A Way Out - Chapter 1: Escape
The first chapter of A Way Out tasks Vincent and Leo with fighting off attackers, collecting tools for the escape, and building a friendship.
A Way Out introduces you to Vincent and Leo, two inmates with a common goal: escape prison and exact vengeance on a man called Harvey. In Escape, the first chapter of the game, you and your partner will need to work together to set off the greatest prison break in history.
Beginnings
After selecting which character you want to play, A Way Out will begin with Vincent in the bus and Leo already in the prison compound. Leo is free to do whatever he wants in the yard, while Vincent must enter the prison, strip down, and get a washed. Leo can loosely follow Vincent by going inside and watching from the upper levels.
Take the butt-naked Vincent up the stairwell until the guard lets you off, it’s here you’ll find your cell, right next to Leo’s. While this is happening, Leo should be making his way to his cell. Get dressed, and call it a night.
The Yard
The following morning, Vincent and Leo will be in the yard, but in separate areas. Take your time to speak to fellow inmates, and maybe do some chin-ups. At some point, Leo will be accosted by a group of other prisoners and Vincent will need to interject.
Get into the fight, which consists entirely of quick-time-events. Punch when you can, and make sure to counterattack and dodge the attacks. Keep fighting until the guards arrive to break up the fisticuffs.
Canteen Brawl
After trading a few words, Vincent and Leo will find themselves in the canteen. Vincent will need to collect his food, sit down, and start eating. Meanwhile, Leo will chat to a few inmates about the quality of his food, before being attacked by Harvey’s hitman.
Vincent will need to help Leo with the knife-wielding inmate while the fight progresses into the kitchen. At this point, Vincent and Leo will need to walk backwards while throwing items at their pursuers and knocking over shelves.
Continue the retreat until the guards interrupt the fight again. You’ll be treated to a cutscene before waking up in the infirmary.
Helping Hand
After waking up the in infirmary, Leo will befriend Vincent and ask for help. At this point, Vincent and Leo will need to work together for a common cause: stealing the chisel. This involves Vincent lying in bed, calling over the nurse, distracting the police offer, all while Leo slinks around the ward.
Vincent should begin by calling the nurse using the buzzer on the bedside table. When the nurse reaches the bed, Leo is clear to move out into the hall. A guard will be blocking the way, wait for him to finish getting a coffee, and then Leo can continue down the hall.
The guard will return to his station with his coffee, at which point Vincent can knock on the glass, causing him to spill his drink. Leo can now sneak onward, creeping past the worker and picking up the chisel. Leo should wait for the guard to go to the bathroom, and then sneak back into the room while Vincent talks with the nurse.
With Leo safely in the bed, you’ll be treated to a short cutscene where Leo throws the chisel out a window. Your next task is to get the chisel from the window, and bring it back to your cell.
Work Detail
The next section sees Vincent and Leo helping tar a roof on the prison, right below the chisel. In this area, you will need to work together to distract the guards and find a way up to where Leo placed the tool.
Begin by having either character go to the brooms in the buckets. Pick up the broom on the right, and instead of swabbing the roof, break the broom in half. Alert the guard that the broom is broken, and then take it to the guard standing near the door. Beside the guard is a crate that can be leaned against, work together to climb up the scaffolding.
Climb up the ladder and collect the chisel from below the window. Whoever is on the ground should distract the guard standing in the open so the one with the chisel can cross the walkway. Sneak across, climb higher up, and then enter through the rooftop window. Jump down into the building and then head to the locked door. The person outside will need to break open the lock. Deliver the chisel to Fred to end the rooftop section.
Cell Breach
Thanks to Fred’s handy book delivery service, Leo will find himself in possession of the chisel he stole from the medical ward. The fun didn’t stop after you got the chisel off the roof, you’re now going to need to use it to detach the toilet from the wall, unscrew a panel, and chisel out some concrete.
Whoever has the chisel will need to disconnect the toilet from the wall, and then use the chisel to rotate the screws. Meanwhile, whoever is on lookout should call out when a guard is coming down the hall, because it’s game over if the guard catches you messing with the toilet. As the guard gets closer, stop trying to escape and everything will go back to normal. When the guard closest to the lookout’s cell reaches said cell, they can choose to distract the guard to give the other cellmate some more time to escape.
Once the grate has been chiselled and kicked into the wall, you can go to the cell door and give the chisel to the other inmate. Doing this swaps the roles, so whoever was on lookout now has to use the chisel on the toilet while the other person keeps an eye out for any guards.
With both toilets removed and the bars chiselled away, you will need to wait until lights-out to escape from your cell. Go to the toilet and climb through, you’ll need to crawl along wooden planks and then climb a ladder to reach the next area.
As you reach the upper level, stay left and walk out onto the planks, you’ll be able to interact with a pipe on the wall. Vincent and Leo will need to work together to tear the pipe off the wall and use it to stop the fan. Whoever crawls through first must find the switch to stop the fan. Work together to bust open the door to find a large elevator drop. You won’t be able to drop down, so now you need to steal some sheets from the laundry room.
Laundry Smuggle
After you manage to escape from your cell and into the maintenance area, your next mission in A Way Out will be to steal some sheets from the laundry room. This is a large-open area where your main objective is to gain access to the backroom, to do this you must get a laundry cart, fill it with sheets, and then take them to the little vent for use later on.
Begin by acquainting yourself with the laundry and some of the inmates working, as you’ll need to rile them up to cause a distraction later. When you’re ready, head to the back of the laundry and speak with the inmate guarding the carts. Convince him however you please (I punched him in the nose) and then jump in the cart.
At this point, the player not in the cart can quickly load it with three sheets from around the laundry. You can find the sheets to the side of the cart room. Whoever is in the laundry cart will let you know if you need more sheets or if you have enough – it should be three sheets. Once all the sheets are in, press the appropriate button to cover yourself.
With the person in the laundry cart covered, push it out and toward where the guards are, they’ll look inside and then take the cart from you. The person in the cart will need to wait until it comes to a stop before getting out. At this point, both Vincent and Leo will need to gain access to the backroom, but there will be a guard blocking the way.
To distract the guard you will need to either cause a machine to break or a fight to start. To start a fight, speak to the inmates who aren’t getting along and stir them up. Go to the guard and point out the argument to give you some time to gain access to the backroom.
The door near the guard will be locked, so when the guard leaves, the person who was in the laundry cart will need to open it up from their side. However, there is another guard in the backroom patrolling, you will need to pick the right time to run to the door and open it.
Once Vincent and Leo are in the same area, head into the room with the laundry cart and get the sheets out or take some sheets off the tables. You will need to boost one person up the bars and then the other will need to pass the sheets up. When three sheets are thrown through the bars, the mission will end.
The Way Out
With the sheets collected, your path through A Way Out takes you into the sewer system. After climbing down the sheets, make your way to the center of the room and work together to lift up the heavy grate in the floor. Once the grate is clear, Leo will jump down into the dark area and Vincent will have to find a flashlight, which is located on the shelf.
Flashlight in hand, jump down into the lower drainage system and continue through. Leo will need to use the valve to stop the flow of water and then crawl through an exposed opening. Another valve will need to be turned to stop the next section of water.
Vincent will need to hand Leo the flashlight through the bars and then run back to the locked gate. Leo should make his way to the gate, triggering a scene where you must bash the lock off with a brick.
Around the corner is a locked door, slam into it at the same time to open it. The next area is pitch-black, stick together and head through the tunnels. You’ll enter a brighter area with a guard walking above, peel back a metal sheet to reach the next challenge.
Vincent and Leo will come across a vertical climb that requires them to go back-to-back in order to ascend. Time your button presses so that both players hit the mark at the same time. If one player fails while the other hits, the characters will be thrown off balance. Whenever one character is lower than the other, the highest character should not press a button and let the lower character climb up to regain the balance.
When you reach the top, Vincent and Leo will pull themselves up. Unfortunately, it doesn’t end here, as you’re going to need to get a wrench to undo some nuts before you can continue escaping prison in A Way Out.
Wrench Relay
After a short cutscene, Leo and Vincent will find themselves in the workshop. To find the wrench, simply turn around, it’s on the table beside an inmate who is using a hammer on a piece of metal. Vincent and Leo will need to work together to take the wrench unnoticed. Get one person to speak with the inmate while the other takes the wrench from the table.
Take the wrench to the opposite side of the room to the small vent in the wall and have the other player leave through the metal detector. To the right of the metal detector is a supply room, move the bin and kick open the vent and pass the wrench through to get it out of the workshop. Now have the second player leave the workshop through the metal detector.
From here, until you reach your cells, you will need to pass the wrench back and forth. Continue to the next checkpoint where a pat-down is occurring. The player with the wrench should wait by the barred window at the end of the hall while the other goes through the checkpoint. Pass the wrench through the bars and then go through the checkpoint.
Move through the sliding bar door and head to the cellblock. You’ll come across two guards blocking the path, have the player without the wrench talk with them, clearing the way. There will be a shakedown occurring as you reach your cells, stand up against the bars and pass the wrench to the cell that is currently free of guards. With the wrench in hand, throw it behind the toilet so that the guards don’t find it.
Prison Escape
Escaping the prison in A Way Out begins once you’ve found the wrench and returned it to your cell. You will need to use the wrench at the top of the vertical shaft you climbed, don’t worry, you won’t need to make that climb again. Unfasten the nuts and pass the wrench to the other player, then work together to push the hatch open.
When you climb up, collect the trolley piled with boxes from the side room and take it to the yellow vent. Climb up and through the vent then drop down and squeeze along the pipes. Two guards will be up ahead, so use the boxes to sneak past. You’ll reach a locked door, you will need to smash into it to bust it open, but it’s important to time it with the thunder to mask the noise. Wait until you see the lightning flash and then hit the appropriate button, you will need to do this twice.
Now that you’re outside in the storm, you will need to make your way over the rooftops, taking out any guards that get in your way. To do this, sneak up behind the guard and press the on-screen button to take them down. You’ll find yourself on the roof where you stole the chisel, work together to climb up the crate.
Open the window and climb into the warden’s office. On the balcony is a bird in a cage, free it to unlock an Achievement/Trophy. Exit through the large double doors when you’re ready. Continue down the stairs and into the infirmary where two guards will be standing. Use the walls to crouch, allowing you to sneak into the ward and out the window.
As you go back outside, you’ll note a tower with a spotlight. You will need to crouch at the walls and move forward when the spotlight passes by. When you reach the tower, climb the ladder and take down the guard.
An electric wire connects the tower to the ground outside the prison. Get a coat hanger from the tower and use it as a zipline. Climb up the side of the building when prompted and then get ready to run! When you land in the building below, work together to open the roller door and then keep running through the wood, jumping over fallen trees and sliding down inclines. Chapter 2: Fugitives is about to begin, so get ready to run for your life!
