With the Vita struggling to gain ground after a rocky start in Japan, some are wondering just what the future holds for the ambitious handheld. However, with several major titles coming in when it launches in the western world, things may just be looking up. In particular, the unique puzzle game Escape Plan is especially drawing some attention, and it may just be the kick in the rear that the console needs to get into shape.

Developed by Fun Bits Interactive, Escape Plan stars the unlikely heroes Lil and Laarg, an example of the classic Of Mice and Men characterization. The player's task is to guide the duo through various booby-trapped rooms and help them escape from the clutches of their captor, lest they suffer a very gruesome fate. The game will allow players to utilize the touch screens to interact with the environment, as well as Lil and Laarg themselves. 

The use of a black and white color scheme in Escape Plan, which the developers call a high-contrast chiaroscuro style, creates a striking appearance that looks to give the title a more cartoonish look. The lack of color makes things look simplistic, but at the same time, the various rooms you traverse through all seem to have an intricate amount of detail in them. Even the various gruesome deaths that can occur have a cartoony aspect to them, as violent as they seem, offering a humorous aspect to the title.

The way you control the game has gotten the most attention. Players can tap obstacles to move them, activate or deactivate parts of the environment, and interact with the hapless duo in numerous ways. One room has the player touching platforms to activate them as one of the characters approaches, while another requires them to use the Vita's gyroscopic controls to control their helium-filled bodies around various hazards. It's even possible to grab them by "pinching" them by simply placing fingers on the front and back touch screens in order to quickly move them to safety.

With a lot of Vita titles focusing on graphical power and relegating the touch screen mechanics to simple gimmicks, Escape Plan looks to be one of the few titles to show what the handheld is truly capable of. It's certainly an ambitious title, with a creative premise and the most unique controls out of anything that's been seen on the handheld so far. The main thing that may hold it back is that it may be too ambitious. However, with the creative mind of Chris Millar at the helm, responsible for the successful Fat Princess series, it may end up being a standout hit.

Escape Plan is set to be released as a downloadable title on the 22nd of this month, on the exact day of the Vita's launch in the west.

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