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![Untitled-1.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/derangedvisions/242DWm4c9u48DYCjJk1L7U19nGYeYgDaVAUgdACvrjpkqR8k3oxZV8bjpL9DMGdVxBUiW.jpg)
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<center><sup>[source](https://theartfulescape.com/)</sup></center>

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# <center>What a trip</center>

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OK boys and girls, time to sit down and strap in for the ride of a lifetime. I was scrolling through the new releases to the Xbox Game Pass yesterday and came across this gem that is free for Game Pass subscribers.

<center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZDj13Mz2voM" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></center>

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![The Artful Escape (7).jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/derangedvisions/23tRxW7pVw5JRndpg1o5hNE8j9FPKMr4tpwcZmTh5aFhLYsmjgYMEjiv95bVcmCQdxFGF.jpg)
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This game follows a young musician named Francis that is a nephew of a famous Folk Rocker in the small town of Calypso, Colorado. Francis is about to play his first show and everyone wants him to follow in his uncle's footsteps and be basically the exact same as him. But Francis isn't having it.

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![The Artful Escape (5).jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/derangedvisions/23xKharxdHNAjQtbZPUHh6NwHNuZreMY5W5CuFpawNULhRLbuHx24A1h4Ydr1Dw3VXaRZ.jpg)
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Francis is all about that rock and roll. This game is his journey on finding his own sound and finding out who really is.

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![The Artful Escape (22).jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/derangedvisions/23tRzjpDYnvnd34iURFQiw9YvbYvYJNCnt12UrR7ZP3DTB1Ve15N2xY7Did1FC2heV3jg.jpg)
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The night before his big show, he is visited by some alien that beams him up into a spaceship where he meets this Lightman. Together they go on a rock and roll journey through the cosmos.

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![The Artful Escape (21).jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/derangedvisions/23ynQZs9MsoTw2q3t5HHBjMPuciWenpxh8Sa3hg3z2XjErB2irCdwdhiqztKeXCWAbPVA.jpg)
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Their journey takes them to different planets all across the solar system. It is a beautiful journey filled with an amazing soundtrack and really cool characters.

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![The Artful Escape (17).jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/derangedvisions/23uEyugPKXzevu7AMNsJiX5Nfxvzwv8KJUwLdxve6HvYQhrgaY4C3PXQjXRTi9xxF1KHD.jpg)
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Each venue that Francis plays at, he gets more confidence in his personal music style and he does battle with some pretty interesting musicians along the way.

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![The Artful Escape (16).jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/derangedvisions/23y8qZW8u3RyjgTzeuizeoxAgWbTCQ5xUGwv15UEieoxra1h6rPFMGRSkMxbtM8jfnefk.jpg)
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Like this crazy looking thing that looks like it is straight out of The Little Mermaid and it only speaks in the sounds of a saxophone. 

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![The Artful Escape (19).jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/derangedvisions/23xL9AUE9bmHBw4keA1SqmmZxKQkUhDvw4KvyR5UHDCXbbgqA2pXdZNL44ZqX2QLGdwNn.jpg)
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This game is a wild ride and one that is so much better while stoned. One thing I love to do when I am high is to listen to some Pink Floyd or some music that transports me to another world. This game gives you some insane visuals while taking you on that musical journey.

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![The Artful Escape (20).jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/derangedvisions/23uQnLAm9vkGdDxekXUu7UQf7stkUTPtovKrUxcNrJVy5bUz69QCfg73CKNfkoAHGV51P.jpg)
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There is not much to the game in terms of gameplay. It is a side scrolling runner/platformer, where you just have to time your jumps right to get over gaps. It is pretty simplistic in those aspects, but the game is more about the music and the journey. Not really focusing on trying to interrupt the music by having anything difficult or force you to try and find anything. 

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![The Artful Escape (18).jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/derangedvisions/23y8zKBZx8xhqMk3iysPgYhcGKYqu6LSN2XBEiXHM27E33YzpFfwyxLuNCn1eEt9eru41.jpg)
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You basically run to the right and play your guitar and just watch the background interact and come alive with your music. Then you meet some weird shit along the way, like this massive alien fish with a disco ball thingy on its head.

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![The Artful Escape (10).jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/derangedvisions/23uQtmoeeG3UCudWxVvXsgofeWTsGxtWLLtadroWC1YU36jYTp36dNuu6qZji1KeqaPLB.jpg)
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When I was playing, I smoked some of my Northern Lights and played for a couple hours. I was blessed with some pretty amazing visuals and I have no clue how people can be this creative when it comes to thinking up this type of stuff. This game is a real treat if you are high, but I think could be pretty boring if you are looking for a challenge in the game play.

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![The Artful Escape (11).jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/derangedvisions/23uFj1yfhKaztEnNxEvxK1guGtwaj4tmnNi7AuayKuacfbmgPXnCcoJLyRoDFMQqSLXbo.jpg)
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There are some "boss" fights along the way, which are basically just jam sessions against other creatures. During these fights, you have to play the same notes as the other person. It is a cracked out game of Simon Says, where you just follow the lights that correspond to the button, but it does get a bit difficult when you are high cause the buttons and sounds can get all jumbled, but the game doesn't punish you for messing up, you just keep trying and eventually you will get it. 

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![The Artful Escape (9).jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/derangedvisions/23ydJTeZ2Zjd1Lb3dGPQcothjStsVH7YCfr3xYkrRbwu3UVV6FAq9jwmxAw9jhg2HMEEY.jpg)
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So that is nice cause it would be frustrating to go from just running right and jumping over gaps and watching the scenery to just getting destroyed in the jam session. It would be like playing an endless runner game where you can't die to then playing Dark Souls. 

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![The Artful Escape (4).jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/derangedvisions/23xVMJYje5qm5xUkP87eyruPvTdQdh9GpAvXckgwRW67uJP6Q8zq4XoFwaXywXnJXFB4q.jpg)
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By the time you are nearing the end of the game, your character has transformed from Francis, to his own rock and roll persona that is known across the cosmos.

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![The Artful Escape (15).jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/derangedvisions/23z72rxYmEB8xy4tMunf6hTvUZdPAvosh7HBU2kagxM7nCszjXc2Qiqe57BJTC7pdCs4d.jpg)
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There is a mall that is stuck in the 1980s that you find in a closet of the flying spaceship where you can customize your character. There are all sorts of crazy outfits that you can choose there and having to go from different stores in the mall to complete your outfit is a pretty creative touch.

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![The Artful Escape (14).jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/derangedvisions/23tvaSHcyfQ8sRRapV1cXEWdRURx9bS2Yz8FvAoX7ptmQqmqMCLQmETozsfShSFA6sGZM.jpg)
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This was my completed rocker look. 

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![The Artful Escape (2).jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/derangedvisions/23rBE6GkaGnXcepmurVH7hWNqNnNhQDmz1Z3JcEaohyFN1xJPE9VXP8mfTcJZ4faiZq7R.jpg)
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By the end of the journey, you are brought back to your hometown of Calypso and able to play your first show on Earth. The game just kind of ends there, which was a bit of a let down, but I guess the whole purpose of the game was to show Francis' journey into figuring out his own identity and breaking free from the idea that everyone else had for him and his music.

I really like the idea of the game and it resonates with me and I am sure other creatives as well. As a creative, there are ideas that people have of what we should be and how our art should look. The important thing is to just remain true to who you are and to keep being authentic, because that is the only way you can really grow as an artist.

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![The Artful Escape (8).jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/derangedvisions/23xUjLtrdYtrHmQ5k9PPTuMBwkufKwhgB3xpdNmUxtVEpqJsP2vSH3ck2LZ98zGSkRgwk.jpg)
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Overall, this was a pretty great game. It is one that if you have Game Pass, I would suggest downloading it and going on the trip. It is one that you will want to play a bit stoned though because it could get pretty boring otherwise. It isn't a game that I see much replay value in because once you do experience it, it isn't going to be the same a second time. But if you want to just zone out for 3-4 hours and be transported across the cosmos and meet some of the craziest things along the way, then fire this one up.

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![The Artful Escape.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/derangedvisions/23xUoGqq2RcbcUJx65jrt9VZ1FiofFCkdWh92UDzYkw1kDXp9MzLo35CKhAoakN5C3a7f.jpg)
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