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PSP | Puzzle | Exit

Boxart for Exit
Exit 3 screen shots
  • GRAPHICS: 4.5
  • SOUND: 4.0
  • CONTROL: 4.0
  • FUN FACTOR 4.5
  • AVG USER SCORE n/a
  • AVG CRITIC SCORE 4.1
Winner of the GamePro Editor's Choice Award

Preview: Exit

Preview by The Watcher | 01/12/2006 | 09:49:37 AM PST

Prepare for an unexpected hit on the PSP with this new and original puzzle game.

The PSP has had some trying times lately. For being a handheld powerhouse, it's unfortunate that so few hit games are being released. Save for a select few titles, the PSP has been relegated to ports and its cursory multimedia functions. But out of this dry spell comes a promising new game from Japan called Exit.

For as bizarre as the game's titles may sound, the gameplay and graphics are nothing of the sort. You play as Mr. ESC (as in escape), an everyday Joe with a red scarf and fedora, searching burning buildings for helpless victims to rescue. Ok so the setup is a bit bizarre, but once into it, Exit proves to be an original, and highly enjoyable take on the classic platform puzzle game.

But what will likely strike you first is the impressive visual style Exit exudes. Partly cell-shaded and partly avante-garde minimalism, Exit is undeniably an attractive game. Characters and objects are clear and crisp and tend to stick out on screen, while much of the environment blends in hues of yellow, red, and orange.

Gameplay is equally enjoyable, with puzzles requiring Mr. ESC to perform an array of feats to rescue his civilian victims, ranging from opening vaults to putting out fires, to carrying wounded through varies stages of the game. But civilians aren't left merely as mindless drones. Mr. ESC can use them to perform task he otherwise couldn't do alone, like crawling through small spaces, pushing large objects, or lifting some of the heavier civilians up onto higher platforms. It may seem banal at first, but the execution is well performed and altogether appealing.

The only drawbacks seen so far are that Mr. ESC himself-being just a regular guy-isn't very acrobatically inclined, so his movements must be well-timed to be performed correctly. Also, some of the stages feel incredibly linear, and require multiple tries to "get it right". But being a puzzle game, and with each stage perfectly sized for a handheld, such features are par for course. Still, Exit should prove original and fun games are still on their way for the PSP when it's released later this year.The Watcher


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