Zoey Parker thinks Gus Harper's got serious chops.
But players? They want him to sleep with the fishes.
"Damn it! You old crook! You did it again? Again?!"
The betrayal hits!
Players and viewers lose it!
A gut-punch premonition creeps in!
That old fear of "trust me" betrayal lingers!
But!
They don't want to believe it.
Even now, after the shock and rage, many players cling to hope.
After all they've been through, no way someone dies in the finale, right?
Some think Leo and Vincent are just putting on a show!
A 1v1 showdown to ditch the cops, with Vincent "failing" to arrest Leo, letting him slip away.
Others figure the abandoned factory was picked for a fake-out—blow it up, report Leo's "death," let him start fresh.
Different theories, sure!
But they all bank on a happy ending.
With that hope, players feel no weight at this point.
Shoot when it's time to shoot; brawl when it's time to brawl.
Take Eggplant and Winter Melon.
Their fight's a barn-burner!
Both cut their teeth on FPS, Eggplant even a former pro.
Their shooting? Razor-sharp!
Winter Melon's no slouch either.
Their factory clash is electric, sparks flying, like a pro match!
Or Ethan "Piggie" Vance and Old Horse.
On the rooftop, scrambling for the gun.
They push through the IndieVibe X2 cabin's resistance, sheer willpower driving them to seize victory!
Until—
Winter Melon's gun locks on Eggplant's chest.
Old Horse's muzzle pins Ethan Vance's heart.
The gun's stuck, aimed dead-center, unmovable.
Playful grins vanish.
No act.
No fake death.
No happy ending.
From start to finish, A Way Out is a tragedy.
And now, this gut-wrenching tragedy ends with a bullet.
Players freeze!
Then explode!
Streamers:
ShuBro rages: "This game's garbage! Who said we could shoot blanks?!"
Yin bellows: "What the hell?! Why no blanks?! I just wanna know why no damn blanks!!!"
Pew collapses: "Bastard! First Titanfall's plot kills my buddy! Now I gotta kill my brother myself?!"
Some Asian streamers wail: "Ohgodwhy… #￥%damnitsobad￥&@whydidithappen#￥…!!!"
Players:
"I'm done. Logging off. This game's wrecking my friendships…"
"Is Gus Harper unhinged? Like, actually crazy?"
"That shot was on me. BBQ tonight to make up?"
"Knew this game was trouble! Guarded my heart, still got stabbed!"
Twitch Chat:
"Who said happy ending?! Step up! I got something for ya!"
"I'm pissed!!! You old crook! Another knife in the back?!"
"Heartless bastard! No soul—!!!"
"Heartless? Check the CG. Vincent dies, Leo's bearded. Leo dies, Vincent's clean-shaven (dog face)"
"Knife with care, huh?!"
"That letter from Vincent? Broke me!"
"Games are supposed to be fun!"
Old Crook: "Fun? I'm having a blast, aren't I?"
"Dog!!! A game made me meet a dog!!!"
@SamHarper: Game's fire, Gus. Let me grab a knife and cut you some fruit (teeth clenched)
@SamHarper: Sleep light tonight. We're settling this.
Can't sleep! Need a local hit squad!
Hard to believe Catrio and A Way Out came from the same guy.
Game's name fits: one escapes, one ascends (rage)
No doubt!
A Way Out's a banger!
Top-notch production, killer gameplay variety!
Media, domestic and global, shower it with praise!
With deep characters, a gripping story, slick cinematic shots, and seamless CG, A Way Out screams GDC contender!
Its two-player co-op design brings fresh vibes—a bold WindyPeak win.
[One game, two players, star in a crime flick with your buddy, ride the wild plot's new thrills]
[Co-op, puzzles, shooting, stealth, racing… WindyPeak crammed every heart-pounding movie trope into this! Bad news: It's a mash-up. Good news: It's a damn good mash-up!]
On the IndieVibe platform, A Way Out scores a 98% approval, rave reviews piling up!
But dig into player comments, and it's a wild ride.
…
"Look at this—'Great game, but Gus is a jerk'—hahaha…"
"And this—'Ninth Art, Screw the Old Crook'—savage…"
"Haha, check this—'Game's awesome, family-friendly ending's chill. Played with my wife, now we're both homeless.' Hahaha…"
"And this gem—'I'm the idiot'…"
"'Super friendly game, fixes having too many friends'—hilarious…"
Monday!
In WindyPeak's deputy director's office!
Luke Bennett and Jake Rivers scroll through A Way Out's player comments on IndieVibe.
The savage roasts and jabs at Gus have them cracking up over breakfast.
Plenty of hate, but just as much love!
Buy while cursing, play while cursing!
For any other studio, this'd be weird!
Looks like a cover-up—media singing praises, platform glowing, but players raging, plotting to take out the lead designer.
Fake reviews, right? Big PR budget, hired trolls hyping it up!
But!
This is WindyPeak.
This is Gus Harper's game.
So!
It's just another day.
No media calls out the weird rep.
No rivals question the chaos.
Everyone's like—WindyPeak game! Players buying and cursing? Classic!
That nutcase Gus Harper probably killed off a lead again.
Normal.
Totally normal.
For any deep, story-driven game, Gus doesn't quit till a protagonist or key sidekick takes a hit.
Don't believe it? Look at Titanfall—BT's gone.
To the Moon? John and Creek, both gone.
Outlast? Miles Upsher lost two fingers but made it.
In A Way Out, one brother bites it? Be grateful!
At least one's alive!
Push Gus too far, he'll script a "both die hating each other" ending. Want your blood pressure spiking?
Not bad.
Be content.
Your brother's dead, but you've got a happy family, right?
New Concept Family Fun's still fun…
Just saying!
Knock knock knock—
"Come in?" Luke responds.
Chloe Quinn, chief secretary, opens the door, nodding toward the meeting room: "Meeting after breakfast."
"Got it," Luke nods. "We're coming."
Door shuts.
Jake eyes Luke, smirking slyly.
Luke squirms: "What's that look?"
"Checking for signs of your love life moving forward," Jake says, sipping coffee.
"Any big steps with Chloe?"
Luke shrugs: "What counts as big? We caught a movie this weekend."
"That's it?" Jake rolls his eyes, unimpressed: "With your track record, that's progress?"
Luke opens his mouth, stumped.
To others, a movie date's a leap.
For him? Not so much.
Back in the day, he'd have cycled through two girlfriends by now.
"It's fine, take it slow, let it settle," Jake says, tossing his breakfast trash. "Gus and Zoey, I want them official ASAP. You and Chloe? Take your time."
"Why?" Luke asks, stuffing an egg in his mouth, packing up.
"You don't know?" Jake shoots a knowing glance, tossing his trash and heading out.
Luke pauses, then chuckles quietly.
Yeah.
His old relationships were a mess—swapping girlfriends like water.
Chloe's the longest he's ever chased.
A bit more time… might make it solid.
Wait a sec.
Why's he taking advice from Jake, the love-life rookie?
Luke stands, indignant: "Hold up, you're schooling me? Mr. Zero Experience acting all wise? What about you and Jade?"
He hurries after Jake.
Outside, Jade Sierra struts up—not to Luke, but Jake.
She grabs Jake's collar, steps on his toes, and plants a quick kiss: "Don't forget dinner at my place tonight."
"Uh, this… company…" Jake blushes, scratching his head: "Got it. I bought everything."
"Relax," Jade cups his face, grinning. "I'm right here!"
"Yeah, cool," Jake chuckles, nodding. "Off to the meeting."
"Go for it." Jade fixes his collar, nods at Luke, and struts off, confident as ever.
Luke: …
Jaw dropped!
No way!
What?
"You… her…?" Luke points at Jake, then Jade's direction: "You two? Huh?"
"Since Saturday," Jake shrugs, grinning: "Was gonna tell you and Gus at lunch, maybe get gift ideas."
Luke's silent for two seconds.
Then he grabs Jake's arm: "Brother—you're my brother—teach me! How'd you pull that off?!"
Shock!!!
Luke's floored!!!
He thought Jake, the quiet one, would be the last of Gus's crew to lock down a relationship!
But Jade just strolled up for a morning kiss!
Stunned!
Compared to Jade, Chloe giving Luke a company kiss? Unimaginable.
Mind blown!!!
Jake's stock just shot up!
But Jake plays it cool, like it's nothing: "Jade's just like that. I didn't do much."
"She kept asking me to movies, dinner, hang out."
"Saturday, we ate out, and she just… said she wanted to be with me."
"We talked engagement gifts, future stuff."
"Jade's intense, but she's solid—great at life."
"I said yes."
"Meeting her parents tonight."
Silence.
Today's silence is a landslide.
Jade made the first move for a date.
Jade confessed.
Jade brought up marriage.
And Jade? Stunning, upbeat, sharp, bold, independent.
Luke squints at Jake—big, honest, simple Jake.
Up, down, left, right, staring hard!
Then: "Jake…"
"What?"
"You don't deserve this!!!"