Hazelight Studios made a name for themselves with their previous game, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons. It was a touching tale of two siblings that made an innovative use of dual-analogue controls to control the duo simultaneously in a sort of forced concept of teamwork.

As good as it was, Hazelight wants to push the concept of working together even further. We were able to get our first look at their upcoming game, A Way Out as part of today’s EA Play event at E3 2017.

A Way Out is designed for two people to really and truly work together, in the same space, through an entirely co-op narrative, by fully eliminating any notion of a single-player campaign.

That’s right – you’ll have to find a partner in order to experience A Way Out.

A Way Out’s story centers around two convicts; Leo and Vincent, and their journey to make their way out of prison. Players will have to rely on each other to tunnel out of the prison, scale walls, bribe guards, and more, however, the story doesn’t end there.

Once they make their way out, they will have to resist being caught and re-incarcerated, while also attempting to put the pieces of their lives back together in an adventure that looks much more action-oriented (at least from the trailer) than their previous effort: Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons.

Players who don’t have a partner readily available to make their prison break will be able to join up with an accomplice online, however, one has to wonder the viability of being able to find a co-op partner after the game has been out for a few years.

Longevity issues aside, A Way Out’s approach to teamwork is both innovative and intriguing.

Hazelight is targeting an early 2018 release date for A Way Out, which is due for release on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.

Be sure to check out the rest of NerdBacon’s E3 2017 coverage right here!

What are your thoughts on A Way Out? Do you want to phone a friend and experience what the game has to offer? Or do you want to continue living in your fortress of solitude? Let us know in the comments section below.