[Escape Academy 2: Back 2 School

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Escape Academy 2: Back 2 School is the sequel to 2022's Escape Academy, developed by Coin Crew Games and published by iam8bit Presents. It is an open-world escape room game that mixes traditional puzzles with escape rooms and side content [src-0dc02cf791]. The game released on 5 November 2026 for Microsoft Windows, and a full playthrough takes roughly 10 to 15 hours. This guide walks through the early challenges that most players hit first, so you can get past the opening and into the campus proper.

Before You Start

Escape Academy 2 is built around both solo and two-player co-operative play, available in local or online splitscreen [src-9c282bac46]. Because the game leans heavily on split-screen co-op, it's worth deciding up front whether you're playing alone or with a partner — communication is the core skill the puzzles are designed to test [src-6de4f9e28a]. The game has been praised as a couch co-op pick, with its balance of clever puzzles and approachable play making it a strong choice for two players [src-6de4f9e28a].

Note that the game mixes an open-world structure with discrete escape rooms, so you can tackle side content alongside the main path [src-0dc02cf791]. The walkthrough below covers the opening chapter and the Clocktower room, which are the two challenges most players encounter early.

Chapter 1: [Escape Shack Station

Your first objective is to board the tram. To do that, you need two things: $3 in fare and the destination code for Escape Academy [src-0dc02cf791].

Step 1: Solve the Symbol Machine

Find the machine near the ticket kiosk. It requires three symbols to be entered. To work them out:

1. Look at the tram stops map on the wall to your left — the symbols on the map match the ones the machine needs [src-0dc02cf791].
2. Around each rotating dial on the machine are coloured lines: red and yellow, blue and red, and blue and yellow [src-0dc02cf791].
3. Using the tram stops map, find the places where these coloured lines intersect. Each intersection reveals the symbol you need to input into that dial [src-0dc02cf791].

The walkthrough's solution was triangle, cog and square [src-0dc02cf791]. Entering the correct symbols gives you the destination code for Escape Academy: 9625 [src-0dc02cf791].

Step 2: Collect the $3 Fare

The money is scattered around the station in three single-dollar pickups:

1. Open the phone box to find the first $1 [src-0dc02cf791].
2. Crawl through the open vent to find another $1 [src-0dc02cf791].
3. Find the third $1 on top of the phone box — climb up using the luggage to the side [src-0dc02cf791].

Step 3: Buy Your Ticket

Go to the ticket kiosk and click the yellow slot to insert the money [src-0dc02cf791]. With the $3 paid and the destination code (9625) in hand, you can board the tram and continue.

The Clocktower: "[That Rings A Bell"

The Clocktower escape room, "That Rings A Bell," is one of the more challenging rooms in the game. It features colour-code locks and a hanging star-point counting puzzle. Approach it methodically: read every colour-coded lock carefully before entering combinations, and count the hanging star points deliberately rather than guessing. Because the room combines multiple lock types, keep notes as you go — the colour codes and star counts feed into one another.

Tips

• Play with a partner if you can. The game is designed around split-screen co-op and communication, and reviewers single it out as a near-perfect couch co-op experience [src-6de4f9e28a].
• Check the environment for maps and diagrams. The Escape Shack Station puzzle is solved entirely by cross-referencing the machine's dials with the tram stops map on the wall [src-0dc02cf791]. Expect this pattern to repeat.
• Don't ignore side content. The open-world structure means there are plenty of optional puzzles and escape rooms beyond the main path, adding to the 10 to 15 hour playtime [src-0dc02cf791].
• Expect the story to be light. Reviews note that the sequel's emphasis on story mostly falls flat, so treat the narrative as flavour and focus on the puzzles [src-6de4f9e28a].

Rewards and Progression

Completing the Escape Shack Station sequence gets you onto the tram and into Escape Academy, opening up the campus and its wider set of rooms. From there you can pursue the main escape rooms and the side content at your own pace across the 10 to 15 hour campaign. The game holds a score of 7 out of 10 in the record, reflecting its approachable-but-clever puzzle design.

Details

image

Escape Academy 2.jpg

developer

Coin Crew Games

publisher

iam8bit Presents

releasedate

5 November 2026

platform

Microsoft Windows

playtime

10 to 15 hours

score

7 out of 10

key_puzzles_and_locations

Includes early challenges like the Escape Shack Station tram ticket puzzle ($3 and destination code) and the challenging Clocktower escape room ('That Rings A Bell') featuring color-code locks and hanging star-point counting.

Sources

• Escape Academy 2: Back 2 School walkthrough - Full guide and puzzle ...
• Escape Academy 2: Back 2 School - Complete Clocktower Puzzle Guide
• Escape Academy 2: Back 2 School Review - Escape Rooms Ace It, Open World Flunks
• Xbox Game Pass' Newest Addition Is a Near-Perfect Couch Co-Op Game
• Steam store page — Escape Academy
• Escape Academy 2: Back 2 School