Review: Exit [PSP]
 

Exit

A puzzle game is a puzzle game. Whether it’s as simple as stacking blocks or as difficult as arranging 10,000 pieces to form an image, the element of fun exists in the challenge. The PSP is not lacking of puzzle games, the most famous being Lumines, as these games thrive in the portable environment where time is usually limited to a bus ride or trip to the mall. Exit does not stray from the main formula of delivering simple gameplay and short puzzles, but it does present them in a unique way.

You play as Mr. Esc, a young adult who has taken it upon himself to save people from the unfortunate situations people always seem to find themselves in. There are three types of people in the game, each with their own advantages and hindrances you can use to help exit from the area. Children need help getting over large objects, but their small size allows them to crawl through small areas and walk over weight sensitive passes. Young adults have most of the abilities you have, with the exception that they won’t make the large jumps or drops that you will. Large adults can move heavy objects, but it will take two young adults (one of them which can be you) to get over the large objects. All these characteristics will need to be taken into account as your solving the puzzle.

The areas are filled with numerous objects which you must used to reach the exit. Use these objects in the wrong order, and you’ll find yourself with nothing to do and the clock still ticking. A good example of this is in an early stage where you must put out numerous fires to get out, and between each fire is one or more fire extinguishers. With two levels, if you put the fires out in the wrong order, you will run out of extinguishers and find yourself trapped.

As the puzzles get more difficult, the necessity to carefully arrange the people and objects within the solution is becomes more and more necessary. One simple miscalculation will mean one of the people you are to rescue is stuck in a room and you have to start the puzzle over again. With puzzles ranging from less than a minute to over ten, you may find yourself putting in nine minutes of puzzle solving only to find that something you did a few minutes before now means you must start over. In some puzzles, memorizing the steps to complete the puzzle becomes just as important as figuring out the next move. You’re racing against the clock (these people are in peril, you can’t take forever), and points are dependant on doing everything correctly as quickly as possible.

The controls are very well done, though at first you will be a little skeptical of the developer’s decision. You will find that the controls do not perform the task immediately, like an action platformer will. There is a slight delay you must account for. Some see this as a programming error, while I see it as fitting in with the game’s need for you to plan first before acting. For instance, when making a long jump, you will need to hit the jump button before you reach the edge. As much as it may pain you, you will soon realize that Mr. Esc can only jump so far, and waiting until the last possible moment to jump is not going to change that. As soon as you accept that, you will get in the mentality where you need to plan you jumps earlier in order to execute properly, mush like everything else in the game.

One area I can see being done better is the cursor. The analog nub is used to control the cursor, which you can use to tell the other people to do things like throw switches or move objects. The triangle button is used like a mouse to select the object or person. It is very obvious that this could be better done with the touch screen and stylus that is found on the Nintendo DS. If this game ever gets ported to the DS, one assumes that this is one of the changes they make to adapt it to the DS hardware.

Graphics

The game uses cell-shading to deliver eye-popping color and contrast, giving the game a general comic book style that complements the storyline perfectly. The screen is easy to see, and you will never have an issue with spotting objects you need to use. There is nothing spectacular in the game, just well done graphics design.

Audio

The soundtrack is very jazz-influenced and works well with the game. Again, nothing spectacular, but you will find the tunes popping into your head because they are catchy. The sound effects will probably get annoying after awhile. Having your character complain about stairs every time he climbs an object, or having a woman screaming how she needs a shower does little for the game except add needless annoyances.

Online

The game comes with 100 levels for you to get through. That alone will take you awhile, but when you are done you can download an extra 120 levels to try out. If they ever decide to release a level creator, it may skyrocket above that.

Conclusion

Exit is a great game, and Ubisoft has again made the correct decision to bring over a purely Japanese game to the rest of the world. If you enjoy a good puzzle game, Exit is a must own, but if you aren’t a fan, it will do nothing to change your opinion. Those who do play it will find a nearly flawless puzzle game which enough difficulty to keep you interested for longer than you may first expect. Exit isn’t going to dethrone Lumines as the king of all puzzle games on the PSP, but it come in as a close second.

9.2/10

Josh, I like that review and pretty much agree with everything you wrote. One correction, though : There are FOUR types of people in the game -- you forgot the patients, though they have no abilities at all and are just dead weight.

Sounds enjoyable.

I consider them objects because you can't use them help you in the puzzle. But yes, that is another type. Thanks for the catch.

I don't have a PSP, but this game definitely caught my eye. Is this available on any other platform?

Nope, it's the rarest of creatures -- the PSP exclusive game that does not suck.

Been looking forward to this game since 1up.com mentioned it about 7-8 months ago. Picked it up the first day it came out. Love it so far... I think I'm on 3 - 5.

I just saw the back of the game today and the graphics looked straight out of the 8-bit NES days.

= J

Don't let that fool you. I tried it this weekend and its pretty good. I have a few more games to buy ahead of it, but its definitely one I will pick up at some point. Don't know if I would rate it as high as Lumines or Meteos for puzzle goodness, but its close.

Picked this up at Fry's for $30 yesterday. Looks like 1.5 is going bye-bye.

You have to see it in motion. It's pretty sweet, actually. Levels are 2-D but bright, colorful and detailed with 3-D objects that shift in the foreground as the perspective changes. It really looks sharp. I may have a few problems with it, but not in the visual department.

I wanted to ask josh something : You note problems using the analog nub as the cursor. I found it very inuitive and responsive. Maybe that's just me, but I thought it worked just fine (though for me, it WAS a problem to select triangle. I'm so use to pressing X to confirm things, and that just made Mr ESC jump and I'd have to start it all again).