Games Where You Get To Break Into Prison

Key Takeaways

Ground Zeroes introduces Snake to the high-stakes challenge of breaking into a highly guarded prison camp, Camp Omega.
Oblivion kicks off with players escaping the Imperial City Prison in daring fashion, but one faction leads them back in.
In the realm of Guild Wars: Nightfall, players encounter a prison where walls are pain and shackles are forged by gods.

As a seasoned gamer with decades of experience under my belt, I can confidently say that few moments in gaming are as exhilarating as breaking into a seemingly impenetrable fortress or prison. It’s not just about the thrill of the heist or the bragging rights that come with it; it’s about the challenges, the puzzles, and the triumphant feeling when you finally crack the code and make your escape.

Many video games feature well-known instances of characters escaping from jail. For instance, every adventure in the “Elder Scrolls” series starts with the character being imprisoned. Games like “Jak 2” and “Dishonored” employ a prison break scenario to help players get accustomed to the game’s mechanics. Naughty Dog found this concept intriguing, and in “Uncharted 4”, they had the player perform an escape from prison not once but twice.

Although the idea of forcing entry into an apparently invincible and arguably the least desirable location might seem crazy, it offers a thrilling, risky test for players. These unique games provide players with the excitement they crave, be it the prestigious bragging rights from pulling off the ultimate heist or even creating their own virtual prison.

Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes

The Ominous Camp Omega

In the game Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes, Snake is assigned a mission to infiltrate Camp Omega, an alternate history version of Guantanamo Bay, to rescue his previous partners Paz and Chico who are being held there. Throughout the gameplay, players have the option to free the other detainees who have been neglected and kept in cages with no help, their faces hidden under plastic bags.

In essence, the location is encircled by a nearly impenetrable barrier of natural stone cliffs, with the camp within being reinforced by numerous armed guards, chain barriers, solid walls, and locked entrances. Given the tough security conditions and military context of a place like Guantanamo, it would take someone as talented as Big Boss to successfully orchestrate an infiltration under such challenging circumstances.

The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion

The Imperial City Prison

In the game Oblivion, Valen Dreth is far from friendly when players first encounter him. Instead of offering a warm greeting, he ridicules the character they control, the Hero of Kavarch, predicting their impending doom. As if on cue, Emperor Uriel Septim and his group appear, searching for an escape route. In their haste to find it, they unknowingly create an opportunity for the player’s character to slip away from the Imperial Prisons.

If the character chooses to align with the Dark Brotherhood after gaining their freedom, Valen Dreth is marked for assassination in the quest “Scheduled For Execution.” At this point, Dreth remains imprisoned. This implies that the assassin player must retrace their steps to the dungeon where they initially awoke, as it has been fortified with guards since the emperor’s death. However, these added security measures might fuel the player’s thirst for a satisfying act of revenge.

Guild Wars: Nightfall

The Realm Of Torment

Prisons and restraints don’t always have to be physical; they can also be emotional or psychological. For instance, in the game Guild Wars Nightfall, Abaddon, the Fallen God of Magic and Secrets, condemned to the Realm of Torment by the other deities of Tyria, has a prison made of existential pain and fear, and his restraints are crafted from an unbreakable, metaphysical substance forged during a war god’s eternal thirst for conflict.

After being confined for an extended period, Abaddon started exerting dominance over his imprisonment dimension, gradually transforming it into a realm where only highly skilled and divinely favored heroes could endure. Even with his power, the Realm of Torment kept him at bay from Tyria, and its wardens were not just unfriendly towards him but also towards any who dared to approach. However, the only method to neutralize Abaddon’s menace is to penetrate the realm and confront him at its core – a feat that requires breaching physical reality and entering a magical prison filled with nightmares and agony.

Star Wars: Bounty Hunter

The Asteroid Prison Oovo IV

Platform(s): PlayStation 2, GameCube, PC
Released: 2002-11-22
Developer(s): LucasArts, Aspyr
Genre: Action-adventure

Hunting for targets across the vast expanse of the Star Wars galaxy can be quite challenging due to its immense size. As a bounty hunter, establishing contacts with your quarry is crucial. After being tasked with eliminating a dark Jedi in Star Wars: Bounty Hunter, Jango Fett learns that one of his former workers, a Mordageen named Bendix Fust, has placed a bounty on himself. To draw him out, Fett decides to pursue and capture him instead.

The only problem is that Fust had already been sent to serve a sentence in an asteroid prison, Oovo IV. Undeterred, Fett devised a plan to fish him out. Besides having to deal with the prison’s security, Fett faces off against a rival bounty hunter (and a future associate), gets captured, and has to escape. In the process, his ship is destroyed, but luckily, he finds another on Oovo IV (which just so happens to be one of Star Wars’ most iconic ships), dubbing it “Slave One” (a name that later gets revised to “Firespray.”

Thief Gold

The Cragscleft Mines, Factory, And Prison Complex

Following a successful burglary of Lord Bafford’s Manor and making off with his showy scepter in Thief’s inaugural mission, Garrett heads back to his contact, Cutty, but discovers that guards had him imprisoned instead. Determined to see his efforts acknowledged, Garrett resolves to orchestrate a jailbreak for Cutty.

Regrettably, Cragscleft is not merely stone and cells; it’s a multi-purpose facility encompassing mines, factories, and penal labor camps. The intricate, partially submerged mine tunnels and the heightened security on the upper levels create an environment where infiltrating or escaping from Cragscleft is a task only a madman or an expert burglar would dare attempt.

2024-09-08 05:04