the freaking helicopter that helps you blow up Ganados. Seriously, how come no one ever talked about that one?
#3: Groznyj Grad from Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
Yes, I know, Metal Gear Solid probably had a better prison break than this. I’m sorry for not including it. But this one is just so good in my opinion. After being tortured by Volgin and having his freaking eye shot out, Snake is left inside of a jail cell, where there different places you would think to try, but fail. You can hide under the bed, but that never works. You could try to stab the guard with a fork, but that never works. No, instead, the only way to get out is to either use Frequency 144.75, get sick for the guard to see, or use a pill to fake your death. Pretty interesting stuff. And after that, you’re on your own from there. You have to make it through the prison, all the way ending with you jumping out of a large pipe into the river in an attempt to avoid capture. You may just bleed to death once there, but at least you’re out of your prison cell… Well, this is Metal Gear Solid, so it’s gotta be depressing for the protagonist in some way
#2: Undead Asylum from Dark Souls
Am I cheating… Does this count as cheating? I can’t really say, because this looks so much more like a prison than an asylum. Asylums don’t have creatures trying to kill you every chance they get. You start off pretty weak… obviously for the start of a game. You are then forced to walk out of your cell and out into the asylum, where other Hollowed prisoners await you. Granted, they aren’t much of a challenge. However, the true challenge comes in the form of the Asylum Demon, who you can’t even fight the first time you meet him. You have to run off into an opening, then go and talk to a dying knight to get some equipment, and once you got your weapon, then you can go back and fight him. This prison shows you how the game works, and it shows you that this is as easy as the game gets. After you leave this prison filled with insane hollow undead wanting to kill you, it gets so much harder. Than again, this is Dark Souls, so that isn’t too surprising.
#1: Carnate Island from The Suffering
All of these prisons, while interesting, all just had you go through them for one or two levels, and never had to deal with them again after that. The Suffering is all about escaping prison. Only, it is a lot more dangerous than you thought. As a death row inmate, Torque is sent to Carnate Island to the prison there. Here, many horrifying things happen. Monsters come from the ground and start killing everyone there, and all you can do is do your best to get out of the prison and off of the island. You are sent through many different parts of the prison, such as the cell blocks, the execution rooms, the boiler room, the courtyard, the old quarry, an abandoned asylum, the underground room, the front of the prison, and the town that surrounds it. It’s interesting how much effort went into just showing you the prison in a state where even the inmates and crazed officers are not the most dangerous thing there. Oh, and you gotta love the fact that monsters like ones with blades for limbs, creatures that have rifles on their backs, monsters with needles all over their body, and so much more horrifying creatures. And in the end, all of this happened because Torque was suspected of killing his wife and kids. Is he innocent or is he really the one who did it? Well, that’s what the morality system is. Either help the survivors or kill them. Either way, it will tell you what happened. But, are we here to talk about prison breaks or how to be a morally good person. Carnate Island; a dark, terrifying, and insane place to be, but if it isn’t the perfect sign of a hidden horror gem, I don’t know what is.
Well, there you have it. Did you enjoy the list? Tell me what you thought of it. With that said, I will see you all next time.
#10: Stilwater Penitentiary from Saints Row 2
Let’s start with one that’s pretty simple. After waking up from a coma, The Boss, along with the prisoner, Carlos, are forced to find a way out of prison in order to get back to the mainland. So, naturally, the first the the Boss does after waking up from a coma is running through the prison yard, shooting police officers as he and Carlos make their way to the boats. Granted, you could sneak up to the roof, but that only delays the inevitable shooting from the outside. After getting to the boats, Carlos will drive the boat to the mainland as the Boss shoots at police boats and helicopters in order to lose them… That’s something I find funny in sandbox missions. You can slaughter officers and they will be gone in a few minutes during missions, but outside of missions, killing officers only increases their numbers. I never understood that. Still, this is a pretty interesting and attention grabbing way to start off a game like Saints Row 2. Good job, developers
#9: Castle Jail from Chrono Trigger
So, for a game that was rated E back in the day, you should expect that having a girl with you is punishable with death…. Oh, those old medieval times and their extremely unnecessary punishments. So, after being captured by the royal guards for the supposed kidnapping of Princess Nadia, you are put on trial for it. Of course, if you’re found innocent or guilty, you are still given the death penalty no matter what. What I find neat about this one is that you have two options of escape. You can either wait for three days, and your friend Lucca will come and save you, or you can piss off the guards enough to where you can attack them and leave through the door. Eventually, you will regroup with your friends in time to face the boss, a Dragon Tank, which can heal itself if you don’t destroy the head. It’s pretty simple, and it’s kinda dumb that the king just decides to let you go once you escape, but whatever. It’s a JRPG. When did those ever use logic
#8: Coldridge Prison from Dishonored
Just like Saints Row 2, Dishonored starts you off in a prison as the game's tutorial. However, this one is a bit more interesting. After being told that you were used by the Spymaster as a fall guy (That’s old noir talk) for the Empress’s death, you are then given a letter by a group of rebels who wish to have you join them, and leave a key under the note to help you escape. So, from here, you are now on your way to the exit. However, there are guards here that you must be aware of. You could just walk over and kill them, but the true challenge comes when someone wants to avoid killing everyone in the game, in order to keep Chaos low. Here, you will need to do an assortment of sneaking through alternate routes and choking guards until they go unconscious. And it all ends with you jumping off a bridge into the water as guards shoot at you (Unless you are better at stealth than I am, which, let me tell you, I am not the best with). It’s simple, sure, but still a neat start to a stealth game.
#7: Bargate Prison from Fable
You know, I never understood some things about prisons, but tell me why the guards of Bargate prison feel the need to take your clothes when you are arrested? Seriously, they end up leaving you in your boxers. Oh well, the escape is pretty interesting. In order to get out of Bargate prison, you will need to spend a full year there, being tortured, and when a whole year comes around, you will be forced into a race, where guards bet on prisoners to see who will win. After winning, you will be sent to the Warden’s Office, where the prison warden will read to you a line of poetry… I’m not making this up. While he is reading, you need to look over the combination on a wall in order to open one of the three books that holds the cell key to your cell. After this, you will be able to break out of prison, as well as your mother, and maybe even the other prisoners if you’re feeling like a good guy. And after that is done, you will make your way out, only to be faced with a fight against a giant Kraken… It’s not as dangerous as it sounds. As horrible as Peter Molyneux is, at least this was a time before he lost what little of his mind he had left.
#6: Imperial Prison from Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Man, there are a lot of game tutorials that take place in prisons. Anyway, you know you have a good game when the first person you meet is a prisoner who insults you due to what race you chose. Boy, racism right off the bat. Quite a tutorial. But what makes this one interesting are the many different ways you can escape. You can go with the Imperial guards, who will be flanked by assassins and killed, leaving you to fight them, you can go through a crumbled wall, filled with rats, skeletons, and the body of a Goblin Shaman. After which, you will arrive to meet the Emperor, who will try to be attacked by Mythic Dawn members, which you will basically kill. And for the first time in forever, the member of royalty actually DOESN’T want the guards to kill you. What a shock. Instead, he gets killed by assassins, and you kill them as well, with the last of the Imperial guards giving you a key to leave and go out into the world of Oblivion. With all the story being told and all of the events occurring, it’s interesting to see how this all happens just within the tutorial. Easily the best of the prison tutorials.
#5: Forsaken Fortress from Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker
After having Link’s sister, Aryll, taken by a giant bird, what is the best thing for a twelve year old boy to do? Go to a large prison alone filled with giant monsters with no weapons to find her. Either bravery or stupidity. I’ll let you decide on that one. Anyway, This is the only moment besides the opening where you are empty handed. The place is filled with Moblins and Bokoblins using large search lights. The only way you can hide is by either staying out of the light or by hiding underneath the barrels. This is so much like Metal Gear Solid in a way (And don’t worry, we’ll get to a Metal Gear Solid entry soon). This is completely different from the other sneaking sections from other Zelda games before. Ocarina of Time had you going through some Castle hedges. Majora’s Mask had you go through a Deku garden. All of which had the punishment for getting caught being thrown out with no penalty. They both also had you go into the Gerudo thieves hideouts, but those were pretty simple. Here, you are a young boy sneaking past real dangerous monsters. And all this without a weapon. At least Link had weapons in Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask. Here, you got NOTHING! Toon Link is truly the Snake of Zelda.
#4: Island from Resident Evil 4
So, after Ashley gets sent to a prison island, the only thing for the badass Leon to do is to go to that island with a multitude of weapons to go and get her out… Resulting in a lot of things, like much more intelligent Ganados that wield better weapons, a J.J, with a mini-gun, a psychotic ex-marine with incredible knife skills and the dumbest boss fight ever (Krauser), a giant centipede-ish monster, and don’t even get me started on the nightmare inducing Regenerators. This is a lot different from the Spanish village and the large castle just outside of it. I mean, this is a maximum security facility, complete with gatling guns, large trenches, and even a room with freaking lasers. All of that just screams what Spain is known for. But, of course, this is still a great place, as it is where the climax for the game is, and is a very fun idea. Also, if you ever wanted to see just how much of an action film this game is, look no further than the freaking helicopter that helps you blow up Ganados. Seriously, how come no one ever talked about that one?
#3: Groznyj Grad from Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
Yes, I know, Metal Gear Solid probably had a better prison break than this. I’m sorry for not including it. But this one is just so good in my opinion. After being tortured by Volgin and having his freaking eye shot out, Snake is left inside of a jail cell, where there different places you would think to try, but fail. You can hide under the bed, but that never works. You could try to stab the guard with a fork, but that never works. No, instead, the only way to get out is to either use Frequency 144.75, get sick for the guard to see, or use a pill to fake your death. Pretty interesting stuff. And after that, you’re on your own from there. You have to make it through the prison, all the way ending with you jumping out of a large pipe into the river in an attempt to avoid capture. You may just bleed to death once there, but at least you’re out of your prison cell… Well, this is Metal Gear Solid, so it’s gotta be depressing for the protagonist in some way
#2: Undead Asylum from Dark Souls
Am I cheating… Does this count as cheating? I can’t really say, because this looks so much more like a prison than an asylum. Asylums don’t have creatures trying to kill you every chance they get. You start off pretty weak… obviously for the start of a game. You are then forced to walk out of your cell and out into the asylum, where other Hollowed prisoners await you. Granted, they aren’t much of a challenge. However, the true challenge comes in the form of the Asylum Demon, who you can’t even fight the first time you meet him. You have to run off into an opening, then go and talk to a dying knight to get some equipment, and once you got your weapon, then you can go back and fight him. This prison shows you how the game works, and it shows you that this is as easy as the game gets. After you leave this prison filled with insane hollow undead wanting to kill you, it gets so much harder. Than again, this is Dark Souls, so that isn’t too surprising.
#1: Carnate Island from The Suffering
All of these prisons, while interesting, all just had you go through them for one or two levels, and never had to deal with them again after that. The Suffering is all about escaping prison. Only, it is a lot more dangerous than you thought. As a death row inmate, Torque is sent to Carnate Island to the prison there. Here, many horrifying things happen. Monsters come from the ground and start killing everyone there, and all you can do is do your best to get out of the prison and off of the island. You are sent through many different parts of the prison, such as the cell blocks, the execution rooms, the boiler room, the courtyard, the old quarry, an abandoned asylum, the underground room, the front of the prison, and the town that surrounds it. It’s interesting how much effort went into just showing you the prison in a state where even the inmates and crazed officers are not the most dangerous thing there. Oh, and you gotta love the fact that monsters like ones with blades for limbs, creatures that have rifles on their backs, monsters with needles all over their body, and so much more horrifying creatures. And in the end, all of this happened because Torque was suspected of killing his wife and kids. Is he innocent or is he really the one who did it? Well, that’s what the morality system is. Either help the survivors or kill them. Either way, it will tell you what happened. But, are we here to talk about prison breaks or how to be a morally good person. Carnate Island; a dark, terrifying, and insane place to be, but if it isn’t the perfect sign of a hidden horror gem, I don’t know what is.
Well, there you have it. Did you enjoy the list? Tell me what you thought of it. With that said, I will see you all next time.