How to escape prison
Prison escape is a grid puzzle. You move one tile at a time toward the exit while a guard chases you across a grid whose width and height change with the prison. Beat it and you earn the escape ribbons.
The rules that win it
Players who have solved it repeatedly report the guard follows a fixed pattern, and the trick is to use it against him:
- The guard moves twice for every one move you make.
- He tries to move horizontally first (to line up with your column), and only moves vertically once he shares your column.
- Because he prioritizes horizontal moves, you can trap him against a wall: line up so his horizontal move is blocked and he wastes turns.
- Once he is stuck or out of position, walk the clear path to the exit.
Layouts
Community solvers put the grids from about 4x4 in minimum security (easiest) up to 8x8 in maximum security (hardest), with a fixed set of roughly a dozen layouts that the game can mirror. Learn the handful of shapes and you can solve any of them. (The grid size is set per prison; the exact layout list is player knowledge, not a published table.)
Getting the sentence down first
If the puzzle is too big, lower your security level. A shorter sentence means a smaller grid, so pleading out of the most serious charges helps. What lands you inside and for how long is driven by each crime’s seriousness; see Crime.