Welcome to Escape the School — a pulse-pounding, suspenseful horror game that will plunge you into a world of fear and mystery. In this chilling adventure, you’ll find yourself racing against fate within the dim, claustrophobic hallways of a Chinese school rendered in striking detail. With danger lurking in every shadow and conspiracy hiding behind every door, survival is anything but guaranteed.

The story follows a newly appointed headmaster obsessed with producing students worthy of China’s top universities, Tsinghua and Peking. To achieve this, he resorts to brutal and even blood-soaked methods. After a fateful misstep puts you in his crosshairs, the specter of death looms. You must unravel a web of secrets and navigate this nightmarish campus before sunrise—your only chance at escape.

Inspired by a real private school in China and powered by Unreal Engine 5, Escape the School delivers a deeply immersive experience. Every beam of light, every cracked tile and flickering lamp has been carefully crafted to evoke a sense of dread. Step by step, you'll feel yourself sinking into a terrifyingly believable nightmare.

This one-of-a-kind horror game is the brainchild of a high school student who drew from personal experiences of repression, frustration, and a system resistant to change. Through biting satire and a raw artistic lens, the game offers a critique of outdated educational authority and institutional rigidity. To him, every student has tasted the bitterness of being ignored and confined. This is a tribute to those who dare to question, to rebel, and to seek truth in their youth.

Far more than just a horror story, this game stands as a vivid allegory of teenage resistance and the will to survive. You will become a lone hero in the dark, carving your path through a night that will haunt you forever.

Ready to face an unprecedented psychological challenge? Tonight, you’re not just escaping a school—you're breaking free from a twisted dreamscape of distorted reality.

The game is relatively small in scale, with a playtime of approximately 1–2 hours.

Features:

Immersive Experience The game is set in a real-life school and features a minimalist user interface to ensure an immersive experience.

Unique Missions Each level presents different tasks. Complete them to move to the next level and ultimately escape.

Relentless Chases A fierce principal will relentlessly pursue you. The chase is the core theme of the game.

Pervasive Surveillance The principal’s surveillance clones are scattered across the campus, keeping a constant eye on your every move. To escape, you must dismantle them all.

Multiple Endings Your preparation and escape route will lead to different endings.

Adjustable Difficulty The difficulty is adjustable, affecting NPC movement speed and attack strength.

A Word from the Creator:

Hi there! This is a horror game I developed independently during my sophomore year of high school.

Back then, I was studying at a private school. Due to years of failing to send any students to Tsinghua or Peking University, the superstitious chairman hired a self-proclaimed “mystic” as principal. What followed was a slew of absurd reforms—mandatory online courses via the infamous “Hengzhong Cloud School,” an accelerated curriculum, and even forced ‘borrow education’ at Hengshui High School—a place famed not just for stellar scores, but for stress-induced transcendence. At one point, we were crammed into a dim, suffocating new building to replace our bright and spacious classrooms. This is where the game’s setting comes from. As members of the school’s “elite class,” we were physically and mentally drained.

This game began as a light-hearted satire—a creative protest against the irrational decisions made by school leadership. I hoped it would offer a bit of laughter amid our stressful lives. I still remember the first time it was run in the classroom, with everyone crowding around to watch. That moment is etched in my memory (see attached screenshots!).

Fortunately, the chaos didn’t last long. After about a year, the chairman pulled the plug, and school life slowly returned to normal. Although some rigid rules remain, I still believe the school was a place where one could grow and learn. I completed my final year successfully and got a satisfying result in the national college entrance exam. Looking back now, it feels like “a lone boat has sailed past ten thousand mountains.” This game is my ode to that strange, unforgettable year—and a tribute to my dear classmates.

As a student with limited resources and no formal training in Unreal Engine, the game inevitably has flaws in story, mechanics, and performance. Without the context and emotional baggage, it might be called amateurish or even crude. I’ve uploaded it to Steam mostly for commemorative reasons—and to share my unique student experience with others.

In the game, you might encounter some quirky items derived from nicknames of my classmates. Picking them up allows you to trigger corresponding skills at the desks of those classmates in the classroom.

The game’s price is symbolic—consider it a tip jar. If you find it’s not worth it, feel free to request a refund. There’s no purchase check built in—this experience belongs to every player.

Thank you for reading this far. I hope this small, slightly awkward slice of memory brings a smile to your face. Wishing you joy, health, and good fortune always!

(P.S. Here are some images from the development process!)

逃离狮门外语学校 / Escape the School screenshots