PSP World

Exit

Puzzle games are no stranger to consoles. Arguably it was the original Tetris that brought the GameBoy Classic to such a wide audience. Its success spawned a succession of clones all of which were a variation on a theme and almost all of which followed the same pattern where the gem, block or other shape needs to be in some way connected to something similar in order to cancel it out. They got increasingly faster causing the gamer to suffer RSI in order to beat their last best score. More powerful consoles gave more options and developers suddenly realized that puzzle games could be more like their game show equivalents. Take the VR section of Metal Gear Solid, for example. This type of 'mission' has been replicated for years on shows like Fort Boyard and The Crystal Maze and like the original Tetris, as soon as one developer is doing it, everyone has a go. Most recently we've had the very 'VR' like PIQ (Practical Intelligence Quotient) from D3 Publisher and now Taito bring us this: EXIT, which, on the surface at least, appears to look different from its rivals, but is it?

EXIT is split into 100 different missions with the main aim of each being to reach… you guessed it… the exit before the timer runs out. This starts out simple enough, mostly because you only have yourself to rescue so climbing stars and jumping the odd gap isn't too much of a problem. Props are then introduced such as keys, rope ladders and fire extinguishers but again the missions are easy going and you'll finish them with a time to spare. The problems occur when you actually have to rescue people. People who appear to be so frightened they are almost stuck to the spot, waiting for someone to tell them what to do. That someone is you and your main objective now is to evacuate everyone from the building, with you very much on the bottom of the list. Again, initially this is not too difficult. Able-bodied evacuees will obey your every command allowing you to clear the path in front of you by extinguishing fires and connecting rope ladders to hooks.

As in life, not everyone is equal but some of the people you encounter can be of help to you. Larger individuals, for example, are generally stronger so pushing blocks to a desired location is little problem for them. But they require help to get over said blocks and this is where you must cooperate with others to get people to the exit. There are other areas where this may not be possible because, for instance, the rather unstable floor has a weight restriction or a passage is too small to crawl through. It's here you might call on the services of one of the many children you come across who are invaluable to your success for obvious reasons. Finally there are the injured and walking wounded who have strengths but more often weaknesses and their rescue is where the real puzzle solving begins.

Visually the game is incredibly stylized and certainly highly original in this 3D dominated time. Best described as a kind of moving graphic novel, some of the levels (and the intro) are a feast for the eyes. This has to be one of the best looking games on the PSP system. The animation is just as good with the main character in particular looking incredibly lifelike. Overall this is outstanding stuff and proof that not all developers are happy to simply follow the crowd.

As with the majority of computer game soundtracks, you are either going to love this or hate it. It's not bad; it just won’t be to everyone’s taste. The voice samples however, while very well acted and recorded are so repetitive you'll be mumbling them in your sleep.

The control does get very complicated especially when you consider that you are not only controlling your main character but also people who need rescuing and a whole host of items that need carrying and using. Fortunately the first ten levels are tutorial based with pop-ups appearing whenever a new concept is introduced. This does make the first section of the game somewhat slower than the rest and the finish times have been extended to accommodate this but pay attention as you'll soon find yourself alone and clueless as to how to complete the level and get everyone out safe.

Overall it's hard to criticize a game like EXIT because you either like this sort of thing or you don't but there's no denying that it's expertly put together and the extra 100 levels (available for download from the official site) mean you'll be playing this for some. It does have its problems mostly due to some of the puzzles being so difficult that you'll be forced to try just about anything whether it's logical or not and the control can occasionally be a little temperamental but outside of this EXIT is a welcome addition to the PSP's library of games and one that belongs in any puzzler’s collection.

By Andrew Blanchard

Review Round-Up

IGN: 6.8
"Exit is a rather mixed bag. In theory, and even in practice, the person-centric puzzles are laid out nicely and can really challenge your noggin towards the late stages of the game. But at the same time, there's a whole lot of trial-and-error going on here."

GameSpot: 8.0
"Exit is inherently a very likable game. The premise and presentation are light and fun without being cute or cloying. The puzzles will put your logic to the test, but without being condescending or overly punishing."

GameSpy: 9.0
"It seems to be a matter of perspective — in all honesty, even your trusty reviewer wasn't completely crazy about it during the process of writing the preview — but the verdict here is that Exit is an excellent puzzle title that takes more time to grow on you than many short attention-spanned gamers might be willing to invest. Nevertheless, it's an entertaining, fun, and challenging title that can truly be played in the sorts of bursts that are natural to handheld gaming."

GamePro: 9.0
"After all the rather lackluster ports that have doted the system's lineup of games, Sony's handheld needs another fun and unique title to draw attention to it. Thankfully for PSP owners everywhere, Exit does exactly that."

Aggregate Rating: 8.2