See, game developer Hazelight designed A Way Out to be a co-op experience through and through -- you and a friend play two inmates, solving puzzles and evading cops to escape from prison on a splitscreen interface. You can play with a friend side-by-side on a couch or online, but bottom line is that you can't play it on your own (or even with your best canine buddy). A free friends pass means you won't have to stress about finding a pal who's also willing to shell out to buy the game.

Hazelight founder, writer and director Josef Fares said in a statement:

"We developed the game to be experienced with a friend on the couch, but since that isn't possible for everyone, those who download the friend's pass free-trial will be able to play the entire game online with a friend who owns the full game and still get an awesome experience."

While that's mighty generous of Hazelight, the studio behind critically acclaimed Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, take note that you and your friend will need an Xbox Live Gold or a PlayStation Plus account if you're playing on Xbox One or PS4. On PC, you'll need to have EA's Origin program to be able to enjoy it. If you're all set, though, you can pre-order the game and start making plans with a pal.