Leo Caruso is one of two main protagonists in A Way Out.
Appearance[]
Leo has a light skin tone and brown hair styled into a short, slicked back pompadour with sideburns. In one of the possible endings, he grows a full beard.
Throughout the game, he wears a variety of outfits:
- In prison, he wears a light grey t-shirt, grey pants, and black shoes.
- In Chapter 2 to Chapter 3, he wears a rolled up green U.S. army coat, blue jeans, and brown boots.
- In Chapter 4 to Chapter 5, he wears a grey t-shirt with a decal on the front, blue jeans, and black boots.
- In his ending, he wears a blue plaid shirt, black jeans, and black shoes. Eventually, he changes into a jean jacket and blue jeans.
Personality[]
Throughout the game, Leo can be charismatic at times, but also headstrong. He is often the one coming up with the straightforward and risky ideas, such as direct assault with the gas station robbery, or driving straight across the bridge to escape the police.
Though he acts gruff and insensitive, underneath this false persona he actually cares deeply for his son and his wife. Not to mention he grew to appreciate Vincent's company throughout the game. He is a good father and husband and has a positive relationship with his small family.
Leo is understandably furious with Vincent for his betrayal upon finding out he's an undercover cop this whole time. Throughout the chase, he refuses to hear his pleas on giving up, which resulted in the death of either two men. If he kills Vincent, Leo reacted with no joy from it as he watched him die in silence and agreed to fulfill his dying wish of giving his letter to Carol. The guilt of killing Vincent got to him as evidenced from growing a beard and still thought of his dead friend while driving his family away from the state to fresh start. If Vincent kills him, Leo was in pain until he held his hand as a sign of respect for their former friendship, allowing him to die peacefully.
History[]
In-game Description[]
Leo was brought up in an orphanage and turned to crime early in his life. When stealing a famous diamond, everything went horribly wrong. Now he must get out of prison and set things right for his son, his wife and for himself.
Background[]
Leo was abandoned by his parents at a very young age and grew up in an orphanage, which is where he met Linda. They grew up together, committing petty thefts before they soon married and had a boy named Alex.
Leo Caruso soon became involved in the theft of a valuable diamond known as the Black Orlov alongside another thief named Harvey. Leo and Harvey had stolen the diamond and arranged to sell it, unaware that the supposed buyer, Gary Moretti, was actually working undercover with the police. From a surveillance van outside, Gary's brother, Vincent, and the police chief, James, monitored the exchange while Gary posed as the buyer.
What began as a routine negotiation quickly collapsed when Harvey turned on Leo, shooting Gary in the head and fleeing with the Black Orlov. The betrayal left Leo unconscious and Gary dead. By the time officers rushed in, Vincent was faced with the sight of his brother’s body while Leo was taken into custody. During interrogation, Leo refused to cooperate and was soon sent to prison for his crimes. Meanwhile, Linda kept the truth of Leo's imprisonment secret from their son, claiming that the he was working overseas with his cousin. These events had also led Vincent to convince James to let him infiltrate the prison as an undercover inmate, with the goal of gaining Leo’s trust and eventually tracking down Harvey.
Events of A Way Out[]
During his time in prison, Leo crossed paths with Vincent Moretti. Their connection began in the cafeteria, where a thug sent by crime boss Harvey attempted to kill Leo. Vincent intervened, and the fight ended with both men in the infirmary, while the thug was killed after fatally stabbing a prison guard. While recovering, Leo enlisted Vincent’s help to steal a chisel from the office. Vincent agreed, and afterward, he began to suspect Leo was planning an escape. Although Leo initially resisted working together, he changed his mind when Vincent revealed his own grudge against Harvey.
The two men prepared their escape by stealing bedsheets to craft a rope and smuggling a wrench to unlock a maintenance grate. On a stormy night, they finally carried out the plan and broke free from the prison. After evading searchlights and dogs in the wilderness, they stumbled across a small camp where they caught fish and rested. During this time, Vincent shared that he had once worked as a banker and that Harvey had forced him into laundering money before killing his brother and framing him. Leo began to recount his own past, but the moment was interrupted when a police helicopter flew overhead, forcing them to keep moving.
They eventually reached a farmhouse, where they stole clothing, a shotgun, and a truck. After a police chase that ended in a crash, they escaped in a rowboat and survived a waterfall. On the other side, Leo finally revealed his story: he and Harvey had once stolen a diamond called the Black Orlov. However, Harvey betrayed him by murdering their buyer and fleeing with the jewel, which led to Leo’s arrest.
The two then traveled to a trailer park so Leo could ensure the safety of his wife Linda and their son Alex. With his family secure, Leo and Vincent confronted Ray, one of Harvey’s construction foremen, at a city site. After chasing and interrogating him, they discovered Harvey was hiding in Mexico. Determined to settle the score, they robbed a gas station to secure funds for weapons, which they purchased from Leo’s contact, Jasmine. However, Jasmine betrayed them by alerting Harvey to their plans. Soon afterward, Vincent learned his wife Carol had given birth, prompting the pair to visit the hospital. There, they fought off one of Harvey’s hitmen before Vincent briefly met his newborn daughter. Their moment was cut short as police closed in, but with Vincent’s help, Leo narrowly escaped.
The next day, they met Emily, a pilot and Vincent’s contact, who agreed to fly them to Mexico. Reaching Harvey’s mansion, they fought their way through his guards, eventually confronting and overpowering Harvey himself. After forcing him to return the Black Orlov, they killed him when he attempted to take one of them hostage. With the diamond in hand, they returned to the United States. Upon landing, however, they were ambushed by police. Leo was shocked to learn that both Vincent and Emily were undercover FBI agents. The sting had originally been set up during the Black Orlov deal years earlier, and the buyer Harvey murdered was Vincent’s brother, Gary.
Enraged by the betrayal, Leo seized Vincent, held him at gunpoint, and hijacked a police car. His escape ended when the car crashed into a river. Leo managed to steal a boat, but Vincent pursued him in a helicopter with Emily. After a chase that ended in an explosion, Leo fled into a warehouse, where he confronted both Vincent and Emily. Forcing Emily to leave, he made it clear that this fight was between him and Vincent alone. The two engaged in a brutal gunfight, which ended with both men exhausted and weaponless. Spotting a firearm within reach, they made a final dash for it.
Ending[]
There are two endings for Leo: One where he lives, though this results in Vincent's death. Or one where Vincent kills Leo.
In one ending, Vincent grabs the gun first and shoots Leo in the chest. Both realizing that this is the end, they grab each other's hands until Leo dies from the gunshot. Time passes and Vincent arrives at Linda's trailer to give her the news. Vincent tells Linda about Leo's death, which horrifies her and she kicks him out of her trailer. Afterwards, Vincent goes to make amends with his wife and Linda and Alex are shown mourning at Leo's grave.
In the other ending, Leo reaches the gun first and shoots Vincent in the chest. Realizing he's doomed to die, Vincent asks Leo to deliver a letter to his wife, Carol. Later, time passes and Leo is shown with a beard. He reunites with his wife and son before packing up to go. Before he does, he leaves the letter on Carol's doorstep and rings the doorbell but leaves before she sees him. In the epilogue, the Caruso family drive off into the distance and Carol is shown crying at Vincent's funeral as his colleagues perform a three-volley salute.
Appearances in Other Games[]
It Takes Two[]
[ITT Spoilers Toggle - Click 'expand' to view or 'collapse' to hide]
Dolls of Leo and Vincent can be found on stands as part of an Easter Egg in the co-op adventure game It Takes Two. May wonders what the dolls are, to which Cody will explain that they are from his favorite video game and that he bought them as a gift for their daughter Rose. Buttons will be next to both of the dolls and by pressing them, either of them will say recorded phrases from their game. If both buttons are pressed at the same time, a cutscene will be triggered that reveals the dolls are apparently alive and aware of what they are.
During the cutscene, the Leo doll will express how he is still mad at Vincent for betraying him and seemingly not feeling sorry, Vincent will ask Leo what he will do about it. Leo claims that he will "Kick [Vincent's] ass" but Vincent will remind Leo that he cannot since he is a doll and is revealed to be firmly stuck to his stand, much to Leo's frustration.
Split Fiction[]
[SF Spoilers Toggle - Click 'expand' to view or 'collapse' to hide]
Leo and Vincent appear again as Easter Egg characters in the co-op adventure game Split Fiction. When Zoe and Mio encounter them during Mio’s sci-fi storyline, the two are found locked inside cages. Vincent urges the pair to activate a duel console that will release the cages into an abyss. Leo quickly objects, reminding Vincent that doing so would kill them both. Vincent, however, argues that it is only a simulation, and that he would rather fall to his death than listen to Leo talking shit all day long. Leo fires back, insisting that his chatter is what keeping them alive whilst locked up, and that he is funny, though Vincent flatly disagrees and once again asks Zoe and Mio to press the buttons. In desperation, Leo proposes a bet: if he can make Vincent laugh, then Zoe and Mio must spare them. Vincent accepts, but Leo cannot think of a good joke, exclaiming that it is impossible under pressure. Since Leo lost the bet, Vincent once more asks Zoe and Mio to push the buttons, while Leo exclaims that Vincent will not get away with this but Vincent remains apathetic.
If the players follow through, both cages plunge into the abyss. Leo screams “I HATE YOU, VINCENT!” while Vincent shouts back “WHATEVER, LEO!” Afterwards, Zoe reacts in shock to what they have just done, but Mio remains unfazed, noting that Vincent and Leo probably would have carried out the act themselves anyway
Trivia[]
- Leo is afraid of heights, which is brought up many times during his escape with Vincent.
- This is demonstrated when Vincent and Leo perform the back-to-back climbing technique and if the player takes Vincent’s way when crossing the bridge and skydiving to the drop point in Mexico.
- The game camera will shift to make heights seem taller when playing as Leo but will not do the same for Vincent.
- It is later revealed that this is because he fell out of a tree when he was 8, and broke his arm, much to his embarrassment.
- Leo is left-handed, as seen from writing on the wall and in a book while waiting for Vincent to arrive in his cell.
- In the scene when Vincent walks up to Leo after helping him steal the chisel, Leo is writing on a notepad, holding the pen with his left hand.
- During the hospital scene, particularly when Leo has to fight his way through a series of police officers, he stands in a southpaw stance (left side shifted further back).
- He holds his shotgun and machine gun with his left hand on the grip instead of the right.
- His cell number is 48.
- From the chapter "Fugitives", Leo inspects a sewing machine, saying that he has always wanted to learn how to sew.
- The actor who plays Leo, Fares Fares, is the older brother of the director of A Way Out, Josef Fares.
- When interacting with the hats at the farm house, he says that Linda never thought he looked good in a hat.
- Seeing that the game makes many homages to The Shawshank Redemption, Leo’s design may be inspired by Tommy.