The open world is where Escape Academy 2 earns the word "sequel". Between the timed curriculum rooms there is a campus to walk, and the campus is not decoration — most of the 42 trophies live out there. This page covers what to collect, where the money comes from, and how to sweep it efficiently.
| Wing | Unlock trophy | What is in it |
|---|---|---|
| Science Campus | Scientific Breakthrough | Biology Lab, Chemistry Lab, the Puzzle Factory, the storeroom and the Weather Tower |
| Humanities Campus | Oh, The Humanity | Library, lecture hall, museum, and the bandstand where a picnic puzzle waits |
| Campus Gardens | The Gate Outdoors | The open outdoor sector, ending at the beach |
| Arts Campus | Acting Out | Spanish-style architecture cascading down hillsides and coastal cliffs — theater, dance studio, costume shop, Box Office, the Hall of Escapists and the Workshop at the summit, plus the Monument of Escape and the first Secret Chamber |
The Arts Campus is the one players remember. Coloured stucco walls, terracotta tiles, wrought-iron balconies, hand-painted signs and brick streets, decorated with paint splatters, murals, graffiti and sculptures, terraced all the way down a steep hillside to the sea. The Science Campus, by contrast, is where you go to synthesise memory gas and power a lightbulb with cheese.
Ziplines are strung between rooftops and are the fastest way to cross the map once you have them. Every single one has to be activated for the Just Here For the Ziplines exploration trophy, and there are more of them than you will find by accident — a good sweep of the rooflines is worth doing deliberately, with the achievement open on the map, rather than assuming the ones you use are the ones you need. There is also Don’t Look Down, which is simply reaching the tallest point on the map.
Red Herrings are the collectible currency of Escape Academy 2. They are hidden all over the academy — inside rooms, in corners, behind objects — and you hand them to Cod Stewart of the Fishing Club, who pays you for each one. Finishing all 50 gives the Herring is Caring achievement. They are also the most reliable income in the game, which matters because several required purchases are gated behind money you will not otherwise have: a $10 crowbar, a $17 materials budget, a $20 theater ticket, and $20 for the lift or crane at the ship.
That is what the Extra Credit quests are for. They are optional side jobs, and the game tracks three milestones: your first (A Little Something Extra), your tenth (This Should Help my Grades), and all of them (Escape-a-holic). Between the Extra Credit quests and the Red Herrings, money is never the wall — time is.
Quanty, the campus supercomputer, appears in eleven different places. Finding all eleven is the Quanty Superposition collectible achievement. He shows up as terminals and screens in every wing, and because the game also wants 300 conversations (Extrovert Extraordinaire), the two goals push you in the same direction: talk to every student, every member of faculty and every terminal you pass. The dialogue is short and mostly funny, and it is also how the Extra Credit quests start.
There are 11 painting challenges around the campus, and clearing every one of them earns No Paint, No Gain. They tie into the Arts Campus’s art-heavy identity, and the names follow the series’ pun habit.
Four trophies are less about collecting and more about being stupid in the right place. You have to get caught trespassing five times (B- B- B- B- Busted!), attempt to contact the campus police (Don’t Call In Case of an Emergency), get sent to the infirmary (Tis But a Scratch), and take all three environmental hazards — a great fall, lava, and electrocution — for Snap, Crackle, Pop!. A single fall off a high rooftop can satisfy two of those at once.