Backrooms Not Escape, developed by Serga and published by TeamSerg, is a cooperative survival horror experience built around the familiar concept of liminal, maze-like spaces where logic feels distorted and escape is never straightforward. It places players inside a series of disconnected environments inspired by the Backrooms mythos, where the goal is not just to find an exit but to endure confusion, tension, and occasional threats along the way. As an Early Access title, it presents a framework that is clearly intended to expand over time, but in its current form it feels more like a collection of ideas in progress than a fully realized game.
The structure is divided into multiple standalone levels, each acting as its own contained scenario with unique rules, puzzles, and environmental hazards. This segmented approach helps keep the experience from becoming entirely repetitive, as players are regularly introduced to new mechanics or twists that alter how they approach each area. Some levels lean more heavily into exploration, while others focus on puzzle-solving or survival under pressure. This variety is one of the game’s stronger qualities, but it is also inconsistent. Certain stages feel thoughtfully constructed and engaging, while others come across as simpler or less refined, highlighting the uneven nature of the current content.
Exploration is at the heart of the experience, and it is often disorienting by design. The environments are intentionally confusing, with repeating patterns, strange layouts, and minimal guidance. Players must rely on observation, memory, and communication to navigate effectively. This can create a strong sense of immersion, especially in multiplayer sessions where coordination becomes essential. The inclusion of proximity voice chat enhances this dynamic, as players can only hear each other within a certain range, making separation a genuine risk. This system adds tension in subtle ways, turning even basic movement through the environment into a cooperative challenge.
Puzzles play a central role in progression, requiring players to interact with objects, locate items, or solve environmental challenges to unlock the path forward. The quality of these puzzles varies. Some encourage teamwork and careful thinking, making good use of the game’s cooperative design. Others feel more like simple tasks that slow progress rather than engage the player in meaningful problem-solving. This inconsistency can affect the pacing, with certain levels feeling satisfying to complete while others feel more like obstacles than experiences.
The presence of hostile entities adds another layer of tension, though they are not the constant focus. Encounters are often spaced out, allowing the game to build atmosphere before introducing danger. When enemies do appear, they create moments of urgency that force players to react quickly and coordinate under pressure. However, the variety of these threats is currently limited, and their behavior does not always evolve in ways that keep encounters fresh. Over time, this can reduce the impact of what should be some of the game’s most intense moments.
Visually, the game does a solid job of capturing the unsettling nature of liminal spaces. The environments feel empty and artificial, with lighting and design choices that emphasize unease and disorientation. Each level attempts to establish its own atmosphere, and while some succeed more than others, the overall tone remains consistent. There are moments where the visual design effectively creates tension through simplicity, but the level of polish varies, and certain areas feel less detailed or cohesive than others.
Sound design contributes significantly to the atmosphere. Ambient noises, distant echoes, and subtle audio cues help reinforce the sense of isolation. In multiplayer, the use of proximity voice chat adds an additional layer of immersion, making communication feel grounded within the environment rather than external to it. This can lead to moments where players lose contact with each other, heightening the sense of vulnerability. While the audio is effective in building tension, it does not always adapt dynamically to changes in gameplay, which can limit its impact during more intense moments.
As an Early Access title, Backrooms Not Escape shows clear signs of being a work in progress. The current selection of levels provides a glimpse of what the game aims to become, but the overall package feels limited. There are plans for significant expansion, including more levels, additional enemy types, and procedural elements to increase variety. These future additions have the potential to address many of the game’s current shortcomings, but in its present state, the experience can feel short and somewhat incomplete.
Replay value depends heavily on the multiplayer aspect. Playing with friends can make repeated runs more enjoyable, as the unpredictability of group interaction adds variety even when the levels themselves remain unchanged. However, once the available content has been fully explored, there is little to draw players back beyond the social experience. Without more systems or dynamic elements, the game struggles to maintain long-term engagement.
Overall, Backrooms Not Escape delivers a competent and occasionally immersive take on cooperative horror within the Backrooms setting. It succeeds in creating moments of tension and confusion, particularly when played with others, and its level-based structure provides some degree of variety. At the same time, its limited content, uneven design, and lack of polish reflect its unfinished state. It is a game with clear potential, but one that has yet to fully realize its ideas.
Rating: 6/10
